Crimson
by GothicDream
Summary: When a war between two empires reaches Earth, the Z Fighters find themselves Ki-less and outgunned. With little other choice, they are forced into a temporary alliance with one of the empires. This has unforeseen consequences, however, when Vegeta is recognized, arrested, tried, and sentenced to a lifetime of service in the empire's army. B/V, G/Cc, Gh/V
1. A New Threat

Disclaimer: I don't own it DBZ or any characters. Those are property of Akira Toriyama.

Chapter 1: A New Threat

"What is it?" Piccolo asked as the smaller man touched down behind him. The question wasn't referring to the other man's purpose for coming, but rather to the energies they both felt.

No greetings were exchanged. The man just stepped up beside him extending his senses, trying to get a lock on the power…rather powers…he was sensing.

"I'm not sure." He finally said, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket.

"Are they familiar to you?" His voice was low, as was his companion's.

"They could be." He said, before reluctantly adding. "I didn't learn to sense Ki until I came to Earth, so it's entirely possible that I'd have run across whoever they are before."

Neither man moved. To an onlooker, they could have been statues erected in the middle of the lonely, white tiled structure. The only evidence that they were, in fact, not made of stone was the billowing of the tall green man's cape and the subtle way that the smaller man's hair was carried in the occasional gust of wind.

"But you think it's something bad." Otherwise, why would this man have left his precious gravity chamber to venture all the way to the lookout? Though, Piccolo reasoned, if he were certain there was going to be a fight, the man would have probably put on his armor instead of coming in his "civilian clothes."

"Hn." Was the only answer he got.

A moment later, a third person appeared—literally—behind them. "Hey guys…you feel that?"

This new arrival always seemed to carry with him excitement and energy. This time was no different.

"Of course we do, Kakkarott!" His voice finally raised above its low pitch.

Before Vegeta could add an insult, Piccolo asked the new man. "Do you have any idea who it is?"

"No." Goku shook his head. "But they don't feel that powerful. Above average, maybe. But we could take them. Are we even sure they're bad?"

"We're not sure of anything, yet." Piccolo said.

"We should probably meet them when they land. Y'know. Just in case." He looked to Vegeta. "Do you have any other brothers who might be paying a visit? Or a sister maybe?" The idea of Vegeta having a sister had an odd effect on the man, as he was apparently torn between imagining a female saiyan who looked like an earth woman and a female saiyan that looked exactly like Vegeta.

"It's not my sister."

The response was just vague enough for Goku to ask. "Umm…do you have a sister?"

Vegeta didn't answer. The answer wasn't important anyway, and he enjoyed making Goku itch from time to time.

"'Geta?"

"Quiet!" Piccolo snapped, cutting off Vegeta's tirade about the abbreviation of his name before he'd even started it.

"Hi everyone." The three warriors turned, seeing Dende. The young guardian looked troubled. "A foreign presence is entering the Earth's atmosphere." He informed them.

"Where?"

He shook his head regretfully. "I'm not sure."

"Can you tell who it is by chance? What race?" Vegeta asked.

"They're not of any race I'm familiar with." He answered, hanging his head. "I'm sorry."

A new arrival caught their attention. "Hi guys. Good to see you again."

"Hey Krillin!" Goku called cheerfully as Piccolo and Vegeta both gave hardly-perceptible nods in greeting. "Yea it's been a while hasn't it?"

"Not since Hercule's party, so…uhh a few months ago."

"Dad!"

"Gohan!" Gohan and Videl had just landed on the lookout. Vegeta and Piccolo both cringed at their Saiyaman costumes and turned away.

Suddenly a soft jingle could be heard. Piccolo's ears twitched, as Vegeta dug into his pocket and pulled out his phone. "That's your ringtone?" Piccolo asked with a smirk.

Vegeta scowled. Trunks had thought it would be funny to make a children's television show's theme song as his ring tone. Vegeta couldn't figure out how to take it off and couldn't swallow his pride enough to admit that his ten year old son knew more about something than he did, nor could he bring himself to ask Bulma to fix the situation for him. "Shut up." Was all Vegeta said before flipping the phone open. "Aren't you supposed in school?" Was the first thing he said.

Piccolo would never admit to being an eavesdropper. After all, it wasn't his fault that his excellent hearing allowed him to pick up on the other half of the conversation anyway.

"Dad what's that energy? Goten feels it too." The voice, which was obviously Trunks', asked. "Is something going on? Why's everyone all together? Is there going to be a fight. Is—"

"Trunks, I can't answer any of your questions if you never pause to breathe, son." Vegeta said. "We don't know who it is. They don't seem that powerful. Yes everyone is together, but we don't know if it's a threat. We're going to check it out. And. No, you are not allowed to leave school to come with us."

"Aww! But!"

"Nope." He said in a way that was slightly gloating. "And I assume that goes for Goten as well. We'll tell you all about it later." With that he flipped the phone shut, and looked to Piccolo. "Shall we?"

"Yes. Are you done wasting time?"

Vegeta cocked an eyebrow but didn't say anything. Levitating a few feet off the lookout he looked back to see that the rest were following his lead. "Keep your energies low for now." He ordered them before taking off in the direction that the energy was coming from.

The area from which the energy was emitting was a rocky area, full of steep slopes and flat, grass-covered plateaus. The ship had landed somewhat precariously close to a sheer drop off. There was no crater around the ship, no trees were uprooted. Even the grass upon which it sat looked relatively undisturbed. A river flowed peacefully, making no noise.

When they got fairly close to the place where they felt the energies, they dove down to land on a bluff overlooking the ship. They ventured the rest of the way on foot and then crouched down behind some rocks.

"What the hell?" Vegeta mumbled peering over the rocks toward the ship.

Piccolo, who'd heard the comment, turned to him. "What? You know them?"

"The ship." Vegeta said, in some confusion. "It's a Tauran Cruiser. But those…those people are not Taurans."

"Umm…Vegeta?" Goku called gaining the prince's attention. "Well uhh…who are the Taurans?"

Vegeta looked back. "The Taurans are a warrior race, not unlike the Saiyans. They fought to expand their empire until they ran up against Frieza's empire. After several fierce battles, the Tauran empire was swallowed by Frieza's empire. The son of the Tauran emperor was given to Freiza as collateral."

"Oh. Kinda like you?"

Vegeta's eye twitched. "Kakkarott, stop asking questions!"

"However, their empire was much smaller than the Saiyan empire and they relied much more on technology than we ever did. Frieza nearly wiped out the Tauran warrior population, including the emperor's son, but he kept the scientists. Only a few years before Frieza's empire…collapsed…there had been a scientific breakthrough. There was a machine that could…" He paused as if trying to remember. "It blocked Ki." He finally said. "Frieza kept the project highly classified. He used Ki after all, and without it, he was nothing. I managed to find out about the project, but I couldn't get much information it. It was only at the very end of the empire that the technology reached its testing phase. I hadn't heard about it since then."

"But wait." Krillin interrupted, flinching back a bit when Vegeta's gaze was turned on him. "Umm…I mean…well…"

"Spit it out!"

"Well, are you saying that these people have the power to block Ki blasts before they hit them? We could just fight them hand to—"

"No that's not what I meant." Vegeta said, casting a glance back at the ship. "The machines suppress your ki—keep it inside you. You can't power up, and you can't even throw a ki ball."

"What?" Goku and Gohan flinched back in horror.

"Don't worry just yet. We don't even know that they have one of those machines with them. And besides from what I hear, it's just a gun. Don't get hit with the beam and you'll be fine."

As he turned back, Piccolo saw his scowl. "But?" He prompted.

Vegeta glanced at him. "But…I just wonder how the Tauran empire managed to expand quickly enough to have Juergan and Minan fighters."

"Explain."

"Ask me nicely."

Piccolo scowled. Before adding the most insincere "please" that Vegeta had ever heard.

"Minans are from the same region as the Taurus, but they are notoriously good fighters—particularly with swords. Even Frieza had trouble taking their planet. He lost squadron after squadron, and finally he had to subdue them himself. There has never been a Taurus who could rival Frieza in power. It seems illogical that the Minans would have been defeated by them."

"Is it possible that they joined willingly?"

"They're not trusting enough." He said simply.

Piccolo nodded in understanding, and then glanced to the other three fighters to see that they were all engrossed in Vegeta's explanation. "And what about the other ones?" Piccolo asked.

"The Juergans?" Vegeta looked back at him, and Piccolo could see that the presence of these people perplexed him the most. "They're from a different quadrant entirely." He said. "For the Taurans to have gotten to them, they would have had to go through at least 50 other planets. Federated planets no less. How could they have done that in so little time if they didn't have some kind of ace?" The last part was said more to himself than to anyone listening.

Piccolo frowned. It wasn't like Vegeta to be worried about an opponent. Particularly an opponent with so little physical energy. Still, Vegeta was the only one who had any idea of what they might be up against.

"So what do you suggest?"

The man grinned evilly. "Well, we'd just as well go meet them at this point."

"What?" Piccolo nearly yelled. "After all this talk about how dangerous they could be and you want to just run in swinging blindly?"

Vegeta shrugged.

"I agree with Vegeta." Goku piped up. "We'll never know what we're up against until we see for ourselves."

"Actually, I wasn't thinking of fighting." Vegeta said. "It isn't unheard of for people to get stranded or to make a pit-stop on a planed for repairs or fueling purposes. I'm sure you'd know all about that, Kakarott."

"Heh heh." Goku rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish grin. "Oh yea. With all this talk I forgot that we didn't know if they were actually a threat or not."

"Typical." Vegeta mumbled before standing. "Well…?"

The other five stood as well, and the six warriors flew the short distance to touch down before the ship. The aliens had apparently sensed them and were waiting patiently for their arrival.

"Is one of you the ruler of this planet?" One of the aliens, a burly, dark-blue Minan, said without waiting for introductions.

"No." Piccolo said taking the initiative. "May we ask your purpose here? If you seek respite and hospitality, then you are more than welcome." He let the implication hang that if they were looking for trouble they were most certainly not welcome.

"We are representatives of the Tauran Intergalactic Kingdom. We wish to speak to the leader of this planet."

"We are his emissaries." Vegeta cut in. Of all the warriors assembled it was clear that he knew the most about how to deal with intergalactic empires. "We must know your intentions before taking you to our leader." He crossed his arms, ignoring the odd looks the other fighters were giving him. "I'm sure you understand."

"Our intentions?" The Minan pressed a button on a machine on his ear and numbers flashed onto the eyepiece. He smirked a bit. "Our intentions are to make this planet part of the empire."

"For what purpose?"

"This planet has much needed water, and it is a prime location for transport and servicing checkpoints."

"And a base as well I suppose."

"Why yes, in fact."

Vegeta nodded knowingly. "Just one more question. What is to become of the population?"

"They will be screened." The Minan said.

"No deal." Vegeta spoke immediately.

The Minan raised an eyebrow and the other aliens chuckled. "Oh?"

"Vegeta, what are you doing?" Piccolo whispered. "What is 'screened?'"

"Hold on." Vegeta held up a finger to the gathered aliens and turned to the earth fighters. "'Screening,'" he said, "is a standard process when taking a planet into an empire. This is not a purge. They do not operate on selling planets as Frieza did, and so they don't need to kill the whole population. However in order for their empire to function, they need to be…practical…in choosing their subjects. In taking a planet, they don't want to be taking on an economic burden. Hence the process of 'screening.' They plan to sift out all the unfit, uncooperative, or disloyal earthlings and kill them. And 'fitness' is judged by their standards. Undoubtedly, 90% of the Earth's population will be exterminated. The most intelligent, talented and strong will be kept for service to the empire. Men and women judged, 'beautiful' will be employed as concubines or sold as sex slaves. Children too, will be sold as pets or slaves."

There was a round of "oh's" and the Z fighters turned back to the aliens.

"Yea." Vegeta said, crossing his arms. "No deal, sorry. I guess you came all this way for nothing."

The aliens laughed again. "With a power level like that, you don't think you can make us leave, do you?"

It was the Z fighters' turn to laugh.

"Who said these were our full power levels?" Piccolo asked. As one, the Z fighters began powering up, with Gohan, Goku, and Vegeta all going super-saiyan.

The aliens, horrified, backed up. Their eyes were wide. One of the aliens said something to the leader and then ran back into the ship.

The z fighters finished their power-up and stood in all their glory before their home planet's invaders.

"What are you? Is this the power of the Earthlings?"

The z fighters chuckled again. "Only two of us are earthlings." Goku informed them, indicating Krillin and Videl. "My friend, Piccolo, here, is a Namekian. And we," He motioned to himself, his son and Vegeta. "Are saiyans."

"Saiyans!" The aliens exclaimed. "Impossible. They were all killed except for…" His eyes locked on Vegeta. "Prince Vegeta! It can't be!"

Vegeta just smirked. "I'm flattered that you've heard of me."

"How is this possible? You died on the planet Namek! The reports were broadcast throughout the universe!"

Vegeta just shrugged.

Goku stepped up beside him. "We'll give you one last chance." He informed them. "We only want to be left in peace. Please, leave this planet and its people alone, and don't come back again."

Suddenly, the Z fighters felt their power drain from them.

* * *

Trunks' head shot up, and he looked in panic out the window as if he might see something. _What on earth is going on?_

One minute he feels his dad and the others' power increase dramatically, and the next minute, those powers disappeared.

He couldn't stand not knowing. "I feel sick!" He yelled to his teacher, jumping out of his seat. Without waiting for a response, he high-tailed it out of the room, down the hall, and to the stairwell.

"You felt it too?" He asked Goten upon noticing that he'd beaten him to the school's roof.

Goten nodded solemnly. The serious look that the young boy was now sporting was unfamiliar, even to his best friend.

"What's going on, Goten?" Trunks asked, hoping that by some chance Goten will know more than he does.

"I don't know." The younger boy responded. "But Trunks…"

Trunks looked over.

"…I can't fly."

That gave Trunks pause. "What? What are you talking about? Of course you can fly."

"No I can't! I tried!" The younger boy was looking panicked now. "Something's wrong with my dad and Gohan, and I can't even get to them!" The boy started wailing. "I can't fly! I can't even go super-saiyan."

Trunks stared, wide-eyed. What had happened to his friend? On a whim, Trunks tried to levitate himself. "Oh no." He said, when his efforts proved futile. "No, no, no, _no_! Goten, I…I can't fly either. What's happening to us, Goten?"

Goten didn't answer. He was still crying loudly in the way that was usually reserved for the times that he didn't get the treats that he wanted.

"Goten…Goten." Trunks tried to calm his friend down. If this went on much longer, they were going to get caught. Finally, Trunks had had enough. "_Goten_!" The shout was emphasized by a right hook to the boy's jaw.

"Ow Trunks!" The younger boy whined, rubbing the sore spot on his face. "What'd you do that for? That wasn't very nice."

"Goten, just shut up will ya? Crying never solves anything." Now that it was silent, Trunks could finally think. "Goten, call your cloud, and I'll call my dad."

"Oh right!" Goten said excitedly before shouting to the sky. "Kinto-kun!"

Trunks rolled his eyes and pulled out his cell phone. He quickly dialed his dad, but Vegeta didn't pick up. After at least 12 rings, he hung up and turned to Goten was still staring at him wide-eyed. "He's not answering." Trunks was starting to feel worried. After the traumatizing experience two years ago of waking up to find that his father had died while Trunks himself was spirited him away from the battle, Trunks was terrified that that might happen again. If his father was going to die, it would only happen after Trunks had done everything in his power to prevent it. "We have to go help them!" He said, more to himself than to Goten.

A small cloud landed in front of them, its fluffy contours shifting slightly in the wind. Goten hopped on and Trunks climbed on behind him.

"Where are we going Trunks?" Goten asked.

"To the battle, duh!"

"But your dad said…"

"My dad is in trouble Goten. Yours too! Do you want to let them die again?"

Goten looked horrified at the idea.

"Now let's go!" Trunks ordered.

* * *

"What the…?" The three saiyans lost their golden glow, and all six earth fighters were all left with the power level of a moderately strong human.

The Minan smirked at them. "Oh, I forgot to mention that we had a backup plan. Now that we've seen how powerful you really are, I'm sure you'll make fine additions to his Excellency's army," he glanced to Videl before adding, "and harem."

"That's it, power or no, we're not going to take this!" Gohan yelled, rushing him. Gohan's sudden anger surprised the Z fighters more than the aliens.

The Minan braced himself, then sidestepped Gohan's attack, plowing his fist into the young demi-saiyan's stomach. Gohan hunched over and slid to his knees before collapsing completely.

"No! Gohan!" Goku started to move, but the aliens were faster. Before anyone knew it, the Minan had a weapon that much resembled a gun, pointed at Gohan's head. Vegeta grabbed Goku and held him back. "Stop Kakarott." He calmly ordered. "If he fires, it'll kill him."

"Surrender this planet!" The Minan yelled pointing his weapon at the gathered Z fighters.

"Kakarott, can you use your instant transmission?"

Goku closed his eyes for a second. His whispered curse was all the answer Vegeta needed.

"Fine, you take the leader. I've got the bigger blue guy. Namek, you take care of the bull-looking one. You," He hadn't figured out an appropriate nickname now that Krillin had grown his hair out. "Get the woman. Disarm them first. Girl," he turned to Videl." Get Gohan."

"Right." The Z fighters, figuring that in cases like this it was better to trust in Vegeta's judgment and ask questions later, sprang to action.

The aliens, weren't counting on the gathered warriors' sudden attack, nor were they counting on their speed. Before they knew what was happening, the Z warriors were upon them.

Vegeta quickly reached his opponent, ducking under the hastily fired, poorly-aimed beam. He popped up, grabbing the larger fighter's firing arm with one hand, and using the other to snatch a sword from the warrior's belt. It didn't take long for Vegeta to realize that in his current state he was no match for the warrior's strength. So before the warrior could recover from his shock, Vegeta unsheathed the blade and chopped his hand clean off. The gun clattered to the ground. Vegeta ducked again and rolled backwards, bringing the blade up before him. He preferred not to fight with a sword, and only rarely touched the things. However, he was quite skilled in swordsmanship. Especially since Trunks had developed a fondness for them, Vegeta had picked the art back up in order to teach his son proper technique. Teaching his son had inadvertently sharpened Vegeta's own skill in the art.

The alien was reeling from shock, clutching his severed wrist. Vegeta grabbed the gun and looked to see the states of the other warriors. He disliked using guns. If he was forced to fight with something other than his own two hands, he preferred for it to be with a sword.

The other earth warriors all seemed to be holding their own, even if they were struggling a bit. There was no point in firing into one of their matches though. He could risk hitting them. Tossing the weapon to them would likely only distract them. And he couldn't keep it with him. That would only give the alien the opportunity to get it back again. Deciding that his options were severely limited, he turned to the only warrior that was capable of using the thing. "Videl!" The young woman turned, surprised that he'd called her. Seeing that he had her attention, Vegeta stood and threw the weapon to her. He vaguely recognized that that could have been dangerous if the thing had gone off and hit her, but didn't have time to consider it.

His opponent and gotten up and was rushing at him. Vegeta readied himself.

* * *

Krillin had rushed in, but stayed on the defensive. As he was not as fast as his Saiyan allies, the aliens had already been alerted to his coming. The woman was ready for him by the time he arrived. The only solace he had was that she probably wasn't as strong as the other ones his friends were fighting. After an initial scuffle which had sent him sprawling on his backside, Krillin settled on using his small stature to his advantage. He slipped between his opponents legs and popped up behind her, putting her in a strangle hold. The woman dropped her gun in an effort to get him off, but was having little success.

While he was technically not losing, he was stuck at a standstill. If he let her go, she would grab the gun again. He looked around to see how his opponents were faring. Piccolo was missing an arm already. He would provide no help. Vegeta had somehow managed to disarm his opponent and had even chopped off the blue man's hand.

Goku, of near equal size to his opponent, couldn't seem to get close. He'd initially been mostly concerned with protecting Gohan and Videl, and that had kept him on the defensive. Being so close to the Minan while not being able to get close enough to disarm him was hindering his ability to fight. In order to distract the Minan from his son and Videl, Goku had taken to dodging beams from the man's gun, getting just close enough to make sure that he had the man's full attention, and then backing away to a safe distance. The strategy was working, but it wouldn't work for long.

Krillin had looked just in time to see one of the beams graze Goku's backside. Goku jumped into the air with a yelp, holding his rear-end.

The momentary distraction nearly cost Goku his life. The Minan trained his weapon straight between Goku's eyes.

The quiet hiss of the shot sounded through the battlefield, Goku jumped to the side only to realize the shot hadn't come from the Minan. It only took him a split second to realize what was going on. The Minan was stumbling backwards. His chest armor was cracked and smoking. Goku lunged forward grabbing the man's hand and wrenching it around behind him. One hard tug, and the weapon was pulled from the man's hands. Goku held it out in much the same way as the man had trained it on his son. The Minan, bleeding from his chest but in no way down for the count, glared at him but didn't move.

Goku grinned. "Alright Videl!" He cheered on the young woman who'd just saved his hide. "'Atta girl! Wow! What a woman! I'll tell ya Gohan," He looked over at his son who had recovered and was now training a gun that he'd collected from the feet of Krillin's opponent at the bullish woman in question. "You sure know how to pick 'em!"

Gohan blushed in embarrassment at his father's antics.

"I've got it from here, Videl." Goku told her. "And it looks like Vegeta's clear too. You might want to go give Piccolo a hand. That bull guy looks pretty mad."

"Yea, sure thing." The young woman said, sounding clearly exhilarated at the rather large role she'd just played in the battle.

Vegeta meandered over calmly, despite the large amount of purple blood splashed across his face and shoulder. "I take it you're the leader of this little troop?" He asked the Minan at Goku's feet.

The Minan spit at him.

Vegeta frowned, wiping the spittle off his shirt. His eyes narrowing, he leaned over, conspicuously eying the series of striped and dots on the chest plate of the Minan's armor. "A sergeant are you? Aren't we flattered."

"Vegeta…" Goku started. Something about his friend's tone was unsettling. But Vegeta was already walking toward the woman that Krillin and Gohan were subduing.

"Tell me woman," He started. "Did you join this circus of your own accord?"

She was silent. Vegeta wrenched the gun from Gohan's grip and trained it between the woman's eyes. "Will you swear your loyalty right now to the Tik emperor? At the price of your life?" She didn't speak. "Or is it someone else that you're protecting?...Well?"

Piccolo and Videl approached the other fighters, both of them eying the scene with rapt attention. Gohan backed away toward his girlfriend. "Gohan, what's going on?" Videl asked quietly.

"I…I'm not sure."

"Come on, girl! Tell me! Are you a slave?"

The last question set her off. "I am not!" She yelled. "I am a free woman and I joined this squadron of my own accord. I fight for his excellency and for the greater good!" Her chest heaved as she drew a frustrated breath. "You can do as you wish with me. You filthy saiyans deserved all of what happened to you! Especially _you_, you treacherous—"

The blue beam entered her face right between the eyes and exploded out of the back of her head.

"Vegeta!" Goku yelled.

"Oops." Was all Vegeta said, shrugging off the situation entirely.

"That was uncalled for." Goku argued.

"Oh was it?" Vegeta asked, seeming sincere. "Oh well, there's nothing to be done now. Did you handle the cow?" He asked Piccolo.

"Yes."

"Good." He turned to the Minan Sergeant. "And now to test_ your_ loyalty. Do you stand with your friend? Or will you denounce your great emperor and accept to fight against him?"

"Never."

"So be it." A second shot was fired, but this one only entered the man's leg. "It would be nice if you answered a few questions for us." He crouched down to be eye-level with the man. "And don't think you're going to avoid answering. Frieza taught me all about tickling answers out of people." He gave the Minan a twisted grin which seemed to turn his face even bluer. Vegeta took the sheathed sword that he'd been carrying and leaned in heavily on the open wound in the man's thigh. "Question one. How many ships are waiting in space just outside our atmosphere?" The man screamed at the applied pressure. "I'm waiting."

"Ju…just one."

"And with how many soldiers?" Vegeta's voice was almost sweet. A sickly sweet that let the Minan know that he was enjoying every minute of what he was doing. The Minan cracked under Vegeta's deranged look.

"Twelve."

"Their power-levels?"

"Range from three hundred to four thousand."

Vegeta cold hear Videl asking Gohan what was up with the numbers.

"How many will they send down next?"

"I…I don't know!" Vegeta brought the barrel of the gun down onto the man's other leg in a silent promise.

The man nearly squealed. "I really don't! More than four. Probably six! They could all come at once!"

"What kind of fighters are they?"

"Mostly Minans and Juergans. There are a few Tulacs."

"Any special abilities?"

"The Tulacs are healers!" He gasped as Vegeta's hand gave a small twitch. "Please don't!"

"Don't give me orders now Minan." Vegeta said in a deadly calm. "I enjoy disobeying them." He smirked evilly. "Now…where were we?…oh yea. How large is the…let's just call it the Tik shall we? I'd heard the term in a bit of chatter a while back and was wondering what it was all about."

"I…uh…somewhere between four and four hundred fifty planets."

"Four hundred?" Vegeta seemed honestly taken aback. "Who is the leader of this empire?"

"Hui Se! His name is Hui Bao Feng Yu."

"Why the hell has he got four names? Just _who_ does he think he is?"

"I…I don't…know."

Vegeta chuckled at the fact that the man had actually answered his rhetorical question. "He's really a Tauran?"

"Yes."

"How powerful is he?"

"Incredibly powerful. No scouter can read his power level. Kurenai Kali herself can do nothing against him."

"Kurenai Kali?" Why did that name sound so familiar? Vegeta was silent for a moment as he thought. "Kurenai Kali the daughter of the Krimzon Emperor?"

"You fool! You really have been holed up on this planet for way too long!" Vegeta blinked at the man's sudden audacity. "Kurenai Kali _is_ the Krimzon Emperor. And Krimzon Empire and the GP are now one in the same."

"Hm." Vegeta cocked an eyebrow. From his few dealings with Kurenai, she was a fairly impressive person in her own right. And what was this about the GP? Since when does the Galaxy Police join forces with an empire? "What kind of empire is this?" He mumbled to himself.

"It's the empire to end all empires." Vegeta stared at the man with a frown.

"Shut up." He snapped half-heartedly. "I didn't ask for your dogma. Oh yea…I thought of another question. You're really lucky. You're living a helluva long time." Vegeta smirked at the man's sudden fear. "What is keeping our powers low?"

"The Meiyochi."

"Is that the machine the Taurans created?"

"Yes."

"I thought it was a gun."

"It was…at first. But that proved ineffective. People could just dodge the beam. Now it's a net, cast from space over an entire planet."

"The entire planet!" Goku finally interrupted.

"Kakarott, shut it!" Vegeta turned back to the Minan. "How can you maintain your power while we are drained?"

The Minan grinned. "All Tauran soldiers are fitted with a chip to counteract the Meiyochi waves."

"Where is this chip?"

"In our brain."

"You have a chip in your brain." Vegeta deadpanned. He frowned and looked back to Piccolo. "Any more questions?"

"No. I think you covered everything."

"Good." Vegeta raised the gun and blasted the Minan soldier through the chest.

"Vegeta!" Goku yelled again, finally jumping at the other saiyan and wrestling the gun from his hand. "This is uncalled for! He's not a threat to you!" Goku glared at Vegeta. "Let him go!"

"Kakarott, you really are naïve. How can you say that he's not a threat when his power level is easily twenty times our own? We were lucky to take them all down as it is."

"It doesn't matter, Vegeta. Killing him now is senseless."

"What? You think if you show him mercy, he'll just go back and convince this man-with-too-many-names to be a good person?"

Goku scowled, moving in front of the wounded Minan. "I won't let you kill him Vegeta. We gave you a second chance. He deserves one too. Let him go."

Vegeta glared. He hated when Goku shoved his "second chance" in his face like this. "Fine!" He swiveled on his heel and marched away. He stopped at the edge of a sharply-sloped hill and pulled out his phone. Seeing that he had missed several calls from both Trunks and Bulma, he flipped the phone open. He called Bulma first.

_"Vegeta!"_ Bulma screeched as soon as she answered. Vegeta pulled the phone away from his face so fast that he nearly dropped it. _"What have you been doing? Trunks is frantic! What's going on? Why haven't you answered your phone?"_

"Give me a second to answer, woman!" He saw Piccolo walk up beside him, but didn't turn. "We're in the middle of nowhere, right now. A ship landed and—"

_"What? Are we being invaded?"_

"Dammit, woman! Let me finish!" Vegeta said. "No we are not being invaded, yet." Vegeta finally turned to look back at what was going on. Goku was heading toward him. The Minan fighter was slowly limping back to his ship.

_"Yet?" _

"We will be soon"

She let out a nervous chuckle. _"You're kidding right?"_

"No." Goku finally reached him. Vegeta didn't bother to look over to see the disappointed glare his fellow saiyan was casting his way. If Goku had seen half the things Vegeta had seen of galactic empires, he would have shot the Minan too.

"_…Vegeta, what's…"_

"I need you to come to where I am now. There are some scouters here that you might like to have a look at, and several bodies with chips in their brains. I need you to take the chips and see if you can figure out how they work."

"_Wha…Vegeta…I don't…"_

"Just come out here, and I'll explain it. Where's Trunks? Why has he been calling me?"

"_He's on his way to you. He said he can't fly anymore and that he thought you'd been hurt. Vegeta, is everyone ok?"_

"Yes, yes, everyone's fine. The Namek lost an arm but it should grow back any minute now."

He could feel Piccolo's glare searing the side of his face.

"Hey look!" Gohan called from somewhere behind them. "Is that Goten?"

Vegeta turned to see where the young demi-saiyan was pointing. Sure enough a small, yellow cloud was flying overhead.

"Trunks is with him." Goku pointed out.

"Trunks is here." Vegeta spoke into the phone.

_"Oh good. All this business of aliens got me worried." _

Vegeta rolled his eyes and was about to politely remind her that he himself was an alien when the low hiss of a Tik gun firing could be heard. Vegeta's eyes instantly shot up to the cloud where his son was coming closer only feel the proof a second later that the shot had actually been fired at him. The thin blast hit him in the back, entering and coming clean out of his abdomen. In complete shock he didn't dodge the second shot which went straight through again, only this time exiting his chest.

* * *

_Wow. So it's been several years since I've put a story up. I hope you enjoyed that. This is just one that's been floating around in my head for a while. It's the beginning of a much longer story._

_I've already got the story line for the story worked out, but for fun, I've decided to be a little flexible and ask for reader input for help filling out minor details. So here's reader input question number 1: Should Vegeta have a sister? _

_Please Review!_


	2. A New Recruit

AN: Things in italics are flashbacks.

Chapter 2- A New Recruit

Goku sat in the pastel-colored waiting room, nursing his pin-pricked arm with more care than he did the large, third-degree burn on his back-side. It had taken a lot of fast-talking, blackmail, and even Gohan holding him still to convince him to allow a nurse to put a needle in his arm to draw blood. Even then, Gohan had needed to get him to imagine Bulma's wrath if Vegeta bled to death because Goku refused to give him blood to get him back onto the table and to start squeezing the little blue ball. Somehow' he'd done it—without fainting or vomiting even.

The memory of the event flashed back though his mind like a horror film causing his stomach to churn.

"_No!" Goku jumped over the table to put it between him and the nurse. "Get it away from me!"_

_ "Sir, I don't understand." The nurse held up the needle. "You already signed the papers. All you have to do is sit down and squeeze the ball."_

_ "Can't we do it another way?"_

_ Trunks was already irate enough, and Goku's childishness was obviously starting to bring out his bad side. "Why can't I do if? He's my dad!"_

_ "You're half human. Your blood would likely kill him." Piccolo explained._

_ Trunks sighed in frustration._

_ Goku wished that Trunks could do it as well, but he knew that what Piccolo said was true. Goku was blue in the face, but he did sit himself back down on the table and reluctantly held his arm out. "I'm going to hold your arm, dad." Gohan informed him as the nurse approached. "Just in case you…flinch."_

He squashed the memory away before it got back to the actual needle part. He didn't need to get sick in the waiting room.

He felt terrible about the whole situation. But how was he to know that the guy they let go would turn around and start shooting at them?

He'd always believed in the good of mankind. In giving people second chances. That if you showed someone kindness, they would repay you with kindness. He supposed that could still be true given that the person the Minan shot had been the one who had killed his teammates and then shot him in the leg. But then, Vegeta _had_ agreed to let him go.

It was pure luck that Vegeta had survived long enough for them to get him to a hospital, and even then, it was luck that someone had happened to have a vehicle to bring them there. Goku supposed that even if Videl hadn't brought along her hover car, Goku could have taken Vegeta to a hospital using Kinto-kun, but then the situation had been so hectic that he couldn't have said that he would have thought of that option. In fact, the whole thing had happened so fast that it was only in the quiet of the waiting room that Goku had finally been able to sort through the blur of the past few hours and piece together what had actually happened.

Goku had jumped to grab Vegeta as he fell, but only after realized that he couldn't fly. The two fell together, landing hard on the rocky slope and then sliding down until Goku had managed to stop their trajectory. Goku hadn't even had the chance to see if Vegeta was ok before Trunks and Goten were beside them. They'd seen the two fall and had immediately rushed over to them.

"_What happened?" Was the first thing Trunks asked as he arrived. Beside him, he felt Vegeta gasp for breath. The gasp was followed by a cough that sent dark blood splattering on the ground._

_Leave it to Vegeta to try to talk with a hole in his chest. "Yea, wha…" He trailed off in a fit of coughing._

_Goku suddenly had an image of Vegeta in a similar situation, literally talking until he died. "Vegeta, I'm only going to say this once. Don't talk." _

_The sound of people sliding down gravel could be heard and suddenly the four remaining Z warriors were beside them._

_Vegeta glared. "Kakk—"_

"_No Vegeta." Without giving Vegeta the chance to argue, Goku pressed his thumb to Vegeta's pressure point. As Vegeta faded off, Goku tried to reassure him "Just hold on." Goku wasn't sure if Vegeta had heard it, because Trunks had suddenly sprung toward him, trying to hill his hand away and yelling "What are you doing!"_

_Then Piccolo was beside him talking. "We took care of him." Piccolo informed them upon arrival, but the whole scene was quite chaotic at the moment. Vegeta was unconscious, and Trunks and Goku were yelling at each other. Before Trunks could finish, Goku was shouting back in frustration. "Trunks, I'm not going to let him talk himself to death again! He'll be fine if we hurry and get him help, but yelling at me isn't going to solve anything!"_

Goku hadn't heard anything over his and Trunks' argument, and only later heard from Piccolo of the conversation that resulted in them all piled into Videl's jet.

Goku couldn't help feeling like the situation was his fault. Maybe there was some truth to everyone's critique that he was naïve.

He looked to the other gathered warriors. Gohan and Videl had already left in Videl's jet. They were heading back to Goku's home to see if there were any senzu beans there. The rest of them were all stranded at the hospital until Bulma arrived. The second ship waiting in space was weighing on their minds, but as of yet, it hadn't landed. Goku looked out of the waiting room's window into the sky as if trying to discern the space ship. He couldn't figure out why it was waiting.

It was good that it was waiting, though. It had given them time to prepare.

"_Man, if they land on Earth tonight we're all screwed." _Krillin had announced a few hours earlier after they'd left Vegeta in the care of the doctors and had all gathered in the hospital's cafeteria to grab a snack.

_ "Not necessarily." Piccolo responded._

_ "Hm?" Goku looked over, wondering what Piccolo had up his sleeve._

_ "According to that Minan Sergeant, the machine only affects our Ki, and the strongest fighters have a power level only around four thousand." He glanced to Krillin. "The androids don't use Ki."_

_ "Oh yea!" Krillin jumped to his feet, fisting his hands in excitement. "18 won't be affected!"_

_ Goten and Trunks too, were on their feet, grinning. "18 is really strong!" Goten exclaimed. He had no idea what an android was, but he knew that Krillin's wife was an awesome fighter. "She could take any alien invader, no sweat!"_

_ "Yea we had to go super saiyan to keep up with her at the tournament a few years ago."_

_ "18 is much stronger than a super saiyan." Piccolo informed them calmly._

_ "So is Buu!" Goku said, joining in the excitement. The other people in the cafeteria were eying the Z fighters warily, wondering what all the excitement was about. "Buu uses both Ki and Magic. His magic wouldn't be affected. Right?"_

_ "That's right!" Piccolo said excitedly. "I completely forgot about Buu. It's settled then. We need to contact them, explain the situation, and tell them to be on standby in case something happens."_

_ They all nodded and then looked around at each other. "So uhh. There's only one problem." Krillin and Trunks shared a look._

_ "And what's that?" Piccolo asked_

_ "We all left our cellphones in the car." Trunks admitted._

_ "Why would you do that?"_

_ "I wasn't thinking!" Trunks said frantically. "I was using it to look up medical advice and left it on the seat!"_

_ "And after I hung up with Bulma, I put the phone down and forgot about it." Krillin chuckled in embarrassment. "Anyone have change for a payphone?"_

The sun outside was starting to drop. Goku didn't know how many hours they had been there, but he knew it had been a while. After running around the hospital begging for change with the only explanation being that the fate of the world depended on it, the Z fighters had finally scored enough money to call Krillin's home. They only realized later that no one had any idea of what Hercule's phone number might be.

Now, the two boys were yawning every few minutes. Piccolo had dropped off into a snooze, and Krillin had long ago run out of cheerful, upbeat topics to talk about and was now flipping through an interior design magazine. He actually seemed somewhat engrossed with it.

Suddenly, the door flew open, slamming against the wall. All of the warriors jumped out of their seats, suddenly alert.

"Where is he?" Bulma was standing in the doorway, her make-up in streaks, and her hair a mess. Her hand was still on the door, and she was slightly hunched over, breathing heavily from what must have been a sprint.

Goku suddenly recalled that Bulma had still been on the phone when Vegeta had been shot. He vaguely remembered Krillin trying to nervously reassure her throughout the whole ride to the hospital. According to Krillin, Bulma had been near hysterical.

_Piccolo had managed to break Trunks away from Goku and his father and helped Goku lift the injured man into the jet. As they'd lifted him, the cell phone fell out of his hand. To Krillin's great chagrin, he was the one to find it. Even worse, the call had never been disconnected. So as everyone rushed to squeeze into the jet and take off, he was left explaining to a frantic Bulma what had just happened._

_It didn't take them long to get settled, though it was quite cramped with all eight of them in the jet, particularly since Vegeta was taking up the whole back seat. Piccolo and Trunks knelt beside him, tying shreds of clothing around his torso to try to stem the bleeding._

"_There's a city just 10 minutes from here." Gohan said, checking the GPS. Videl gunned it in that direction._

"_We're taking him to a hospital, Bulma…" Krillin was trying to assure her once he'd managed to get settled._

"_Which hospital?"_

"_I don't know. The closest one we find. It's ten minutes away!"_

"_Ten minutes! Ten minutes? Drive faster!"_

"_We are hurrying. None of us can fly, Bulma. We have to take Videl's jet."_

"_I'm coming to meet you!" He could hear her rummaging around. He looked to Goku as if begging for help, but Goku at the time had been twisted in his seat, staring with a guilty look at Vegeta. "Where are you again?"_

"_Uhh…We're just a few minutes outside of…Kihhur City."_

"_Ki…Kihhur City?" Krillin actually had to take the phone away from his ear, as Bulma broke into a bout of wailing sobs. "But…that's…on another continent!"_

"_Uhh…well yea…anyway, I'm sure he'll be fine. He's a pretty tough guy to keep down." Though to be honest, Krillin thought that the amount of blood that was soaking through the bandages and the pallor of the injured man's face didn't bode well._

_Krillin really didn't want to stay on the line with her, but he also knew that it would be cruel to hang up and leave her wondering what was going on. He'd been on that side of the situation during the Buu incident, and he finally realized how painful could be the simple anxiety of wondering if your friend was ok._

"_We're here." Gohan informed them, as the jet touched down on the hospital's landing pad. Krillin just then noticed that Gohan and Videl had put down the visors on their saiyaman helmets. "I called ahead, so it looks like they're already waiting."_

_Krillin, quickly ending the call with a lame excuse of hospitals not permitting phones, dropped the phone on the seat and hopped out of the plane. _

Again all of the people in the waiting room were again staring at them.

"Mom!" Trunks jumped out of his seat and ran over to Bulma.

"Oh Trunks!" She dropped down in front of him, grabbing him and pulling him to her. "I'm so glad you're ok."

"I didn't get there 'til after the battle was over, mom."

"I'm glad you didn't." She said, standing back up. "Now." She looked at the three men standing in the room. "Where is my husband?"

"He's still in surgery."

"Still? It's been three hours! What on earth happened to him?"

"Three hours!" Goku exclaimed. "I didn't know it was that long!" At the reminder of the time, his stomach growled.

"Oh get real, Goku! You can go more than a few hours without eating."

"Yea really." Krillin agreed. "You just ate after they drew blood."

"What?" Bulma blinked. "Goku, you gave blood?"

He nodded solemnly.

Bulma stared. Then she chuckled slightly. Before long the chuckle broke off and she slid to the ground in sobs. "Will someone just tell me what the hell is going on?"

"He was—"

Goku cut Piccolo off. "It's my fault."

Bulma's head shot up, a look of fury on her face. "What?"

"There were four aliens. They blocked our ability to use ki. They're still blocking it actually. We fought them. We won. I let one go. That one shot Vegeta…twice."

"Shot him?" Bulma whispered. "Like with a bullet? Because bullets don't…work…on him."

"No. With a type of gun that we've never seen before." Piccolo informed her. "The shots were relatively small, but they went clean through."

If it were possible, Bulma went even paler. "Is he ok?"

"They haven't told us anything. But…his ki is more stable than before. That bodes well."

That seemed to relax Bulma a bit. Finally, seeming to realize that she was on the floor, she pulled herself up and walked wearily over to a chair before plopping down. "So we just wait then?"

Piccolo nodded.

She sat silently for a moment, but couldn't seem to calm herself down enough to stop fidgeting. "Trunks have you eaten anything?" She suddenly asked, though it seemed that the question was more of a routine one that she'd asked without thinking.

"Uhh…" He'd snacked a bit earlier, but hadn't been able to do much more than pick at his food. "No."

Bulma pulled her wallet out of her purse. "Well, why don't you all go down to the cafeteria? I'll come get you if something happens."

"Great idea!" Goku said excitedly. He just realized that he was starving. "Thanks Bulma!" Nudging Trunks ahead of him, he steered the boys and Krillin out of the waiting room. "You're not coming Piccolo?" He threw over his shoulder.

"I don't eat, Goku." Piccolo reminded him for what must have been the thousandth time. "I'll fill Bulma in on everything that's happened."

"Oh, ok." Goku shrugged and continued on his way. Despite how guilty he felt, Bulma's reaction had cleared his conscience a bit. And the prospect of food always cheered him up.

* * *

"Why does he have to live in the middle of nowhere?" She knew that she couldn't talk. She lived on an island, miles away from civilization. Nonetheless, she wasn't pleased to be asked to leave that island to search for her errant brother.

She touched down in front of the small cabin in the woods, and strode to the door. Without knocking, she pushed the door open. Her brother had no interest in protecting his belongings. He was remarkably detached from everything he owned. His theory, he'd told her once, was that if anyone made it all the way out here to steal his stuff, then they deserved it. And to get over the pain of having lost his belongings, he could forgive himself for taking new things from other people as replacement.

A quick sweep of the small cabin revealed that he wasn't there. He had been recently though, she reasoned looking over the dirty dishes in the sink. They weren't smelly yet.

"You come to wash my dishes?" A voice said behind her. "Is that all you do now? And change diapers."

"It's nice to see you too." She said to her brother. They'd grown apart after the Cell games. She'd chosen the path of wife and mother, and he'd secluded himself from humankind. Recently, she'd found it difficult to speak to him. She knew that he was jealous, bitter at her for leaving him alone and for finding happiness without him. It showed in the way he spoke to her, the way he acted around her, and his unwillingness to associate with her husband or Krillin's friends.

However, she could tell that Marron had brought about a change in him. He was far from selfless, but he could manage to be gentle and caring around the cheerful, curious little girl. She supposed it could have been Marron's innocence. She had never seen her uncle 17 do anything even remotely violent, and at 5 years old, she had yet to learn about her mother's and uncle's past.

"How have you been?" She asked civilly.

He huffed. "Are you going to try to convince me that your little visit today is to inquire after my health, and that it has nothing to do with those aliens that landed earlier? Or with the Saiyans being wiped out in less than a second?"

"Hm?" She was shocked. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't play stupid. I learned to sense Ki just like you did."

"Oh." She hadn't known that. "I assume you just don't know what's going on then." She started, leaning against the counter and crossing her arms.

"How's that?" 17 asked, somewhat hostilly. "Goku, Krillin's, Gohan's, Vegeta's, and Piccolo's energies all disappeared at the same time. You're telling me they weren't killed by those aliens?"

She cocked a perfectly-sculpted eyebrow at him. "No, they weren't."

"And yet somehow the situation might affect me." He guessed.

She looked down. "As it turns out, we may be the only fighters left capable of defending the Earth against the next batch of aliens who come down to attack us."

"Defend the earth?" He asked incredulously.

She tried not to outright glare at her brother.

"And why should I care about the population of the earth? What have they ever done for me?"

"Personally, I couldn't agree more." 18 said, to the obvious surprise of her brother. "I couldn't give a damn about the vast majority the regular humans. But my daughter is human." She reminded him. "So is Krillin. And if you're looking for someone to thank, then remember him. Who was it who wished for your self-destruct device to be removed? It was Krillin. And who killed Cell? Gohan did. And who's helped you when your parts get old or damaged. Bulma! Who saved the earth when Majin Buu attacked it? Goku and Vegeta. They even wished your sorry hide back to life, so don't forsake the whole lot of them just yet!"

He just stared at her, and then sighed. "18, you've turned into a sap." He announced after a second.

"Would you be serious for a minute?" She asked hotly.

His cold eyes grew icy. "Serious? You want me to be serious?" He strode up to her. "Let's talk about betrayal, 18. We were cast to the street! We were rejected by the very people you want to protect so much. All they've ever given us is hardship and pain…not to mention metal organs! Krillin wished for your self destruct device to be removed. I happily got the same treatment, but it was completely unintentional. Are you going to tell me that Gohan killed Cell for my sake? Oh wait, and the Saiyans specifically wished me back to life, too I guess. Come on 18, no one gave a damn about me then, and they don't now either. Why should I have to go out of my way to help them?"

Her hand flew quickly, cracking across his cheek and causing his head to snap to the side. He breathed deeply for a moment to compose himself from his shock before turning back to her. "What happened to us, 18? You were everything to me, and I was everything to you. You would have never hit me in the old days."

"Just grow up!" 18 yelled, getting tired of his arguments. At this point, he was just looking for reasons to spite her. "Look at you! You still can't let it go! You're living like a…a child. Full of juvenile hatred and bitterness directed at everyone and everything. And you're out here so long all the time that all you do is stew in it. If you could just get out and…and see the world a bit you would at least have some idea of what's going on in it. The earthlings might be cold, true. They might be selfish, but once you get to know them, they're…they're really not so bad. They don't all deserve to die, anyway!" Marron didn't deserve to die.

He glared at her.

"Do you hate them because they took me from you?" She asked. "Is that still what you think?"

He looked away. "No. Not anymore. I…I. Dammit!" He turned on his heel and strode towards the door.

She stared after him for a moment before following after him. A thunder-like crack split the air outside, and she knew that he had taken to the sky.

She alighted after him flying at breakneck speed, overtaking him, and placing herself in front of him.

"You can't outrun me 17." She said calmly, deciding to try a different approach. She thought back to her first days with Krillin, when he would seem to dig within the deepest depths of her soul and find her few shining moments, holding them up for her to see and painting a picture of her that was totally unlike anything she'd imagined herself to be. But it had been something she'd wanted to be. "I thought we'd worked all of this out years ago." She said, thinking back to her husband and wondering what he would say right now. "17, you…you even gave your own energy to Goku's spirit bomb. How can you say you don't care for anyone? Why are you doing this again? We both know that you would give anything to save Marron if she was in danger. Why are you being so difficult?"

He stared at her for a moment, and then smirked. "I just wanted to mess with you." In that moment she couldn't tell if he was being serious, or if he was only trying to cover up his real reasons. His arrogant smirk was completely impervious. She couldn't see a trace of the insecurity and the hatred that had been there a minute ago. He was back to his usual careless, playful self.

Though she suspected deep down that he really felt everything that he'd said before, she knew that this was his way of conceding to her point. The speed of his change had surprised her though. She'd expected to have to whittle him down for hours. However, this was her chance to accept his aid to fight with her. She wasn't going to throw it away now just to dredge through his feelings.

In a way she felt sorry for him. He had never gotten the acceptance that she had with Krillin. He had always been too…afraid?...to try to make friends with the Z fighters. Or with anyone for that matter. And so he had remained so much like his old self. So curious and bored. And vengeful.

She had changed. They were no longer the siblings they once were, and she knew that that hurt 17 much more than it hurt her. But, now she felt guilty. She had been so wrapped up in motherhood, in her money, and her husband, that she had somewhat neglected her brother. She had assumed that with his newfound freedom, he could do as he wanted, and that he'd eventually find his way in the world. She had never expected him to just sit in the forest for years wallowing.

"You're such a nob." She said, rolling her eyes. She knew that he missed her and her company. She'd play his game as long as it ensured his help.

He chuckled.

She turned a bit and looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "So are you going to help me when these other aliens drop down on Earth?"

"Uhh. Wait a minute. Can you explain to me, again, why I'm even necessary?" He asked, realizing that he still had no idea what had happened to the Earth's first line of defense.

"Can we _not_ have this conversation in the sky?" She asked.

He looked below him to the forest and to his little cabin. "Sure. I'll make you some dinner."

18 grimaced at the idea. 17 cooked so badly, and she could never figure out if he was doing it on purpose just to annoy her. She doubted he could have survived as long as he had with the terrible tasting meals that he ate himself.

"Egh, fine." As the two siblings dropped down to the log cabin for a long chat, 18 wondered if her brother was really ok.

* * *

"What is all this stuff?" Krillin wondered out loud as he gazed over all the odd machines. There was no beeping or buzzing, just little trinkets that seemed to strap around wrists or onto belt buckles. At the moment, he was on his hands and knees, his head inside a cabinet and his backside swaying as he curiously sifted through all the machines.

He picked up one object, turned it over, and then dropped it into the capsule box with no greater understanding of it than he'd had before.

The ship was sleek and cold. It was full of technology, the likes of which Krillin had never seen before. Bulma would have a field day when she got her hands on it. Yet, everything was hard, impersonal and standardized. It was intimidating, despite the fact that there weren't any aliens left in it.

"What are you doing?"

Krillin gasped and jumped, hitting his head on the cabinet. He pulled himself out and turned, seeing that it was just Piccolo. "Just looking around."

"Why haven't you encapsulated the ship yet?"

"Uhh…"

Piccolo gazed down at the pile of uniforms in Krillin's box, and then glanced over at the odd accessories in the cabinet Krillin had just emerged from. "You weren't playing dress-up again, were you?" He narrowed his eyes. "Don't think it's a bad time?"

"Eh heh." To be honest, he _had_ tried on their armor. It was the same sort of stretchy material that he'd worn on Namek. He would feel much safer in a fight if he were wearing that. And as the constant presence of the Kis just outside of the Earth's atmosphere reminded him, a fight was imminent. "Sorry Piccolo I just thought…maybe…their armor might be useful?"

Piccolo's eyes narrowed more. "While that is undoubtedly true…we could have done that elsewhere. Now quit playing around and get out of this thing so we can put it in a capsule!"

"Uhh…yea ok…but wait, how are we going to do that?"

"What do you mean?"

Krillin started hurriedly throwing all the trinkets into his box. "Well you can't just put anything in a capsule."

Piccolo was silent.

"You knew that, right?" He asked, closing the box and then encapsulating it.

He frowned.

Krillin frowned back at him. Apparently he hadn't. "So uhh…how are we going to get it back?" Krillin wouldn't have trusted himself in a million years to fly this ship and then land it safely on Capsule Corp's lawn. And apparently Piccolo hadn't even been able to pass his driver's test. Story had it, the test had gone so poorly that both Piccolo and Goku had been told that they would never receive their licenses ever, and were asked to please not come back ever again.

Piccolo apparently recalled the experience. He turned, and started striding out of the ship, his cape flying after him. "They never said that we had to bring the ship back, I guess."

* * *

I hope you enjoyed that.

Thanks to all of you who reviewed last time! Reviews are always appreciated.


	3. Screening

Chapter 3- Screening

"Vegeta?" He turned his head away. Although her voice was sweet enough, he wanted to catch a few more minutes of snoozing before having to wake up. He felt exhausted.

"Vegeta." She called again.

He tried to open his mouth to tell her to shut up and let him go back to sleep, but all that came out was a low groan. Confused now, he cracked his eyes open, marveling at their sudden weight. He didn't recall blowing up the gravity chamber. In fact, he didn't recall training at all. Yet, here he found himself in this white—washed building, with a machine beeping beside him. He was in a hospital.

"Hey there." His eyes rolled lazily to the side to see Bulma leaning over the side of the bed toward him. "How are you feeling?" She asked quietly running a cool hand over his brow.

His head was fuzzy, and he found that it was actually taking him some time to comprehend what she was saying. He blinked at her, before trying to push himself up on an elbow.

"No don't." Bulma was there firmly holding his shoulders to keep him flat. "You'll pull your stitches. Just lie still."

Stitches? Then he suddenly remembered. The scouter troop, the Minan Sergent. Despite Bulma's earlier orders he jerked himself upright. He was hunched over in pain a moment later, with his vision black and his ears ringing. It was a second too late that he remembered the sound of the gunshot and the feeling of falling. Go figure.

"And that's why you should listen to me." Bulma was saying when his ears stopped ringing enough for him to hear her. He found that he was flat on his back again, Bulma staring down at him with her arms crossed, and two other hands holding him down.

"Ka…karott?"

"Hi 'Geta." Goku said with a small smile. "Good to see you're awake."

"Dad?" Trunks and Goten were beside him too, both rubbing sleep from their eyes. Trunks blinked at his father and then grinned sleepily at the sight that he was ok enough to be glaring at Goku.

Vegeta glanced at Trunks. "What…" He coughed to clear his throat. "time is it?"

Bulma handed him a glass of water, which he drank down greedily. "It's around 3:30 in the morning." Bulma answered after checking her watch. She took the watch off and then placed it on the table beside the bed.

His eyes widened. "What happened to the ship? Have you gotten use of your power again?"

"Piccolo and Krillin went back to check the ship hours ago. If they've managed to encapsulate it, they should be bringing it back to Capsule Corp now." Goku informed him. "And no. We're still unable to use our ki."

Vegeta tried propping himself up on his elbow again, more slowly this time. He swatted Goku's hand away when he tried to push him back, and Bulma ended up just rolling her eyes and raising the back of the bed to accommodate him.

"I meant the other ship Kakarott! The one that's waiting in space with the twelve other warriors."

"Oh. Well…they're still up there." He glanced toward the window as if he might see the ship floating in the sky.

"What are they waiting on?" Vegeta mumbled to himself.

"How do we know they're even going to come down?" Bulma asked. "I mean if you took out the ones they sent before, maybe they—"

Vegeta's glare caused her to cut herself off.

"You really don't understand the workings of intergalactic empires, do you?" Vegeta groaned. He rubbed his eyes to try to clear them a bit. For some reason, they continued to see blurrily. "Those were just a scouter force…the farthest reaching tendril of the empire, with the most expendable soldiers. They were ordered to take this planet, and they have to land and at least make an effort at it. They don't have a choice really. And even if we manage to take them down, the empire will just send more."

"Then…what do we do?"

Vegeta shook his head. His brain was still too fuzzy to think properly. "First we have to make sure that they never find out about the dragonballs. Then you," He looked to Bulma. "Will try to figure out how those chips work so we can retain our ki when fighting."

"Vegeta, I can't do that before they land. These things take weeks! Months even!"

"Well you'd better get started soon." Vegeta said. He paused. "Kakarott, we should see if everyone was affected by the Meiyochi."

"Yea! We'd thought of that. Krillin called 18. Apparently she isn't affected at all by it. She's gone to look for Android 17 and…convince him to help us if we need it. We haven't been able to get in touch with Hercule yet to ask about Buu."

Vegeta blinked, then nodded falling into thought again. "We should stay away from cities, too."

"Hm?" Bulma and Goku shared a look before looking back down.

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "There are two ways that you can go about taking over a planet." He said with a touch of exhausted humor in his voice. "The first is that you can start attacking in the countryside so that people will flee to the cities. That makes the population concentrate itself into a few places so that a few massive attacks will eradicate them completely. But this isn't a purge. They want to screen the people, so it's much better to attack the cities first. Again there are several ways to go about this. The most popular method is to cut off the food and water supply. Once people run out of resources, they will panic and either try to flee the city or start attacking each other. In this way, the population sort-of screens itself. If you're clever enough to escape, you're clever enough to live. If you stay and fight, the strongest and smartest will come out on top. Either way it's the fittest who will survive."

"Vegeta, that's terrible." Bulma said.

He shrugged, grimacing at the pain the action caused him. "It's just what happens."

"Well it won't happen here." Goku said. Vegeta decided not to bother telling him that on the hundreds of planets who had been screened, all of them thought the same thing. He just leaned his head back tiredly.

"Maybe not the first time." He admitted. "But this is one planet against an entire empire. An empire with technology that we've never even seen, with fighters whose power levels may actually be far greater than anything we imagine—especially since we've got no ki and have two—maybe three—people to stand against them."

"So what do we do?" Vegeta looked down to see that it was Trunks who had asked. He frowned, suddenly wondering if this was what his father felt like trying to save one planet against an entire empire. As much as he'd always thought his father was wrong for having allied himself with Frieza in the first place, he'd always known that he hadn't really had a choice. It was either be eradicated or join the empire in hopes that some opportunity would reveal itself and the empire would crumble. Vegeta stared at his son in the same way that he knew his own father had once looked at him—with a sense of despair and hopelessness, but with pride knowing that neither father nor son would go down without a fight.

Vegeta knew what the best choice of action would be, given the desperate situation, but he also knew that that path could possibly bring about, if not the destruction of Earth, then his own personal destruction.

"…'Geta?" Goku was calling him.

He glanced up at his fellow Saiyan. "Let me think on it." Vegeta said. "I've got an idea that may help us temporarily."

Bulma recognized in his tone that something was amiss. "But?"

"But…" He started. "I'd rather not jump into it just yet. Let's just see how we fare first."

Goku stared down at him, and suddenly, he could feel Goku's mind brush against his own. Vegeta slammed down his mental barriers. "I suggest you go find Buu, Kakarott." He said out loud.

"Right." Goku backed away and looked down at his son. "C'mon Goten. We'll take Kinto-kun."

Goten nodded, sleepily.

"Oh yea." Goku paused after opening the window and glanced back over his shoulder. "Gohan and Videl are on their way back here. There weren't any senzu at my house, so they had to go to Korin's."

"How many do they have?" Vegeta asked.

"Umm…Six I think. Another batch of beans will be ready in a few weeks."

Vegeta looked to Bulma. "Call them and tell them to turn around."

"Huh?" "What?" Goku and Bulma exclaimed simultaneously.

"You'd be wasting a bean giving it to me."

"But, Vegeta."

"Kakarott, even if you heal me I'm not going to be able to do much against the Tik. It's much better to keep the beans for the androids."

"But…"

Vegeta gave him a look that told that he wasn't changing his mind.

Goku sighed. "Fine." He headed toward the window, and opening it, called for his cloud. A few moments later, the fluffy, yellow cloud appeared below the window. "See you guys later!" Goku called hopping onto Kinto kun and pulling Goten on as well.

"See ya!" Trunks yelled. Bulma and Trunks both waved, and the cloud sped off into the night sky.

"Onna, where are my clothes?"

"Huh?" Bulma turned around to see that Vegeta was pulling himself out of bed. "What are you doing?"

"What do you mean? I just told you."

She hurried back to him and started pushing him back into bed. "No! You never said anything about deciding to pull your stitches out!"

"Weren't you listening?" Vegeta snapped, annoyed to find that he was actually losing the battle against his wife. His legs gave out, and he collapsed back on to the bed. His ears were suddenly ringing again, and he found that all of the movement was causing a great deal of pain in his chest and abdomen.

"Get back in bed, Vegeta. I don't know what you were planning on doing, but right now you have to rest."

"No."

"Vegeta, I _will_ call a nurse." She made a movement as if she was going to press the call button, and Vegeta quickly grabbed her wrist.

"Onna, will you just listen to me for one second?" Vegeta was frustrated, and now in a great deal of pain. Why did the woman have to make everything difficult? "The next batch of scouts can land at any moment, and they will likely start attacking cities first. As they are probably wondering why the other Tik scouts aren't responding, it is probably that they are going to land near here."

"But—"

"But what? Where is there room for argument?" He snapped, and Bulma could hear that his breathing was labored. "If they land where the other ship did, this is the first city that will be attacked. Would you prefer to just sit here and wait for them to kill us?"

"Couldn't we just wait for Gohan to get here with a senzu? You shouldn't be out of bed."

"Onna, I told you that I'm not taking the bean. I'm fine. But I won't be if the building is burned to the ground with us still in it."

"Mom?" Trunks said hesitantly coming up behind his mother. "Dad's right. The other aliens are really strong. I can feel them from here."

Bulma huffed and looked down at her husband. "Fine I'll go get the papers and see if the doctor will let me buy some pain killers off him."

"What? Papers! Painkillers!" Vegeta would have yelled if his damaged lung could have handled it. "Did you not comprehend the situation?"

Bulma straightened. "Vegeta, that's enough! I'm going talk to the doctor, and you two will stay here until I get back." With that she snatched her bag, turned on her heel and stalked out.

Vegeta stared at the door through which his wife had just disappeared, blinked and then snapped his mouth shut. He sent a clearly frustrated look to Trunks. Trunks was making an honorable effort to hide his amusement.

Vegeta glanced around the room. "Trunks, where are my clothes."

Trunks' mouth twitched into a grin before he quickly erased it. "Mom just took them."

Vegeta groaned and nearly flung himself back onto his pillow. As it was, he leaned back with a glare and crossed his arms.

He glanced at the watch that Bulma had placed on the night stand. It was already past 4am.

"Unbelievable."

* * *

Goku crept quietly into his house, up the stairs, and slipped a sleeping Goten into his bed. On his way back downstairs, he was met by Chichi, who had been awakened by the sound of Goten's door closing.

"Goku what on Earth is going on? Gohan called and told me some wild story about aliens, and no one being able to fly, and Vegeta…What's happening? Are you ok?"

"Yea we're all fine." He told her hurrying back downstairs. Chichi followed right on his heels. "But I've got to go tell Buu about what's going on." He tried to head to the door.

"Son Goku, you're not going anywhere!" She snapped, placing herself in front of him. "Not until you tell me what's happening."

"Chichi…" Goku sighed. "Fine. Some scouter forces from an intergalactic empire touched down on Earth today."

"Are they…strong."

"Heh." Goku almost laughed. He was so tired. "Not really."

Chichi looked confused.

"They have a machine that pretty much…zaps our Ki. None of us can fly, or shoot energy beams. We can't even power up enough to defend ourselves against simple weapons. Vegeta was shot today by one of their guns. It went clean through him."

"So…what…"

"The thing is, Androids 18 and 17 don't use Ki to fight or to fly. They still have all of their power. Buu uses magic, so he should be able to fight as well. I just need to get in touch with him and make sure that he responds if there is a threat."

"Oh."

"So that's where I'm going."

"Wait just one minute Goku!" Chichi snapped, trying not to yell or wake up Goten.

Goku sighed. "What Chichi?"

"Why don't you just use the phone?"

"Huh?" He put his hand behind his head. "Well we don't have Hercule's phone number."

"Of course we do, Goku. Gohan is dating his daughter. The Satans' home phone number is written in the address book that Gohan keeps on his desk."

"Really?" Goku grinned. "Wow thanks Chichi!" He scooped his wife into a quick hug, picking her up off the ground, before dropping her back down and running upstairs to Gohan's bedroom.

Chichi stared after him and shook her head. She glanced at the front door, realizing that Goku hadn't locked it. The man was the strongest man in the universe. He hardly needed to lock the door. However, given the situation, leaving it unlocked seemed a little reckless. Chichi quickly locked it and turned to head back to her bedroom.

She hesitated and then, running into the kitchen, grabbed a chair. She dragged it back towards the door and then propped it under the handle.

Stepping back, she regarded her handiwork. With a self-satisfied nod, she finally turned and headed back to bed.

* * *

"I can't believe you wasted nearly two hours with something so foolish as release papers."

Bulma rolled her eyes and then said for what must have been the thirtieth time. "Vegeta, the release papers were relatively easy to get. It was trying to bribe a law-abiding doctor to sell me enough painkillers to knock out a pack of wild dinosaurs that took so long. You'll be thanking me for that later though."

Vegeta shifted a bit in his seat. Bulma had tried to convince him to lie down in the back seat and go to sleep, but he had insisted on sitting up front. Trunks had taken her advice though, and had been sprawled across the seat for the past hour, sleeping deeply.

Vegeta coughed lightly, earning a nervous glance from Bulma. "Are you sure you're ok?" She asked. She knew what he would say, and she also knew what the real answer was. He was most certainly not ok. He was pale and weak and had holes in both his stomach and lung. He needed to lie down and rest, or better yet to just eat a senzu bean and be done.

Before he could stop her, she placed her hand against his forehead. "Vegeta, you're burning up."

He shrugged her hand away and looked out the window.

Suddenly, the plane started dropping.

"What are you doing?"

"Landing. What's it look like I'm doing?"

"Why are you landing?"

"Because we're in the middle of nowhere. And that's where you wanted to go. If we keep going much further, we'll run into another city eventually. Was there a specific middle-of-nowhere that you were trying to get to?"

"No."

"Well then this spot is perfect."

Vegeta glanced down below. There were certainly a good number of animals down there. He could sense their energy. The three would blend in among the animals. It was as good a hiding place as any.

He had been reluctant to land anywhere, even though there had been a good number of potential hiding places. Part of him was ashamed at the thought that he was hiding, and he had been therefore reluctant to actually do it. Another part of him, though, was actually terrified of being on the receiving side of a screen. Even when he'd been performing screens—though those times were few and far between—it had been a horrifying experience, and he'd certainly never envied either the victims or the survivors of a screen. He'd been trying to think of something, any hint that may help to save his and his family's lives. He couldn't think of anything though. What was worse was that his head was growing steadily foggier, and there was now a dull throbbing on his right temple.

"Go near that river, but not in the actual clearing." He ordered.

"I've got to land in the clearing. We'll just have to walk to get a little bit away from it." The plane touched down gently, and a moment later the buzzing of the engine stopped. Everything was suddenly eerily silent. "And now you're going to see why you married me." Bulma said with a grin waving her capsule case at him.

The dim light from the stars cast her face in shadows, outlining of her perfect features and causing her blue hair to nearly shine. Nonetheless, Vegeta cocked a skeptical eyebrow.

Bulma rolled her eyes at her husband and turned in her seat. "Trunks, honey, wake up." She said, nudging her son. "We're here."

Trunks sat up groggily. "We're…where?" He looked out the window to see nothing but trees.

"In the middle of nowhere." Bulma informed him.

He stared blankly as if wondering when she would announce the punch line of her joke. His mother just grinned and pushed her door open. To Trunks' surprise, his father did the same. "What are we doing in the middle of nowhere?"

"Trying to avoid getting caught in the screen for as long as possible. We're masking our kis among the animals here."

"We're…hiding?"

"In essence, yes." Vegeta swayed as he finally stood upright. His head was swimming, and he suddenly felt weak. Bulma hurried around the car toward her husband.

"For how long?"

Vegeta's knees gave out. Bulma caught him just in time. "Until your father is well enough to stand on his own. Trunks, here." She handed her son the capsule case. "Encapsulate the jet. Then find the capsule house and pop it open somewhere just in the woods. Hurry up."

"Uhh, right." Trunks hurried to do as he was told, as Bulma half-carried a nearly-limp, wheezing Vegeta into the woods. His face was dangerously pale. Sweat was now beading his forehead, and she could feel him shivering against her.

"Stubborn man." She mumbled to herself. He needed to rest. He didn't need to be gallivanting around the world and trekking through the forest in such a state. Being upright so soon after such a terrible injury was only causing his condition to worsen.

A soft pop was heard behind her, and a moment later, Trunks was running past them into the woods.

"Is this good?" He yelled to his mother, indicating a small area amid the trees.

At that moment Vegeta shivered so violently that it was nearly a spasm.

"Yes that's fine!" Bulma called back to him. She readjusted her grip on him. He was getting heavier by the moment.

A house popped into existence a few yards ahead of them. Trunks opened the door and ran inside. A moment later, he came back out, looked at his parents and then deciding that his mother apparently needed help, ran over to them. He supported Vegeta from the other side, and the two of them carried him the rest of the way into the house.

Vegeta was nearly unconscious by the time they finally got him into a bed.

"Is he ok mom?"

Bulma felt Vegeta's forehead. It was still hot. Honestly she didn't know if he was ok, but with Vegeta being Vegeta, she had faith that he'd pull through. "I'm sure he'll be fine, Trunks. He just needs to rest. Go back to sleep. I'll take care of him."

Trunks yawned at the mention of sleep. He just nodded to his mother and turned to find the capsule house's other bedroom.

Bulma quickly went find a cool compress and then placed it on Vegeta's head. His eyes cracked open slightly and he regarded her through a haze of exhaustion and pain.

"Shh…" Bulma adjusted him to make him more comfortable. "Go to sleep."

His eyes fluttered once, and finally slid closed.

Bulma dropped into a chair beside the bed. It had been such a long night, and it was nearly 7:30 in the morning now. Soon, the sun would rise on a new day, and Bulma had hardly slept a wink. In a way she was used to this. She frequently pulled all-nighters when working on interesting projects or when preparing presentations for the board. And it seemed like every few years some powerful villain would appear and disrupt everyone's lives. But she still had a nervous feeling in her stomach. Vegeta made the situation sound so serious. And how could they win when not even Goku could fight?

Part of her was glad that she may be of help against this new enemy, but then seeing how vulnerable her husband had been to the alien's attack, she had trouble being very optimistic. What if they all died before she could manage to come up with something that would help? What if she never managed to come up with it? What if the alien technology was far beyond anything that even_ she_ could comprehend?

Her eyes watered a bit and she looked over at her husband. Reaching out a hand, she gently felt his cheek. It was still hot, but he was sleeping peacefully now. His shivers had subsided, and his face had regained some of its color.

She smiled a bit at seeing him. He had been so close to death, today, but he had survived. She could still touch him, and tease him, and kiss his nose in clear defiance when he was angry—though she knew how much that annoyed him. Everything would be ok. She just knew it.

* * *

18 opened her eyes groggily. Sunlight was streaming into the room she was in, but that room was only vaguely familiar. She sat up, realizing that she had apparently fallen asleep with her head on the table. Her neck was aching, and she raised a hand to rub it.

Suddenly she sprang up. "What time is it?" She gasped.

"Huh?" She spun at the voice, seeing that 17 was in the chair next to her, rubbing sleep from his eyes. "Wha…? What happened?"

"I was here all night?" 18 asked.

17 glanced at the clock on the wall. "Yea I guess so. It's almost 8:30."

"Oh no!" She pulled out her cell phone and flipped it open. "I left Marron with that old bag of—hello? Krillin? I thought you were going to be away all night." 17 yawned loudly and leaned his cheek onto his fist. He fixed his sister with a lazy gaze, secretly triumphing at the fact that she had for once forgotten about her family because she was preoccupied with him. "Yes we did have a nice chat." 18 said. "I got so caught up that I fell asleep, I hope you're not upset…"

Apparently, he wasn't, for 18 smiled. 17 was always surprised at how the little human could make his cold sister smile so easily. He lifted himself from his chair and made his way to the coffee machine.

"Ohh…" 17 started ignoring his sister's conversation. Apparently Marron had missed her mommy, and now it was necessary for her to talk to 18 on the phone. As 17 set about scouring his kitchen for two clean coffee mugs, he heard 18 say a little louder than before. "Of course. Uncle 17 would _love_ to talk to you."

He cast a glance at his sister. She lazily handed the phone to him with a small smirk. "Uhh, hello?" He rarely used phones. He had no one to talk to after all.

"_Uncle 17! Hi! Are you going to come visit us?"_

"Visit you? Umm…"

18 was amused at how confused and flustered her usually cool brother became when faced with his young niece.

"…I wasn't planning on it." He finally said.

"_But why not? You never come visit! Dad says that you and mom are going to save the world from some bad aliens!"_

"Uhh…well, that... The aliens aren't actually here, so that could all fall through."

_ "Some aliens came a little while ago, but they were actually Trunks' aunt and uncle. And then there were some bad ones too, but mom and dad fought them and they became nice. Did you know that?"_

"Uhh…no. That _is_ interesting."

_ "It was so cool! Mom and dad are really strong."_

"Oh yea?"

_ "Are you strong like them?"_

"I do my best."

_ "I want to watch you fight! Is it going to be at the tournament place again?"_

"Likely not. Maybe it'll be on TV, but don't count on it."

_ "After you beat the aliens will you come visit?"_

"We'll see."

_ "Can I come to your house?"_

"Uhh…" He sent a panicked gaze to 18. 18 rolled her eyes and took the phone back from her brother.

"Hi, honey, this is your mommy….oh you want to come to Uncle 17's house. Well we'll see. He'll have to clean it first…Ok…Well I've got to go now, ok? Tell daddy that I'll be back later…ok. I love you sweetheart. Byebye."

She flipped the phone shut and chuckled at the look on her brother's face. "You really do need to clean this place."

He scowled at her. "Why? You're the only company I ever get."

"I can see why." She looked around at the dirty countertops and the pile of dishes in the sink. "I washed two mugs." She announced afterwards, heading over to the coffee pot to pour two cups of coffee. "There weren't any clean ones."

"Oh." 17 said a bit dumbly as she handed him his coffee.

"Have you got any breakfast food or what?"

"Umm…I should have some cereal. Or I can make pancakes."

"Cereal is fine." 18 said a little too quickly.

17 chuckled and set off in search of some bowls.

Just then, they felt it. The Kis in space were getting closer. The aliens were finally landing.

* * *

AN: Hi guys I hope you enjoyed that.

Here's a quick thanks to all of you who reviewed. I'm glad to know that you're enjoying it!

Reviews always appreciated.


	4. A Time for Action

Chapter 4- A Time for Action

"Is this…our cue?" They could both feel the alien kis coming closer. They were landing on Earth.

18 looked at her brother out of the corner of her eye. It was far too early in the morning for this to be happening. They hadn't had breakfast. She hadn't even had her coffee. "Yes. It appears so." She blew on her coffee and then tried to sip it. It was still too hot. Giving up on it, she slid it back onto the table. "Are you ready?"

"To 'save the world?' Sure. It could be fun." 17 apparently had no issue with how hot his coffee was. He tipped it up and downed it.

18 crossed her arms and stared at him impatiently.

After a few moments, he finished and dropped the empty mug carelessly back onto the table.

"Alright then." 18 hurried him along lest he decide to have breakfast too before heading out. She made sure that her phone was in her pocket and then headed toward the door with long confident strides. "Here we go."

The two stepped outside and then shot into the sky.

* * *

Goku shot up in bed, looking around wildly. He had awoken with a start as if at a loud bang. However everything was silent. One eye was squinted half shut, and his hair, if possible was even messier than normal.

"Goku?" Chichi rolled over and looked at her husband. "It's still early." She said tiredly.

Goku nodded, still half asleep. He was about to lie back down when suddenly he heard his son shout. "Dad!" Goku was instantly alert. He heard a thump from the other room, and almost at the same second, his senses picked up the fact that the alien kis were much closer than before.

"Oh no!" Goku yelled jumping out of bed.

His bedroom door flew open. "Dad!" Goten yelled again.

"I know! I feel them too! Did they just land?"

"I…I think so." Goten was still in his pajamas.

"Get your clothes on, Goten! Hurry up!"

"Uh? Oh ok dad!" Goten hurried back to his room, while Goku started digging through his wardrobe in search of his gi.

"Goku?" Chichi was sitting up staring at him. "What are you doing?"

"What? Chichi, I'm going to go help out." He blinked at her as if she'd lost her mind.

"Oh…it's just that…"

Goten ran back in, fully dressed. "Ready! But umm…how are we going to get there since we can't fly."

Goku froze, one leg in his orange pants. He stared at his son in surprise, the wheels in his brain turning fast. Suddenly, he straightened up. "Darn it! I forgot!" He stomped his foot in frustration, unintentionally creating a large crack in the floorboards.

Goten fell over.

Chichi sighed and pulled herself out of bed. "Well, I guess you'll just have to hope its on TV then, Goku."

"TV?" Goku blinked, and then his face lit up in a grin. "Oh yea, the news!" In a flash he was out of the room. "Last one down's a rotten egg!" Chichi found it amusing that he had already made it to the couch before he'd finished his sentence. Even without their super powers, both Goku and his son were much faster than the normal human.

Chichi grabbed her robe and followed them downstairs.

* * *

"Is that them?"

"That's them." She confirmed. "Unless there are _another_ bunch of aliens that have just landed."

17 cocked his head to the side. A gentle breeze carried blew through his silky black hair. "And you were worried? Why exactly did I have to come along anyway? You could have definitely handled them on your own."

She glanced behind her to where she could sense a large power approaching. "Yea, but we we're going to try to get rid of them before they manage to kill any people."

17 cocked an eyebrow but didn't say anything to that. "Is the big pink guy on our side too?" He asked instead. "This seems like overkill."

Buu had just arrived. "Hello!" He greeted in a cheerful, high pitched voice. "Buu know you." He pointed to 18. "But not you! You alien?"

"No, Buu. This is my brother, 17." She sent patronizing look to 17. "17, say hello."

17 blinked. "Uhh…hello."

"Well, now that we all know each other, I guess we can do what we came here to do." 18 said in a bored tone. "How about a surprise attack? Take three out in one go."

"Sounds good." 17 said.

"You up for it, Buu?" 18 raised one finger and pointed it down at one of the aliens.

Buu thought about it. Hercule had told him that just this once, he was allowed to kill people. He couldn't really tell these people from all the other ones. They may be slightly differently colored, perhaps, but to him, they were almost the same as humans. If he happened to make a mistake and kill a human by accident, Hercule would be very upset. "Which ones I kill?"

18 lowered her hand. "Hmmm….well, how about this. There are twelve. So you can take the four blue ones. We'll handle the rest."

"Blue ones?" Buu looked back over to the aliens, studying them closely.

"Yes."

"OK!" He said cheerfully.

"Good." 18 raised her finger again. "Let's go then. On three. One…"

Buu raised a both hands, a ball coming to life on each of them. 17 lazily brought a finger up, matching his sister's pose.

"Two." 18 brought up her other hand, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Three." Two energy balls, and two beams shot forth, and a moment later, four of the aliens were on the ground. Two blue ones lacked heads, and two of the other ones had holes between their eyes.

The aliens, as one sprung to attention, turning their weapons in the direction that the beams had come.

"Oh, look." 17 commented. "They're synchronized."

18 chuckled. "Let's go, loser." She shot down toward the aliens, dodging and deflecting beams that were shot at her. The beams singed her clothes, and burned her arms, even despite the energy barrier she had put up. Deciding that she preferred not to be covered in burns by the time she ended this, she started dodging them all. She quickly broke through their line of defense, and drove her foot into one large, bull-like man's face.

A moment later, she saw 17 beside her, tearing into another of the aliens.

The bull-like man's skull had been thicker than she'd expected. Instead of immediately crumbling under the force of her kick, the man only flew backwards, rolled and then dragged himself back to his feet. Two other aliens jumped in front of her to defend their fallen comrade long enough for him to get back up.

A shot from behind hit her shoulder, burning clean through the shirt, and singing her skin. She gasped at the unexpected pain and rounded to see who had shot her. There was no one there. She turned back again, to see a tall, dark blue man standing in front of her.

She crouched into a fighting stance. The other two aliens flanked the man. The one she had hit had disappeared somewhere. Buu was faring well. He appeared to be playing with the one blue man, but was taking an obvious beating from two other horned aliens who he was doing nothing to defend against. 17 was dancing around gracefully, shouting insults at the two aliens who were trying to overpower him.

She turned her attention back to her own opponent.

"You're pretty strong for an earthling." The dark man commented. "If that is indeed what you are." He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Tell me, what sort of creature retains its power despite the Meiyochi?"

"I won't tell you anything."

The man smirked and then disappeared completely. She tensed and spun around, expecting the man to attack her from behind. Instead three loud explosions ripped through the sky. "What?" She looked toward the source of the sound. Three large clouds were rising over a city just distinguishable in the distance.

"Did you like that?"

18 gasped in surprise and spun back around.

"I just want you to know that I can instantaneously relocate."

She regained her composure quickly. "So what? I've seen it done before."

He frowned, but then cocked an eyebrow. "Oh well. It impresses some ladies."

She crossed her arms. What was he going on about?

"Should I torch a few more cities or will you just answer my question?"

"Can you repeat the question? I'm so bored I forgot it."

He scowled at her. "How can you still use ki despite the Meiyochi?"

"I can't use ki." She stated. "Does _that_ answer your question?"

"Then what do you use? Magic?"

"No."

The alien looked toward Buu. "But he does, does he not? I was not aware that this planet was home to a magical species."

"This planet is home to many species."

"Including Saiyans." He stated, rather than asked.

"As a matter of fact, yes."

"But the Meiyochi works on them. We killed one, in fact. The Saiyan Prince, Vegeta."

18 didn't respond. Why was he asking all these questions? "Is there a point to any of this?"

"Only to ascertain what we're dealing with. So that the next troop that is sent here is better prepared than we are."

18 crouched tensed. "The next troop?"

He chuckled. "You didn't think that, the empire would just give up after losing only two scouter troops."

"So you know that you will be defeated, today?"

"If that's how you want this to go. I know that we are far outclassed by you three. Especially the pink one. However," He paused dramatically. "If you surrender this planet, now, I'm sure we can cut a deal. If it's the screening business that's causing an issue, we can just, you know," He wiggled his hand and winked, "lower the standards a bit."

"No." 18 said. "Personally, I don't care about the majority of this planet's population. But," She narrowed her eyes. "There are some that I do care about"

"We can make an exception for them."

"Still no." 18 said. "There's nothing that you say that is going to convince me. I'm doing some people a favor right now by killing you all." And Krillin would never forgive her if she let the Earth's population down.

"Is that your final answer?"

"Yes."

"So be it." He disappeared.

* * *

Piccolo's eyes shot open.

"Did you have a nice sleep dear?" He stiffened and turned to see that Mrs. Briefs was right behind him, watering her flowers. He didn't respond, but just crossed his arms and closed his eyes again.

He had stayed in West City, hoping that he could be of some service when Bulma and Vegeta returned. There was also the fact that he couldn't drive, and had no desire to accompany Krillin to Kame Island.

"I thought I sensed you here." Piccolo's eyes shot open again, and this time, he glared at the scarred fighter and the small cat who floated beside him. How could Puar still fly when Piccolo couldn't?

"What's going on, Piccolo? Can you fly? I can't do a thing."

"No. No one can fly with the exception of the Androids and Buu." Piccolo said. "The Earth is under attack by an alien empire. We received the first troop yesterday. We defeated them, with only minor setbacks. These that are attacking now were in space before."

They both turned suddenly. A large number of small kis had disappeared in the distance. This was the second time it had happened, and this time, it was much farther away than the time before. Apparently one of the aliens had gotten through their defenders' line and was attacking highly populated areas.

"Is there nothing we can do?"

"No." Piccolo thought. "But Buu and the Androids should be able to handle the problem on their own. These aliens aren't nearly as powerful as them."

"Darn! I wish we could at least see what's going on."

"You could watch it on the TV, dear." Both men turned to see Mrs. Briefs sanding behind them. "Would you like some tea?"

"Uh…no thank you." Yamcha said. "I think I'll just go find the TV."

Piccolo nodded and glanced to Mrs. Briefs.

"Tea, dear? Maybe a coffee?"

"No thanks." He followed Yamcha with a swish of his cape.

"Such a serious young man." Mrs. Briefs observed. "I think I'll make lemonade instead."

* * *

The news host looked frazzled and nervous. "The ship has landed just outside of Kihhur city. Wait…there appear to be two ships there. An unknown number of people—some are claiming they are aliens—have begun attacking the city. Several buildings including the Tirian Hotel, the GoraGora Bank, and Kihhur City Hospital…"

"Kihhur City Hospital?" Goku's face drained.

"Goku?" Chichi asked.

"Kihhur City Hospital…"

"Goku what's wrong?"

Behind them the host continued. "This just in…reports of similar explosions in Underton City. Thousands are presumed dead…"

"Oh Kami, I left them there."

"Who? Where?"

Goku looked down at her as if in a daze. "I left Bulma, Vegeta, and Trunks at Kihhur City Hospital last night."

Chichi gasped. Her hair was down, and unbrushed, and she was still in her nightclothes and robe. Her attire somehow mirrored how unprepared she was for such news.

"No dad! That can't be right! It must be another one. Trunks can't be…He…" Goten's eyes watered up. "He's my best friend."

Chichi grabbed her son and hugged him. Goku suddenly snapped out of his shock. In an instant he was a flurry of motion.

"ChiChi where's my power pole?" He asked, running to the closet under the stairs.

"What? It should be there? You don't think they're coming here, do you?" She clutched Goten tighter.

"No." Goku found the pole and without a second thought ran out of the house. "Kinto-Kun!"

"No!" Chichi shrieked. She released Goten and made to run after her husband. "Goku, you'll be killed!" But she was too late. Goku had already jumped onto the cloud and was speeding through the air in the direction of Kihhur City."

Goten stood in the living room, staring straight ahead. His best friend couldn't be dead. It was impossible. Not Trunks.

In a daze, he walked to the kitchen and grabbed the phone. He hesitated before dialing the number he knew so well, but then he managed to force himself to do it.

Someone answered, and Goten's breath caught in his troat. "Hello?" A moment later it seemed like his heart stopped.

"Gohan?" Goten asked. "What are you doing with Trunks' phone? Is he with you?"

"Oh this is Trunks' phone? We found it in the car yesterday. He must have forgotten it there."

"So…Trunks isn't there?"

"Huh? No he's not here. We're at the lookout right now. I was going to wait for Piccolo to come back, but he's not here yet either. Are you all ok? The other aliens have landed, but you should be safe at the house."

Goten was silent. No. He absolutely wasn't ok.

"Goten?" Gohan's voice was some what alarmed. He could obviously tell that something was wrong.

"Trunks is dead!" Goten shouted and then burst into tears.

"What? How? Goten what's happened? Did he try to fight the aliens? What's going on?"

"Kihhur city was attacked." Goten wailed. "The hospital's gone!"

"Oh no! That's terrible!" He quickly tried to search for Trunks,' Bulma's or Vegeta's ki. He couldn't sense any of them. "No…"

"Dad's gone to Kihhur city too." Goten said, his voice growing frantic now.

"What?" Gohan nearly dropped the phone. "Dad?"

"He's going try to help."

"But he can't. None of us have gotten our powers back! What's he expect to do?"

"I don't know! But he took Kinto kun."

"Darn it!" Gohan said more to himself than to Goten. "What are you doing, dad? This isn't like all the other times." In the distance, he could feel several large powers. They were far too powerful for his father to take on in the state he was in. He would be killed.

No. Gohan wouldn't lose his father again.

"Hold on, Goten. I'll go try to find dad and bring him back. Just…just wait at the house with mom." Gohan hung up the phone, and suddenly Goten was standing alone in the kitchen again. The TV was still on in the living room, calling in reports of high death tolls in various cities.

* * *

Trunks was tense and jumpy and was spending minutes at a time staring out of the window. The same window. The same direction. He'd woken with a start around 8:45 and couldn't be convinced to go back to bed.

Bulma knew that something was happening, but she didn't know what. Trunks wouldn't tell her. Vegeta hadn't woken up since she'd put him to bed the night before, however, since around the time Trunks woke up, he seemed to be sleeping a bit more restlessly.

Suddenly Trunks jumped away from the window. He looked up to at the ceiling as if frantically searching for something. Bulma's anxiety grew.

"Trunks what is it?" She asked.

Had they been found? Were they about to be attacked?

Trunks didn't answer. He was tense, hardly moving, but his eyes were darting this way and that. Bulma watched him for a moment and then ran into the kitchen. Searching through the drawers, she found a large carving knife. Even if no one would tell her what was going on, she would at least be prepared.

When she returned to the living room, Trunks was standing with his eyes closed in the middle of the room. His face was scrunched up as if he were in pain.

"Trunks? Trunks what's wrong honey?"

She knelt down beside him and only then realized that he was whispering something. "No don't go there? You'll be killed. Don't go! We're safe. Down here." Bulma gently grabbed his arms as if in an effort to snap him out of whatever hallucination he was in.

His eyes flew open suddenly and he turned to look back at the window.

Breaking away from Bulma's hold, he walked back towards the window. Bulma followed him. "You see?" Trunks said, as if he'd just won an argument.

"Trunks?" Bulma knelt down again. She put the knife on the ground and felt her son's forehead. "Trunks are you okay?"

Suddenly the door to the capsule house flew open, hitting the wall with a loud bang. Bulma shrieked, tried to turn, and ended up falling on her backside. She reached for the knife and hurriedly tried to put herself between Trunks and the door. Trunks just walked around her.

"Mom, chill out." He said. "It's just Goku." At that same moment, the man himself came in. He saw Bulma with the knife and backed up, raising his hands in a defensive posture.

"Whoah! It's just me!"

"Yea, I told her that." Trunks said. "What did you think you were doing?" He asked, sounding very much like his mother. "Can you somehow use your power? Do you have some other trick?"

"Uhh…heh heh." Goku put his hand behind his head. "No, not really. I just have my power pole. I thought you three were still in Kihhur city, so I was going to go rescue you."

"With a stick?"

"This is a power pole Trunks, and it has won me many battles." Goku said, half defensively- half patiently.

"Wait." Bulma was pulling herself to her feet. "Rescue us? Rescue us from what?"

Goku looked down at Trunks. "You didn't tell her?"

Trunks looked away, deigning not to answer.

Goku looked back at Bulma, his expression suddenly serious. "Bulma, something terrible has happened. Kihhur city was just attacked. The hospital is burning."

Bulma's mouth dropped open, and she brought her hands up to her face. "Burning? But we…we were just there."

"I know. I thought you were still there." Goku looked around, suddenly realizing that there was a conspicuous absence. "Where is Vegeta?"

"In bed." She motioned to the bedroom.

"He hasn't woken up? With all that energy being thrown around?" Goku frowned. "He must be really out of it."

"Moving from the hospital took a lot out of him. He's developed a fever."

"Oh. Do you think it might be a bad idea to move him again, then? It would be a lot better if you pitched the house again near our place, instead of so close to Kihhur."

"Thanks Goku, but—"

Goku and Trunks suddenly stiffened and turned toward the window again. "That's it! What is happening?" Bulma said. "Someone tell me!"

The two stood frozen before simultaneously relaxing.

"One of the aliens got past Buu and the Androids."

Bulma blinked. Goku decided to explain further. "Buu, 18, and 17 arrived at Kihhur city shortly after aliens landed. There were only the three of them against the 12 Tik soldiers. They're outnumbered right now, but they're much stronger than they are. They've already gotten rid of seven of them. One of them has gotten away and was heading this way just now, but Buu cut him off."

Bulma looked worriedly at her long-time friend. "Can they win?"

"Oh of course." Goku said with a grin. "Don't worry about that. Those three far outclass those aliens. But…"

"But what?"

"Since there are so many of them, the aliens can do a lot of damage before our side can take them all down. One of them has already broken off and headed south. He has been reaping havoc on one city after another. I think that as soon as they see that they won't be able to defeat them, they might try to split up."

"Are we in danger here?"

"I don't know." Goku admitted. "We could be. But, if they're attacking cities, then this clearly isn't one. And plus you were really hard to find here. I almost missed you guys. If Trunks hadn't shouted out to me, I would have continued on to Kihhur. I think…I think we should hold tight here for a while. If Vegeta says to stay in a place like this, then…then I guess we should listen to him. He generally knows what he's talking about."

"Generally." Bulma confirmed.

Goku chuckled.

* * *

"Hey look, 17. This one's got spirit."

17 smirked. "I love that in a victim."

Majin Buu had already left, trying to hunt down the one that got away. In the distance, brother and sister could feel large numbers of people being eradicated. They had only been at the fight for less than an hour, but it felt like it was taking forever. The aliens were using their numbers to their advantage, separating, disappearing, hitting them from behind. It was getting frustrating. Though admittedly, once they'd figured out that some of them were healers, they'd killed them first, and made their task a lot easier. Now it was just the two of them, facing four—make that three—aliens.

18 dropped the alien whose neck she'd just broken. "Now for you three."

The three aliens, all large and bull-looking took a step backwards. Then, as one, they shot into the sky in different directions.

"Oh no you don't!"

The two androids each shot after one. Hopefully the third wouldn't cause too much trouble.

17 appeared in front of one bull-man, arms crossed, with a cocky smirk on his face. "Where you going?"

The alien gasped at his sudden appearance, but then quickly collected himself and swung a fist at him.

17 disappeared and phased back in behind the alien. Leaning close he whispered in his hear. "Can I come too?"

The alien nearly shrieked and jumped away.

17 grinned ferally. He absolutely loved this part. Unfortunately, he couldn't drag it out. There was still that other alien that was wandering free at the moment.

The alien crouched into a fighting stance.

"Now that's more like it. I was starting to think you were a coward. It's much less disappointing this way."

17 slammed his fist into the fighter's stomach and then gracefully spun and chopped at his neck. The alien's neck snapped. 17 floated back frowning. He honestly didn't mean to end it that quickly. "Hm. I don't know my own strength." The alien's eyes rolled back into his head, and he dropped to the ground.

17 stared down at him for a moment, and tucked some hair behind his ear. He quickly extended his senses, locating the other aliens. Buu was still chasing the big blue one. It seemed that as soon as Buu reached him, he would disappear and then reappear somewhere else. The other one that had gotten away was speeding off toward the north.

17 was about to pick up the chase when he hesitated. He stayed, floating in the air thinking. From what 18 had told him, the reason that the rest of the Earth's fighters could not fight was because of some machine. The reason that they hadn't destroyed the machine before was because it was on the ship floating out in space.

That ship had just landed.

17 cocked his head to the side and smirked. Well then.

He sped off in the direction of the two ships.

* * *

"Why can't I sense 17 or 18 again?" Trunks asked. "And, come to think of it, why exactly are they able to fight when none of us can?"

Goku turned around in his seat and blinked at the young boy. "Because they're androids."

"What's an android? Some kind of alien?"

Goku blinked again. "You really don't know?"

Trunks furrowed his eyebrows. "What?"

"It seems weird that you don't know what an android is. You were the one who told us what they were in the first place."

"Me?"

"Well, you from the future. But the older you get, the more you look like the future you."

"Which makes sense." Trunks said sarcastically, in response to the rather convolutedly-put but simple statement.

* * *

17 stared down at the ships. "Now which one is it?" He thought back to when he had first arrived. The aliens had come out of the one on the left. "Ok then. The left it is." He charged up a ki ball and fired.

The explosion kicked up a lot of dust.

17 smirked, but a moment later, that smirk was lost. The dust cleared, revealing the ship, still perfectly in tact, with only sign of his attack being some peeling paint.

Well this is annoying.

He landed in front of the ship and then walked into the door, which had been conveniently left open. Almost as if he were walking through a grocery store on a routine errand, he passed through the halls, opening doors and peeking into rooms as he passed them. Finally he found what he was looking for. At least he thought he did.

An odd machine was sitting in the middle of the room. The machine was glowing green.

"Interesting."

17 approached the machine and stared at it. "Now, how do I turn you off?" He circled the thing once, and then turned toward the computer system that stood to the side. A button was lit green. Beside it was a red button. 17 pressed the red button.

Beside him the computer screen flashed on. "Meiyochi deactivation process initiating….Please insert security code."

"Security code?"

17 looked around the room for something that would look like a code.

"Oh hell. I've got no idea." He frowned. "Oh well." He turned toward the machine, fired up an energy ball and blasted it.

* * *

Goku suddenly felt all his energy rush back to him. Around the world, he could feel his friends' energies, strong and vibrant. Just as they should be.

"Alright!"

"Yea!" Trunks felt it too.

"You too Trunks?"

"Yep!" Trunks formed a ki ball in his hand just to be sure.

"Awesome!" Goku said, unbuckling his seatbelt. "Well I'm going to go help out. See you guys later."

"Wait, Goku!" Trunks leapt up, grabbing onto his arm. "I'm going too."

"No Trunks. You have to stay here and protect your parents. I'm counting on you for that, ok?"

Trunks scowled, but nodded. He reluctantly released Goku's arm.

Goku grinned. "Alright then…hmmm…to choose my opponent…how about…you." Goku put two fingers to his forehead and disappeared.

He reappeared a moment later, facing a large blue man that resembled the Minan fighter from the day before. Almost as soon as he appeared a beam shot past him from behind, nipped his ear and slammed into the startled alien. The beam went straight through the man, who had likely been just about to disappear when Goku's arrival had distracted him.

Goku watched in disappointment as the alien fell to the ground.

"Where you come from?"

Goku turned, putting his hand behind his head. In his excitement to join the fight he had forgotten to check whether one of his friends was currently engaged in battle with the alien he had picked.

Logically, he'd decided that since he was the only one of the earth's fighters who could use instant transmission, he would go after the target that kept disappearing and reappearing all over the place.

Unfortunately it seemed that Buu already had the situation under control.

"Heh. Sorry Buu. I got my ki back, so I thought I'd come to help." He lowered himself to the ground to check that the Minan was actually dead. He didn't need it to pop up and start shooting people again.

Buu followed him, landing with a confused look.

Goku felt out the ki of the last alien far in the distance only to feel it flicker out a moment later. The androids had taken care of it too apparently.

_ Man, what a bummer. I didn't even get to throw one punch! _He frowned. _I think the only person who came close to fighting with me today was Bulma. How weird._

"Fight over?"

Goku sagged. "Yea Buu. The fight's over." The Minan was definitely dead. "Darn."

* * *

AN: I hope you enjoyed that one.

Thanks for all of you who reviewed. Your opinions are always appreciated!


	5. The Call

A/N: At the bottom of the page are some translations for some of the elements in this story.

Chapter 5- The Call

"Are you just going to sit there?"

17 looked up at his sister as she touched down beside him. "Why not? Where else should I be?" He replied, shifting to get into a more comfortable position atop the rock he was currently sitting on. "Is there generally some kind of debriefing after these sorts of things? Or can I just go get breakfast?" He had looked through what may have been a kitchen on the Tauran cruiser, but he couldn't make heads or tails of the dried out, sponge-like foods he'd found.

18 cocked her head to the side. "I really have no idea. I was going to go home. You're welcome to come along, I guess."

17 leaned his fist on his chin. "You guess?" He pouted, childishly.

"Marron would probably like to see you."

He didn't respond to that, but just frowned and slowly raised his head to look at a fixed point in the sky. "Someone's coming." He said, distantly.

18 followed his gaze, and then smiled slightly. "That's Krillin."

Two people suddenly flickered into existence nearby. 17 jumped in surprise, but his sister's calm demeanor kept him from attacking long enough to realize that it was only Buu and Goku who'd appeared.

"Hi guys. Nice work on those aliens. Although," He leaned closer to 18. "you could have left some for the rest of us."

She stuck her nose in the air. "You _said_ to get rid of them all. How was I supposed to know that you would get your power back so soon?"

"Yea…how did we get our power back anyway?" Goku wondered sticking his hands on his hips and tapping a tuft of high grass with his foot.

"I blew up the machine." 17 said.

Goku blinked as if having just seen him. "Oh hi, 17. Long time, no see!"

Krillin touched down beside them. "Hey guys." He turned to his wife. "Nicely done, my dear." He said half-jokingly. She huffed a bit in embarrassment and turned away.

17 rolled his eyes.

"So when you say 'the machine' you mean the Meiyochi?" Goku said, turning back to his conversation with 17.

"Yep." He replied boredly.

"Wow! Nice thinking!"

"Uhh what'd I miss?" Krillin asked, scratching his head.

"17 blew up the Meiyochi." Goku told him.

Krillin blinked and then laughed. "Goku, why didn't we think of that? Nice job, 17."

"Don't mention it."

Goku laughed a bit. "Well I don't know about you guys, but I'm starved. Bulma and her group are heading over to my place. 18, you look like you could use a senzu bean."

"Goku."

"Eh?" Goku spun at the new voice. He hadn't at all registered his friend's arrival. "Oh hi Piccolo. Hi Yamcha. What's up?"

"If I recall correctly, we decided to save the senzu beans for dire situations."

"Oh really? I thought we were just saving them for people who were able to fight. That's what I heard at least."

"Goku, we only have six for the moment, and we have to use them wisely. We should save them for when there is absolutely no other option."

"Well yea but…18's all burnt up."

Piccolo rolled his eyes and turned to 18. "Dende is willing to heal anyone who needs it." He told her. She just nodded. Piccolo snapped his eyes back to Goku. "It might be wise if you would bring Vegeta to Dende as well."

"Oh yea! Good idea, Piccolo! Alright then. Everyone who's going to the lookout grab on!" He grabbed 18's hand, surprising her somewhat. Krillin quickly grabbed hold too. A moment later, the three flickered out of sight.

Piccolo stared, somewhat irritated, at the empty spot where Goku had just been.

"Heh…" Yamcha scratched his head, and cast a nervous glance at 17. "I guess we're flying then."

* * *

"Mom, can I go now?"

"No, young man. You're staying right here."

"But this is stupid! The aliens are already all dead. I'm so bored."  
"I don't care. You're staying. It won't be long till we get—AAH!" Something large seemingly appeared out of nowhere in the sky in front of her jet. She slammed on the breaks, screaming as the jet continued to hurtle towards it. In the second she'd had before instinctively shutting her eyes in anticipation of a crash, she had recognized the silhouette of a person. Her immediate thought was that it was one of the aliens.

Trunks, who recognized the person immediately, stared somewhat embarrassedly at his mother.

The person who had appeared stopped the car with a careless hand.

Bulma's eyes finally opened again. She blinked before suddenly turning furious. "Goku! Don't just pop up in front of me like that!"

The man floated around to the driver's window. "Heh heh. Sorry Bulma. I didn't mean to scare you." He rubbed the back of his head and chuckled a little nervously. "I just came to get Vegeta and take him to Dende."

"To Dende?" Bulma blinked.

"Yea. Dende's offered to heal him and anyone else who's been hurt."

"Oh, that's nice of him. Hold on. I'll land, and we can go."

As the jet quickly but skillfully dropped down toward the ground, Goku stared after it. "We?" He touched down beside the jet. "Bulma, you don't have to come along. It's really only going to take a second."

Bulma nearly glared at him. "And why shouldn't I come?"

"Eh?" Goku held his hands up. "No reason, really. Eh heh…" Goku opened the car door, leaned in and lifted Vegeta off the seat he'd been sprawled across. Vegeta didn't respond at all to being lifted. Interestingly, he also hadn't been roused at all by Bulma's screaming. Goku had heard it clearly and he wasn't even in the car with her.

_Wow he's really out of it. It's a good thing Dende's around._

Bulma quickly encapsulated the jet and put it in her carrying case. Without a word, she grabbed Trunks' hand and then laid another hand on Goku's shoulder. "Okay we're ready."

Goku glanced down at his old friend just to make sure, and a moment later, they flickered out of existence.

The next thing they knew, they were standing on the pristine, white lookout, right behind Krillin.

"That was quick, Goku." Krillin said upon noticing their arrival. 18 and Dende were standing beside him as well. 18's burns had been healed, and the only evidence that they had ever been there to begin with were the holes in her clothing. She briefly took in Bulma's haggard appearance and Vegeta's pale, sickly countenance before turning away.

"Yea." Goku knelt down and laid Vegeta gently onto the white tiled floor. Bulma knelt down beside him, running a cool hand over his forehead. He was still burning up. Trunks just peeked over his mother's shoulder, but kept casting curious glances at 18.

"Oh, wow he looks terrible." Krillin commented. "Can you heal him Dende."

Dende smiled. "Of course Krillin." He said gently, extending his hands over their comrade's still body. "Well I can't do anything about his fever, but once his body is healed, he should be able to fight it off on his own." He hands glowed, and the light from them extended over Vegeta. After a few moments Vegeta's eyes fluttered open. He blinked in confusion, before sitting up.

"Feeling better?" Bulma asked. "Dende healed you."

Vegeta glanced at Dende and nodded a quick thank you. "What happened?" He asked, pulling himself to his feet. If Dende had his ability to heal, then that meant that everyone's power was back. Unless Dende didn't use ki to heal. He didn't really know.

Vegeta formed a ki ball in his hand and then quickly squashed it. He turned to Goku, as if directing the question specifically at him.

"Oh. 18, 17, and Buu took care of all the aliens. They landed just a while ago. And 17 destroyed the Meiyochi, so our power is all back again."

"Oh. You sure you got all of them this time?" He asked inspecting his hands.

"Yea…but uhh…" Goku hesitated, shifting from one foot to the other.

"What?"

"Umm…a few cities were attacked. We're expecting the death toll to be in the thousands."

Vegeta looked off into the distance for a moment, and then turned his gaze to 18. She caught his eye and then glared, as if daring him to say that it was her fault. Vegeta looked away first, to her great surprise. "It was bound to happen." Was all he said.

Goku's stomach suddenly growled loudly, effectively cutting the tension.

Krillin chuckled, and Bulma shook her head in amusement. "Goku…"

"I didn't even have breakfast this morning!" He said putting on a dramatically pained face. "Man, I'm starved!"

Vegeta would have made a snarky comment but in that moment, his own stomach growled loudly. He had no idea how long it had been since he'd last eaten, but he had a feeling that it had been nearly a day.

Goku grinned at Vegeta whose expression was decidedly less amused. "So we're agreed then! Food first. We're all going to head to my place. Hopefully Chichi's cooking something good."

"What?" The tone of Bulma's voice made Goku flinch back in preparation for what would surely be a rant. "Goku, shame on you!"

Goku deflated. "What?" He said cluelessly. Most of the other people on the lookout also stood blinking in confusion at her odd reaction. Only 18 seemed to know what was going on.

"You can't just invite a hoard full of people, especially Saiyans, to your house and expect Chichi to cook for them all!"

"Huh? She won't mind."

Bulma's mouth dropped open and she floundered. She was apparently entirely shocked at the indecency of not giving Chichi so much as a heads up before making her cook for what would amount to a small army. Before Bulma could start again, Vegeta cut her off. "Onna, if it bothers you so much, just order take-out. Either way, it's probably best if we all sit down, figure out what's going on, and then decide what we're going to do about it. And it's really hard to think when Kakarott's stomach is going on like that."

Just as he said it, Goku's stomach growled loudly again. He chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "He's right. I can't think at all when my stomach's growling."

Vegeta's mouth opened in the beginnings of what would undoubtedly have been a nasty retort, but Bulma quickly intervened. "Fine." Krillin and Dende shared an amused look. "We'll get take out." She put her hands on her hips. "Let's go."

* * *

When they arrived at the Son house, everything was in chaos. Chichi was in the front yard, waving a spoon threateningly while she yelled at Piccolo. Gohan was beside her, apparently trying to placate her. Videl was standing to the side nervously. Yamcha and Puar had distanced themselves somewhat from the scene and were looking on somewhat fearfully. 17, was half hidden behind a tree apparently trying to somehow escape the situation entirely. Goten was sitting on the front step, looking completely morose.

Goten was the first to notice them. "Trunks!" He jumped to his feet, and in a flash, he had darted across the yard and had scooped Trunks into a tight bear hug.

"Hey kid." Trunks said, in a somewhat strangled voice. "I just saw you yesterday, you know."

"We all thought you were dead."

Trunks looked up to see that it was Gohan who'd spoken. Their arrival seemed to have caused a shift in the atmosphere. Chichi had stopped her spoon-waving upon noticing them, and ran over. She grabbed Goku, and somewhat tearfully marveled at his safety.

Cheerful greetings were exchanged between old friends who hadn't seen each other in months.

Vegeta, who somehow found himself in the middle of a crowd of jolly people tried to beat a hasty retreat. He would return when the food was ready, but until then, he preferred to sit under a tree somewhere quiet.

He might have succeeded if Piccolo had not blocked his exit.

"It would be nice to hear your take on the battle." He said quietly.

"I don't know anything about it. All I know is that it's over."

Piccolo nodded toward 18 who had been more successful in escaping the crowd than he had. She was currently standing near her brother on the outskirts of the yard. "17 destroyed the Meiyochi."

"So I heard."

"If they're destroyed that easily…" He trailed off.

"I can't seem to wrap my mind around the idea that the Tik would send their best technology to such an obscure planet during a scout mission."

"You think there's something else in store."

He shrugged. "Frieza always sent his weakest warriors and his less advanced technology on scout missions. Because that's what it is. Those Tik were probably just testing our abilities to see how best to deal with us. Once they figure that out, they'll come back better prepared."

"With what? Stronger fighters?"

"Well yea. But maybe also…better technology." He looked away. "I have no way to tell."

Piccolo glanced toward him. "Do you think your brother might know something?"

Vegeta blinked, apparently surprised at the mention of his brother. "He…might." He answered after a long moment.

"Do you have a way of contacting him?"

"Yes." He responded. "I have a scouter at Capsule Corp." He blinked and sniffed the air. He couldn't smell any food prepared. If they were going to order food, then he would have to wait a while anyway. "I guess I can go get it now."

Piccolo nodded. "That would be best."

Vegeta levitated a bit and was about to take off when a voice stopped him.

"Where are you going?"

He turned, but didn't lower himself. Bulma was standing just behind him. "To Capsule Corp." He levitated a bit higher and made to take off.

"Why?"

He rolled his eyes. "To get the scouter Tarble left me."

"Get back down here." She ordered.

"Huh?" He cocked a confused eyebrow. "Why?"

She didn't deign to respond. She stuck her hands on her hips and just stared at him impatiently.

He rolled his eyes and groaned in irritation. It wasn't lost on him that nearly everyone in the yard was now watching the pair's interaction. With a longsuffering look to whatever deities might have been watching he dropped heavily to the ground. "What?" He snapped.

Again, she didn't respond, but from the corner of his vision, he saw her hand rise. For a moment, he expected to be slapped, but to his surprise, he felt her lay her cool hand against his forehead. He blinked and then pulled away. "What's that for?"

"You've still got a fever." She told him.

"Oh is that all?" He rolled his eyes and levitated again, only to feel her grab onto his pants leg. He stopped. "This is getting annoying." He told her seriously.

She smiled sweetly at him and then, to his confusion, looked away. "Trunks!"

Trunks was currently explaining his adventure to Goten. He paused at his mother's call, hands still raised in an enthusiastic gesticulation. "Yea?"

"Could you go back to Capsule Corp. and get your father's scouter." Trunks seemingly deflated, and Bulma soon found that she was up against not one but two headstrong Saiyans. Still, that was never an issue before.

"Onna, I'll get it myself. It'll take five minutes."

"Not unless you plan to fly there with me hanging from your leg." She told him.

"Stop being difficult." This was embarrassing. Why was she doing this? He was a grown man, for Kami's sake!

"Aww mom! I'm hungry!"

"The food won't be here for another twenty minutes. That's more than long enough for you to go home and come back."

Trunks groaned but nodded dejectedly. "Okay…" He looked to Goten. "I'll tell you the rest later." He stepped back and then shot into the sky. Before he was out of hearing range, though, everyone heard him mumble. "Man, why do I always have to do this crap?"

Bulma looked back at Vegeta, with a victorious smile. He just glared and dropped back to the ground. "You're welcome." She told him, before turning and sauntering toward the Son's house, followed by quite a few chuckles.

* * *

Trunks returned just in time for lunch, which was very lucky for him. Between five ravenous Saiyans the food—which would have been enough to feed an entire army of humans—didn't last more than twenty minutes.

Once they were all satisfied and had settled down to dessert, however, and the cheerful banter which generally accompanied the "family" meals died down, the mood darkened.

Piccolo had somehow taken it upon himself lately to be the director of the Earth's defenses. No one really minded. Therefore, it was Piccolo who turned the topic toward the battle that had just been won. "I think you should tell us exactly what happened." Piccolo said looking between 17 and 18. Buu wasn't the most eloquent speaker, so Piccolo decided to avoid trying to get any information out of him for as long as he could.

"17, you destroyed the Meiyochi, correct?"

17 shifted. Although his bored demeanor remained in place, it was obvious to many of them that he was still somewhat nervous around them all. "Yes, I don't really have anything to tell. I blew it up, that's all. 18 was the one that talked to the sergeant."

"Oh really?" Piccolo turned toward 18. "What did he say?"

"The usual." She said, flipping her hair. "Boasts and insults."

"What kind of boasts?"

She thought a moment. "He implied that the next troop that would be sent here would be able to handle Buu." She answered. "He knew that Buu used magic."

Piccolo blinked at her. "Handle Buu?" He looked toward Buu who, not even paying attention to the conversation, was trying to convince Trunks to share his ice cream. He glanced back to Vegeta who was leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed looking only mildly interested. "Do you know anything about this?"

Vegeta just shook his head.

He turned back to 18. "Did he say when the next troop would come?"

"No."

"But he did confirm that there would be more." It wasn't really a question.

She nodded.

"Anything else?"

"He did say that he would cut us a deal if we surrendered the planet."

"What kind of deal?"

"Lower the standards for the…screening?..." They nodded to confirm that she had the right word. "And not screen our families."

Piccolo glanced down at Vegeta again.

"That's a flat out lie." Vegeta said. "No scout has the authority for that kind of decision."

Piccolo nodded and looked back to 18. "That's all?"

She nodded.

"Well it does give us something to go by." Piccolo said. "I don't understand, though, how they could imagine they can handle Buu."

"They must be bluffing." Yamcha said.

"It would be nice if they were…" Piccolo said.

"But it would be stupid to _assume_ that they were." Vegeta finished.

"I agree." Goku piped in, drawing everyone's attention. "We never imagined that anyone could suddenly rob us of our power. And it happened like that." He snapped his fingers. "We have to prepare ourselves for anything."

Piccolo nodded. "Anyone else have anything to add?"

No one spoke.

"Fine." He looked down to Vegeta. "You going to make that call now?"

He blinked up at him. He had been meaning to call, but he hadn't really wanted to do it in front of everyone. He couldn't really figure out his reasons for that though, much less explain them to everyone else. With a frown, he dug a small scouter-like device out of his pocket. It had been part one of several parting gifts his younger brother had left him when he'd left Earth several months ago.

This scouter was much smaller and more modern-looking than the one Vegeta had used while in Frieza's army. He still knew exactly how to use it though. "Yea." He started pressing buttons on it. "He might not actually know anything though." He put it on his ear.

There was a momentary silence before Vegeta started to speak…in a foreign tongue, his native language. It was low and glutteral speech, and yet was oddly musical. The room went silent, in seeming fascination.

Vegeta wasn't paying them any attention. He was more focused on his collocutor. "Speak in Saiyago. This thing isn't encrypted." Was the first thing Vegeta said.

"_Uhh…"_ His correspondent took a moment to realize that Vegeta wasn't speaking standard, but was rather speaking in his old, near-dead language.

"You do speak Saiyago right?"

"_Yes. Yes. It's just that it's been a while. How are you, big brother?"_

"Crappy." Vegeta admitted. "The Tik have been sending scouts to Earth. I actually wanted to ask you what you knew about them."

"_About the Tik?..."_ His brother hesitated. _"Hmm…well all I know is from rumor. My home planet is actually part of the Krimzon empire, so we're pretty sheltered from it all."_

"You're part of the Krimzon?" Vegeta was honestly taken aback.

"_Yea. We only joined a while ago. It was just after I left the planet to go to Earth actually. The elders of my planet were afraid that with me gone they would be easy prey for the Tik."_

"Wait a minute…_you_ were their best line of defense?"

Tarble's response seemed slightly offended. _"Of course! I am a Saiyan! Gure's race is very peaceful. They're good at psychic powers but have little physical strength. And the planet has a lot of natural minerals, and the Tik had been kinda eying it for a while. Anyway, long story short, after I left, and Abo and Cado followed me, the elders felt too vulnerable. They contacted Kurenai literally only a week after we left the planet and asked for her protection."_

"With what in return?"

"_Well uhh…the use of some minerals I think. I haven't really seen many changes actually. And I didn't ask much about the politics of it. Oh…"_ He hesitated_. "And I was kinda…somewhat…drafted into their army."_

"What?"

"_Only as a reserve if every Kurenai needs me. She thought I was you actually. She was kinda disappointed when she found out I wasn't 'that' Saiyan prince. Anyway, I haven't been called up and haven't even heard from anyone from the Krimzon Empire since…well since I met Kurenai that one time and told her that I wasn't who she thought I was."_

Vegeta rubbed his forehead. He thought the Krimzon didn't draft people. He'd have to ask Tarble later the exact specifics of his agreement with the Krimzon Empire. It was entirely possible that the agreement itself was illegal by Krimzon law, and that he'd be able to get out of it. He'd save it for another time though. That wasn't the question he'd been wanting to ask. "So you don't know anything about the Tik then? Except that your elders were afraid of them?"

"_Well I've heard some rumors. But that's all._"

"What have you heard?"

"_Uhh…well apparently the Tik emperor is like a…a cyborg or something._"

"A cyborg?" Vegeta heard a high pitched voice in the background, and suddenly Tarble was talking again. Not to him though.

"_That's what I heard, Gure._"

"_No, Tarble, that's not it at all_." Vegeta heard Gure say. He strained to pick up on what she was saying. She was speaking in standard, but to his surprise, she had apparently understood all of what Tarble had been saying. "_He's genetically modified._"

"_What's the difference?"_

"_A cyborg implies that you have mechanical parts."_

"_Oh…so the emperor doesn't?"_

"_No."_

"_Oh…ok then…"_ Suddenly Tarble was talking to Vegeta again. _"Ok well apparently—"_

"Yea I heard." Vegeta cut him off. "What else do you know?"

"_Eh? Oh…well…The Emperor is apparently amazingly powerful. He has both an enormous physical energy, psychic energy and magical energy as well. He's supposedly over ten feet tall—"_

"_No he's not!"_ Gure piped in from somewhere nearby. _"Where did you get this information?"_

"_From the neighbors!"_ Tarble defended.

"_They've got it all wrong_!" Gure said. "_The emperor is actually neither man nor woman, and is hardly three feet tall_."

"_What? What are you talking about? The Emperor is huge! Everyone knows that."_

"_No he's not!"_

"Has anyone actually ever seen the Emperor?"

"_Huh?"_ Tarble had apparently forgotten that Vegeta was still on the line. Vegeta repeated the question. _"Uhh…well I'm sure someone must have at some point."_

"And yet no one knows anything about him. Not even what he looks like? Or even if he's a man to begin with?"

"_Uhh well…I guess….umm. I think Kurenai's met him actually. But he…she…well he's possibly even more powerful than she is."_

Vegeta frowned. That was the second time he'd heard that. How powerful was Kurenai now? Was she powerful enough?

"_But after she uhh…he nearly killed her I think. I'm not sure how she got away. Now she can't even get near him. The Tik's technology is without rival. They can zap her magic just like they're apparently doing your ki."_

Vegeta paled and cast a sidelong glance to Buu. That wasn't good.

"Do they have any way to deactivate an android?"

"_Huh? I don't know…it's possible. They've done some crazy things. Their technology is apparently so good that the Krimzon can't keep up with it. They…"_ He lowered his voice to a whisper as if someone might understand them. "_…they say that even after ten years of research nothing that the Krimzon has come up with has been able to counteract the Meiyochi or the Myomoshu for more than a few seconds_."

"The what?"

"_The Meiyochi is the name of—"_

"I meant the other one."

"_Oh…the Myomoshu is the thing that zaps magic."_

"Ten years…?" _We don't have that long._

As the others were engrossed in listening to the sounds of the Saiyan language, Bulma turned to Trunks. "Is he talking to Tarble?"

"Duh." Trunks said. "Who else can speak Saiyago?"

"Don't take that tone with me young, man." Bulma scolded. "Can you understand what he's saying?"

"Yea." He huffed haughtily as if she should have known that already.

"Trunks, you speak Saiyago?" Krillin asked, honestly surprised.

"Of course. It's Saiyan heritage. Goten knows some too." Goten nodded proudly. "But not as much as me." Trunks was sure to add.

"What's he saying?" Piccolo, ever practical, asked.

"He's just asking about the Tik emperor." He waited a moment, listening. "Now he's asking what Uncle Tarble knows about the Krimzon Empire."

Vegeta made a noise of surprise, before seemingly asking a question. Trunks tried to hurriedly fill them in on the conversation thus far.

"No one really knows much about the Tik emperor. Apparently, the planet where Uncle Tarble and Aunt Gure live are part of the Krimzon Empire…they joined willingly only a few months ago so that the Krimzon would protect them…He's speaking too fast for me to translate everything…Dad just asked if the Krimzon were harsh rulers."

Piccolo didn't like where this was heading. _What are you up to, Vegeta?_ He wondered.

Unfortunately, none of them could hear Tarble's answer.

"Now he's asking about someone named Kurenai." Trunks said. "Dad met her years ago before she was Empress. He wants to know what kind of ruler she is. If she's anything like her father."

Again, they couldn't hear the response.

Vegeta made another noise of surprise and then said something with a chuckle.

"Apparently Uncle Tarble has met her once. The first time, she mistook him for dad. Dad wants to know her reaction to seeing him." Both Vegeta's and Trunks' eyebrows furrowed in similar looks of confusion. "They're talking about a favor now, but I can't understand…oh."

Vegeta apparently excused himself from the call and then hung up. He looked over at Trunks. "Did they get all that?"

"Only what you were saying."

"Vegeta." Piccolo grabbed his attention. "You aren't thinking of allying the Earth with the Krimzon Empire." He narrowed his eyes. "Right?"

Everyone in the room stared between Vegeta and Piccolo as Vegeta slowly pocketed his communication device.

"Strategically speaking, it would be the most sensible thing to do." Vegeta finally admitted.

There was a round of shouts of disbelief and angry exclamations.

Vegeta shouted for them to shut up. They complied almost immediately. "But," He stressed. "I understand that I don't have the authority to do anything like that. Only Dende could make that decision. I was going to consider convincing him to make some sort of alliance, but Kurenai owes me a favor and is apparently quite willing to grant it." He smirked. "Problem solved." He explained his idea to them, only to receive shocked and appalled faces in response.

Piccolo frowned. "I think it's unnecessary. We've handled things like this on our own before. What makes this any different?"

"Are you kidding?" Vegeta asked. "You handled three rogue soldiers from the Cold Empire. Frieza hadn't set his sights on this planet until long after we'd come here. Do you recall what happened to the planet Namek? When an empire wants a something, it either gets it or it destroys it. I'm not saying that we have to throw ourselves into this war. I'm not even saying that we absolutely can't handle this. But I think what you don't understand is that we're not just dealing with a few warriors who come, who we defeat and then it's game over, the Earth is saved and we go on with our lives. This is nothing like that. We beat some, they send more, stronger warriors. Better prepared ones. It's a continual thing and I can promise you that the Earth has far fewer resources than any empire does. Also…" He trailed off, and the silence in the room weighed down heavily on the gathered defenders of earth.

Everyone shifted, looking between each other. Finally Krillin spoke. "But you guys are the most powerful people in the universe. I mean…well, even without you and Goku, we've still got Buu."

"For now." Vegeta said. "We may not actually have Buu for long."

"What?"

Vegeta looked to 18. "You said so, right? The last troop spotted Buu as a magical being, and said that the next troop would come better prepared. According to Tarble, Kurenai is the most powerful magical being in the universe, and her power is nullified by the Tik's technology. They have a machine just like the Meiyochi that suppresses magical energy. And after ten years of research the best scientists in the Krimzon empire can't combat the Meiyochi."

"But surely there's something…" Bulma started. "There's…the chips…in their brains…"

"I find it hard to believe that the best brains in the universe haven't thought to analyze the chips. If the Tik soldiers were confident enough in their technology to tell us exactly what was giving them their advantage, there must be good reason for them to believe that we will never be able to harness what they have."

"But then…" Krillin started. "What do we do?"

Vegeta shrugged. "For now the Earth is likely safe. I doubt that he Tik Empire is willing to scratch up the quality of fighters that they would need to beat 17 and 18. Not just yet anyway."

"That's all we need. Eventually, they'll realize they can't beat us and…give up?" Goku said hopefully. It seemed however, that even he didn't believe what he was saying.

Vegeta rolled his eyes.

"18 and 17 will be fine for a while, but when a planet causes an empire too much trouble, the habit is just to destroy it…from space. They wouldn't even engage in combat with us. One well aimed blast and we're all gone."

"But surely they—" Vegeta turned a glare on Goku that cut him off mid sentence. Goku paused. "That's what happened to Vegetasei." He said, more to himself than to anyone else. "Oh yea."

Vegeta turned a glare on everyone else. "Does anyone else have any ideas? Comments?" He swept the room with a glare. "Questions?"

"What exactly do you plan on doing?"

"I'm just going to call in a favor. I'll see how far I can take it. If you won't submit to joining an empire—and I don't blame you for that…there's not much to be said for putting your life in the hands of someone else—then we can at least ask for…" He nearly grimaced. "help."

* * *

It took hours of debating, to decide that Vegeta's method of action was likely the best one. It shouldn't have been so difficult of a conclusion, given that they really didn't have any other solutions. However, the Earthlings and Earth-raised fighters seemed to have a natural reluctance for communicating with people from other planets. The earth's warriors had been losing faith with the plan one after another and had to be continually reminded that there was really no other option. Only Goku and Bulma seemed to trust Vegeta's judgment without question.

Given their experience, Vegeta could hardly blame the earthlings. He was quite nervous about the prospect himself, especially since his own planet had been destroyed due to an alliance with an empire.

Still, he did his best to relay the trustworthiness of Kurenai Kali to the earthlings. He'd also needed to remind them continually of the Myomoshu, and the amazing degree of technological prowess of the Tauran empire. It wasn't until after he'd told them of the Krimzon empire's ten year-struggle to counter the Meiyochi, their _complete_ lack of success, and the superiority of the Krimzon technology over Earth's technology, that the Earthlings finally realized that they were fighting a losing battle.

With their approval for his plan reluctantly secured, it then took several more hours to ensure that everything would go perfectly. He'd initially proposed a "script" so to speak, for his task. Piccolo had rejected it and changed nearly ever sentence, over an over, before finally becoming satisfied with it. To Vegeta's great chagrin, the "revised script" that Piccolo saddled him with was nearly identical to the one he'd come up with before.

Vegeta, with much grumbling and frustrated curses, accepted Piccolo's script—if only to avoid having to sit for several more hours and changing virtually nothing.

It was nearly nightfall when the Earth's special forces found themselves standing in the middle of the command room of one of the Tauran cruisers seeming to be in somewhat shocked disbelief at the entire situation.

The room was silent. The Earth's fighters had ceased darting nervous glances around the sleek walled room and at the unfamiliar machines. They were all fixated on the large screen in the room that was crackling to life.

A moment later, Vegeta's voice filled the room. "Is this the Galaxy Police?"

"Yes sir, what's your emergency?" A short, plump woman asked. The orange scales which covered the lower half of her face and neck clashed with her red uniform.

"Can you patch me in to Kurenai Kali?"

The woman stared at him as if he'd grown another head. She shifted her headpiece with an orange-scale backed hand before politely responding. "I'm sorry sir. Ms. Kurenai is a very busy person and—"

"This is the Saiyan Prince, Vegeta."

She raised a hairless eyebrow. "…ah…Sir if this is a joke…"

"No joke." Everyone in the room seemed to hold their breaths as the woman studied Vegeta's face.

"C…can you prove that…you are who you say you are?"

Vegeta thought for a second. "The chief of the Galaxy Police is still Kuro Kon right?"

"Yes it is, but…"

"Kuro has got a V-shaped scar on his right buttock. I gave it to him. Go ahead and ask."

"I…" The woman's orange face turned a bright red. Many people in the Galazy Police had heard about the scar from hushed rumors and speculation. No one knew where it came from, and very few people outside of the GP would have even heard about it.

Her face suddenly went pale. "I'll…just…hold on."

She pressed a button and the Earth's special forces were left staring at a blank screen.

They just stood blinking at it in surprise.

Goku broke the silence after a few moments. "A V-shaped scar? On his…butt?"

Vegeta had the grace to look bashful. Lowering his head a bit, he rubbed his temple where a headache was slowly developing. "It was just one of those days."

* * *

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed that. Thank you so much for all of your feedback. It is always very much appreciated.

Translations:

Meiyochi – from the Chinese phrase "mei you qi" meaning "to have no spirit"

Myomoshu – from the Chinese phrase "mei you moshu" meaning "to have no magic"

Kurenai – Japanese for "crimson"

Kali- Hindu goddess of death, change, time, and eternal energy.

Kuro – Japanese for "black"


	6. Kurenai's Debt

A/N: Italics denote thoughts and memories.

Chapter 6—Kurenai's Debt

"Ma'am, a man who claims to be Prince Vegeta is requesting a vid chat audience."

The tiny woman blinked and turned away from the window. The room she was in was dark, a large semi-spherical chamber that provided a 180 degree view of the city below. It was night outside, and the old woman had never cared for interior lighting. Midori, her personal right hand was standing in the doorway. The open door flooded artificial light into her dark chamber.

The young woman had an odd expression on her face. It was a mix between the clueless look she usually adopted when anyone spoke of any topic she wasn't familiar with, and the cocky expression that she wore when she thought that she was about to see Kurenai put someone in their place. "Prince Vegeta?"

"He's adamant. He says you owe him a favor." The cocky look became more pronounced.

The old woman smiled wistfully. Unfortunately, Midori would be disappointed. Kurenai had been waiting for this for years. "I wouldn't believe he were Prince Vegeta if he weren't adamant." Images of a small, spiky haired boy, shrouded in darkness, with eyes devoid of all sentiment but passion and hatred, flitted through the back of her memory along with whispered words.

"_I know who you are. Leave this planet, now."_

"Ma'am?" The young woman was trying to get her attention. "What should I tell him?"

"Tell him that I'll be there in a minute."

Midori seemed surprised that the older woman was really going along with this. She nodded, and turning on her heel, ran out of the room.

"Prince Vegeta." Kurenai chuckled moving gracefully in suite of her serving officer. Her mind was working quickly, considering opportunities, working over strategies. The Krimzon were a noble race. They always fulfilled their promises. In ancient times, the breaking of a contract, no matter how unimportant, was punishable by death. Although now the death penalty was only used in the rarest of cases, breaking promises was still dealt a heavy sentence. Kurenai had felt that the promise she'd made, a favor owed to a mere child who'd protected her from the darkest of tyrants, had weighed on her soul. Such a thing could not be easily forgotten.

That morning she'd woken up expecting it to be a normal day. She'd never expected an old ghost to appear. This new development—if it were truly him—boasted a mountain of opportunities. It could turn things in her favor. Kurenai wanted to repay her debt. She was honor-bound to do that, but that didn't mean she couldn't use this situation to her advantage.

Her arrival in the communication room was met with a shout, and the officers in the room all snapped to attention.

Normally she enjoyed the sight of her disciplined officers in their crisp black and red uniforms. But now, she paid them no mind.

She could see him the moment she walked in, and she knew instantly that he recognized her. He had those same eyes that had so entranced her the first time she'd seen him. There were still full of passion and fire, and yet now they seemed…less hollow. Had this boy-turned-man found peace in his life?

"Hello Prince Vegeta." She greeted, coming closer to the screen. "I see my prediction turned out true."

He cocked an eyebrow.

She smirked. "You did grow into quite the looker."

Chuckles rang out from behind him, and with an embarrassed blush he scowled at her. "I wish I could say the same for you, but you don't look any different than the last time I saw you." It was true. Her skin was a pale pink, almost human-like, but slightly different as well. Her hair was just as he'd remembered it, silvery-white and wavy. The odd, wrinkling face and white hair, plus the silver, pupilless, eyes that would have led any Earthling to believe the woman was blind, all gave off the illusion that she was at least 60 years old. Vegeta had supposed that technically she was around a hundred-and-fifty, but he knew that she'd looked like this even in her youth, and that she would retain her appearance for another two hundred years.

She smiled. "I suppose I could take that as a compliment if I wanted to." She cocked her head to the side, fixing him with those eerie silver eyes. "They tell me you want to collect on that favor. What can I do for you?"

A momentary flash of nervousness crossed his face and he dropped his gaze for a second. She waited patiently for him to look at her, taking the time to study the people he had with him. To her surprise they greatly resembled Saiyans. Had he found some survivors? Perhaps his brother—the one who resembled him so much?

Vegeta raised his gaze again. "There is a planet under attack by Tik forces. They're using Meiyochi machines, and our hands are tied. We request Krimzon assistance."

She considered for a moment. "Well you certainly go all out with your favors. Save an entire planet? Hmm…my my." She shook her hair out of her face. "Where is this planet?"

"In the North Quadrant, Milky Way galaxy."

"So far? The Tik have expanded so far north already?"

"We are encountering only scouting forces."

"Scouts" She was taken aback. "You can't handle scouts?"

"Did I mention the Meiyochi?" He snapped.

"Yes, I suppose you did." She said. "But I see you are calling me from a Tik com-link. Obviously, you have had some success against them."

He nodded to confirm her observation.

"And yet you have doubts."

"We cannot hold them off indefinitely. It is a small planet and we have few powerful warriors. The army on the planet relies on technology, but its most powerful weapons are more useful for destroying cities and not single warriors."

"I see. So what is it you ask of me?"

"Temporary protection. I ask for a small Krimzon squadron to be sent to Earth with weapons effective in destroying Tik forces and defending the planet from space. I also want the blueprints for these weapons. When the planet is able to reproduce enough of this technology to defend itself we will consider your debt repaid."

She smiled. "You realize the consequences of calling me today, Vegeta." It could have been a question, but she felt she knew this young man. He hadn't survived as long as he had by making hasty decisions. He would never have made so drastic a move without thinking it through.

"I do." His eyes burned with knowing acceptance and determination.

"And you accept that those consequences may be beyond my control—particularly if the Galactic Police chief discovers that it's you who is requesting assistance." She narrowed her eyes.

He nodded soberly.

It was a shame she wasn't younger. She could have definitely fallen for his eyes. Such a passionate man—so fearlessly determined. He deserved her assistance.

"Well Vegeta, I understand that time is of the essence. I will send you that squadron as you ask, but understand that after my debt is paid, it's out of my hands. Do not hold me responsible for the success or failure of the troops, nor for any inconvenience that you may face personally."

She knew that he understood. He nodded again. "Thank you."

* * *

The weeks following the Tik attack on Earth came and went with little excitement. For most, life returned to normal. Those who had lost loved ones due to the explosions and fires in Kihhur were the only ones to notice any difference.

Even most of the Earth's special forces returned to their daily routines. They returned to their jobs, their schooling, cooking and cleaning, and every day, the idea of another invasion became less and less important.

As the weeks passed, the weather got progressively colder, until eventually a light sprinkling of snow covered the ground outside of the Son's home. Inside the house, a fire was lit. Hot soup was simmering on the stove, and two teenagers were sitting at the kitchen table with mugs of hot cocoa.

"I'm still not getting it right, Gohan." Videl ran her hands through her hair in frustration.

"Let me see." He leaned over the table to look at her work. "Umm…well the equation looks right. It's just the numbers that are wrong."

"Ugh! Why can't I get these as easily as you do Gohan!"

Gohan chuckled. "Hey, don't worry about it. I actually had trouble with this one too. It's a pretty tough problem."

She groaned again, and folding arms on the table, dropped her head onto them.

"Eh…" Gohan scanned the problem. "Let's see. This is right…" He glanced up to see that his father had just walked in. He said an offhanded "hi dad" before continuing with the problem. "That's right…right…right…ah! Here it is. You misplaced a decimal, that's all. It threw off the rest of the—"

Suddenly, Videl sprang out of her seat with a startled gasp. "Gohan!"

Gohan, too, was instantly on his feet, crouched down in a fighting stance and looking around for a threat. He noticed his father was doing the same. The spoon he'd been using to sneak a sample of the soup was clenched in his fist. "What is it?"

"The application deadline for West City University's entry exam is tomorrow!"

"What?" Gohan gasped and grabbed his hair, his face clearly panicked. "Oh no! With everything that was going on, I completely forgot! Mom's gonna kill me!"

"Ahh don't worry Gohan." Goku said. "You've got all day to do it." He sipped the soup. "Mmmm."

"No dad! You don't understand! They need all kinds of things in the application. I have to write an essay, and give information about my family. I need my birth certificate! My birth certificate!" He sagged in despair and fixed his father with a look. "Do I even have a birth certificate?"

Goku chuckled and put his hand behind his head. "I have no idea."

Gohan groaned.

"Just go ask your mother. I'm sure you have something that will work. You would have probably needed it to get into highschool too, right?"

"Oh yea." Gohan said. "Thanks dad."

"Why do you need all that stuff for an entry exam anyway?"

"It's the best school around." Videl explained. "There are so many applicants, that they try to weed out the weaker ones so that they don't have to give the exam to thousands of potential students."

"Ohh." Goku chuckled. "Well, I guess you'd better write a good essay huh, Gohan?"

"Yea." Gohan sagged again. "Man, I would have needed at least a week to do this well."

"Well you've got a whole day, so you should probably get started. Tell you what. You get to work on the essay, and I'll talk to Chichi about the…what was it again?"

"Birth certificate."

"Right."

* * *

While for many, the Tik empire was a nearly forgotten concern, a few of Earth's special forces did not dismiss the concern so easily. These few dedicated themselves to trying to replicate Tik technology and preparing for another attack.

Miles away from the Son home, in a large, dome shaped building, the sound of an explosion cut through the air. Deep within, in a laboratory filled with odd whirring, buzzing machines had just had a hole ripped through the wall.

"I think it still needs work." A rather intense looking man with black spiky hair said.

A blue haired woman growled in exasperated frustration. Although she'd been surprised when Vegeta had actually offered to help her in the lab, she was now regretting taking him up on his offer. Although he had been uncharacteristically compliant and even nice since the Tik attack several weeks before, he still lacked a certain delicacy for scientific experimentation—in her opinion anyway.

"It did a hell of a lot better than your stomach did!" Bulma snapped, snatching the gun out of his hand.

He looked slightly nervous at her rough handling of the weapon, but then noticed Piccolo chuckling beside him. He glared at him, before turning back to Bulma.

"Onna, that's a hair-trigger. Watch what you're doing before you take someone's head off."

"I'm not the one shooting at everything in the room!" She picked up the armor that her husband had been 'testing' and cast a frustrated look at the hole he'd just put in the wall.

"What?" He snapped, rounding on her. "How else were you going to test the armor against that gun if not to just shoot it?"

"Through a series of scans to determine it's—you know what? Just get out!"

"Huh?"

"You too, Piccolo."

"What?" Piccolo looked startled at the direct order. "What if you need help with something?"

"Then I'll ask someone else." She said rubbing her temples. "You two have given me a headache already."

She stuck her hands on her hips and glared menacingly at them.

Vegeta opened his mouth to say something, but Bulma narrowed her eyes in that if-I'm- not-happy-you-won't-be-happy fashion, and he shut it again. Grumbling to himself, Vegeta stalked out of the room. Piccolo cast an annoyed glance behind him before following the shorter man.

Vegeta's ban from the lab would not be lifted the next day, and true to her promise, Bulma enlisted the aid of Krillin to help her with any heavy lifting or high powered weapons that she needed to handle. Krillin liked getting off the island every now and then, and when asked a favor of such magnitude, he couldn't turn it down. 18 had gone off with 17 to train after all, and Marron would be fine with Roshi.

Vegeta wondered if Bulma really only wanted to rub in the shame of being "punished" by his wife, but decided to ignore the snub. He had other things to worry about. Since the Tik forces had been vanquished, he had taken to training Trunks and occasionally Goten in low-power combat before and after school. The two boys were used to flinging power about, but he needed them to be prepared to at least defend themselves when that power was taken away from them.

A creature of habit, he was holed up in the inactivated gravity chamber with the two young boys when Krillin arrived the next morning.

Krillin, upon hearing of this had been more than a little interested in seeing these training sessions, but Bulma forcefully reminding him that he was here to help with scientific research quickly quelled his interest.

It only took a few hours of working as her assistant for him to grow bored with the job. Test this, carry that, examine this. That was all he heard for hours on end. What was worse was that he wasn't allowed to touch anything. Bulma was doing all of the testing and examining…which left him with the occasional carrying.

Krillin sighed and rested his cheek on his fist. Bulma had disappeared a moment ago saying that she needed some research from one of her other labs. The lab door slid open, and Krillin prepared himself for another several hours of boredom. To his surprise, however, Gohan and Videl came in. He suddenly recalled Bulma mentioning that Gohan would be by later to pick up Goten.

Krillin was somewhat taken aback at the ragged state of the young demi-saiyan. "Wow, Gohan, what happened to you?"

"The West City University entrance exam application deadline was today. I stayed up all night writing an essay and filling out forms. And then we had to actually fly out to West City in order to turn in the application because it was too late to mail it."

"Oh."

Bulma walked in with a stack of papers. "You two look terrible!" She exclaimed. "Did something happen?"

"No." Gohan assured her. "It's just that the West City University entrance exam application deadline was today."

"WCU? Let me know if you have any trouble getting in. Capsule Corp is WCU's largest donor. I can always threaten to withhold funding until your names are put on the roster."

Gohan and Videl stared at her wide-eyed before both breaking into exhausted chuckles and sliding to the floor.

Bulma cocked her head in confusion. Then, shrugging to Krillin, she walked out again.

Krillin grinned at the pair. Trust a Son to bring some amusement into his day.

"Did you see that it's snowing outside?" Gohan asked, changing the subject. He crossed his legs to get more comfortable in his spot on the floor.

Krillin turned to look out the window where a light snow was falling. He hadn't noticed. "So it is." He said with a small smile. Roshi's island never got snow. It was nice to see.

For a moment, the imminent danger of the world was forgotten. Forgotten were the two battling empires, the soldiers, the weapons, and the horrors of war. As Gohan and Videl proceeded to joke about the upcoming Christmas season and who would and would not receive visits from Santa Claus, Krillin watched the snow fall. He had done well to forget about the Tik empire while living on Roshi's island, but being here surrounded by Tik technology had brought it all back to him. It was nice to see how the young pair could so easily joke despite the situation.

He'd lived through too much to not worry about the fate of the earth. After seeing the entire planet destroyed two years before, after having lost friends, after having died himself several times, he couldn't help worrying about the future.

However, the gentle fall of snow outside seemed to promise peace. It was the earth's way of saying that everything would be alright. He was sure of it. No matter what happened, they would find a way to make it right. They always did.

* * *

_The large man was upon her. His white armor was bathed in an orange light by the burning city behind him. Kurenai tried to summon a spell, but the energy she'd expended in escaping the explosion of the city had taken too much out of her. It was all that she'd been able to do to stumble away from the mess and flee into the forest._

_Suddenly a ki blast ripped through the air, hitting the large warrior in the side of the face. The large man's scouter cracked and fell to the ground. He, himself stumbled and whipped toward the source of the attack._

_A small, white-booted foot hit him in the face a moment later sending the large man careening backwards into a tree._

_The small figure landed, and Kurenai was surprised to see that he, too, wore the uniform of the Cold Empire. _

_The large man pulled himself up. "You!" He rushed towards the boy, powering up a blow. _

_The boy jumped to the side, evading the punch. "Dammit woman, what are you waiting for? Get out of here!"_

_Kurenai found herself frozen in place. Certainly such a small child did not expect to take on such a huge warrior. Kurenai's upbringing did not allow her the privilege of abandoning this child to his fate. It was unacceptable. She would never be able to live with herself._

_The child dodged another beam, coming in with a knee to his opponent's sternum. The larger man hunched over in pain, but then grabbing the child by the ankle, flung him into the ground. The child pulled himself out of the crater his fall had produced and flipped back to his feet._

_Kurenai dredged into the depths of her power trying to find enough to produce a powerful enough spell to destroy the large warrior._

_Before she could do that, the child had flown back at the larger man, dodging a ki blast. With a shout, he landed a kick on the larger man's face. The large warrior's head whipped to the side, and with a loud crack tilted to hang limply on his left shoulder._

_The boy touched down lightly on the ground just as the large warrior finally collapsed. He whipped his head towards her, rage in his eyes._

"_I know who you are. Leave this planet, now." He ordered. "Go!...Get off before the moon rises!"_

"_Why would one of Frieza's men…" She looked at him again. "…boys…help the Krimson empire?"_

_The boy growled. "Stop asking questions! This planet is being purged! I have no orders to kill you, but that doesn't mean that I won't if you don't listen."_

_She straightened and walked toward the boy. She was only an inch taller than him despite the fact that he appeared to be only ten years old. "Orders or no, the Krimson empire is one of the biggest thorns in Frieza's side. Why would one of his own let someone like me go?" Her eyes drifted down to his waist. "Why, Saiyan? Judging by your age, I assume that you are the son of the late King Vegeta." Her eyes shone knowingly. "Has Frieza somehow failed to maintain your loyalty, young one?"_

_To her surprise, the young Saiyan smirked. "Frieza knows I want to kill him."_

_Who was this boy? How could one so young betray the terror of the universe?_

"_Woman!" She realized that he had been calling her and was now glaring impatiently at her. "I do not make it a habit of saving the hides of rich over-privileged, vacation goers during my purges. Why don't you try to make me not regret it this time?"_

_She wanted to say something in response to that, but couldn't seem to get over her awe at this extraordinary young man._

"_Go back to your empire. Take his pod if you don't have a ship of your own." He gestured to the warrior he'd just killed. "It's number 274 back beyond those mountains there. Tell your father to step up his efforts and to start watching his resources in the Orion system." He glared impatiently at her. _

_She took a step back. "See that you live, young man." She told him, and then grinned. "You'll grow to be quite the looker."_

_He seemed shocked for a moment and then sneered as if to prove her wrong._

_She chuckled at the look. Although she knew he'd intended for it to intimidate her, she thought it looked cute. "I owe you one, kid." She said, levitating a bit._

"_Noted." He responded before doing the same and shooting off in the opposite direction._

Kurenai stared out of the window at the city sprawling out below. Ever since the prince had contacted her, the memory of her first meeting with him had been running through her mind. The man plagued her. His fire, his passion, his…power.

She glanced behind her at a stack of papers on her desk. Many of them, she knew, would be reports of assets lost to the Tik, soldiers killed, and resources destroyed or taken.

She turned back to the window.

Her soldiers would be reaching Earth shortly she knew. It was only a matter of hours. If her reports could be trusted though, a ship full of Tik troops should be landing on Earth…she glanced at the clock on her desk…now.

* * *

A/N: I hope you enjoyed that. Thanks to all of you who reviewed. Your opinions are always appreciated.


	7. The Krimzon Arrest

Chapter 7- The Krimzon Arrest 

The familiar feeling of having their power drained hit them, causing Z fighters around the world to raise their heads to the sky.

"Again?" 17 groaned as he felt the powers of his sister's friends suddenly disappear. "This is getting tiresome." He dropped to the ground and crossed the yellowed grass to pick up his jacket. Shrugging it on, he turned to his sister. "It's like the third time. Can't they just give up?"

18 rolled her eyes. The two had been sparring when they'd suddenly felt it. "They won't stop until they get what they want."

"Which is…?"

She twirled a finger in the air. "The planet."

17 sighed. Of course.

They both paused a moment, feeling out the energies of the aliens in space.

"They're not very strong." 17 commented. "About the same as last time."

18 nodded, still staring up at the sky as if she could see the aliens. She wondered what new techniques these fighters would have. That commander's confidence the last time she'd fought the aliens worried her. They'd had some trouble limiting the destruction caused by the last batch of aliens, and supposedly these new ones would be better prepared.

She wasn't really in the mood for fighting, but she didn't have a choice.

She felt the aliens' Kis suddenly get closer. They were landing.

She looked over to 17. "Well?"

He sighed in annoyance. "Alright, let's go."

* * *

"Dad!"

"Yea." Vegeta glanced down at his son and Goten. They had just had all of their Ki locked away from them again.

Both boys were looking up at him, waiting for his approval to attack. "I feel it." Fortunately the gravity machine had not been on. He would have to get Bulma to make some sort of fail-safe that would shut the thing off if ever the person inside lost use of their ki. Come to think of it, it would have been sensible to have made such a device years ago. He could have saved himself a lot of trouble.

Vegeta looked up as if staring at the aliens who were likely landing on earth. He felt them now. He hadn't before.

"What do we do?" Trunks asked.

Vegeta glanced down again and headed to the door. "Nothing."

"Nothing?" Goten and Trunks shared a surprised glance before scurrying after Vegeta. "Where are you going?"

"To the lab." Vegeta answered.

"Oh." Trunks and Goten shared another look and a shrug.

It was easy to find where they were going. The three could all feel Krillin, Gohan and Videl's energy in the lab where Bulma had been testing the Tik armor.

Upon entering the lab, Vegeta could tell that the others had sensed the same thing.

"Why didn't we feel them before?" Gohan asked, Vegeta.

Vegeta looked away. "I don't know."

"I didn't feel them until our power drained." Krillin announced.

"Same here." Trunks agreed.

The lab door opened and Bulma walked in. "Vegeta, I thought I said—"

He cut her off. "The Tik are back." He told her, hardly glancing her way. "Our power's been drained."

Bulma irritated look disappeared and was replaced by one of concern. "But…what…"

The six earth fighters suddenly tensed and looked up.

"What happened?" Bulma asked. She knew that they'd felt something, but being unable to sense Ki herself, she had no idea what it was.

Vegeta avoided looking at her. "The Tik are landing."

"Dad!" Gohan suddenly shouted.

Krillin looked the way Gohan had suddenly turned. "Oh no, he's not going…"

Vegeta closed his eyes momentarily before opening them again "He's coming here."

* * *

By the time the two reached the area the Tik had landed in, aliens were already out of the ship and flying in various directions. 17 and 18 hovered high in the sky staring down at them. As of yet, no one had seen them.

"Shit!" 17 exclaimed. "They've scattered."

"You get rid of the ones still at the ship." 18 ordered. "And destroy that machine again too."

"And if it's not there?"

"What?"

"They didn't all land." 17 jerked his head upward to where he could still feel several alien ki outside of Earth's atmosphere.

18 hadn't even noticed that a few had stayed behind. "Shit, they must have the machine on the other ship where we can't get to it. This is exactly what they did last time. Still…look anyway. I'll start hunting down the others. When you've taken care of these, help me find the rest."

17 nodded and turned to leave. Before he did, however, he asked. "Where's the pink guy?"

18 shook her head. "I don't know." She tried to feel for Buu's energy, but couldn't. Furrowing her eyebrows she glanced to her brother.

He just shrugged. "We'll have to start without him, I guess."

"Yea." 17 dropped.

* * *

"There are still some in space." Vegeta announced. "They must have the machine on that ship." Something else tickled his Ki sense and he extended it a bit farther. "There's a third group, too."

"Can they handle them on their own?"

"Most likely. After all, Buu—" He cut off suddenly with a small gasp, and instantly everyone else came to the same realization. Well, nearly everyone else.

"What?" Bulma asked, noticing everyone suddenly stare searchingly into the distance. "What is it?"

Vegeta looked down at her. "I…" He cut off and turned to Krillin and Gohan. "Can you feel him?" They both shook their heads in the negative.

Suddenly the door opened and Goku jogged in. "Hi guys!" He called cheerfully. "Oh good, Gohan, Goten, you're both here. Chichi was worried." He suddenly noticed all the serious faces. "What's up?"

"That's what I'm wondering." Bulma said.

Looking between Bulma and Goku, Vegeta announced. "We can't feel Buu. He isn't fighting."

Goku straightened and adopted that same searching look that the others had, before suddenly snapping back to himself. "Wha…but how?"

"No idea…but…" Vegeta crossed his arms and leaned against the table. "Tarble did mention a machine that blocks magic."

Goku's face grew serious. "Oh yea. I forgot about that. Well..." He looked to Krillin. "We still have 17 and 18 right?" He looked upward and shifted restlessly from one foot to the other. "Too bad we can't really sense them."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Bulma asked.

"If we could get into space somehow…and onto their ship, we could maybe destroy their machine." Vegeta said.

"Assuming that it's there and not on the ship that landed." Gohan added.

"That wouldn't make any sense. They wouldn't keep a ship and troops in space unless they were trying to keep something out of our reach."

"Oh…yea…well," Gohan looked at Bulma. "Do you have a space ship, Bulma."

"Yes, but it needs repairs."

"You didn't think we might have needed that, onna?" Vegeta asked.

"Hey, don't get an attitude with me, mister." She snapped back, putting her hands on her hips. "The reason it's broken is because you don't know how to land!"

"I haven't touched the thing in years! Surely you've had time to fix it!"

"How often do I need to go into space, Vegeta? Hm? Never! I had other things to do, namely fixing all the other stuff you break on a daily basis!"

"Uhh guys…" Goku cut between them, tapping his fingers together nervously. "Maybe we could….uhh get back to…the problem that's going on right now?"

They both glared at him, then at each other. Vegeta just snorted and turned away.

"What about the Tik ships?" Krillin asked. "Couldn't we use them?"

"They've been deactivated somehow." Vegeta grumbled. "The Tik apparently don't like people scavenging their equipment."

Bulma nodded, glancing at her husband. "We'd have to replace the operating system with one that can't be controlled by the Tik command center."

"Which leaves our only option Capsule Corp's ship." Goku said.

Bulma straightened. "Fine. I'll go look at it. But I doubt I even have the parts to fix it today."

* * *

17 dropped into the tall grass in a crouch. The force of his impact sent dust swirling around him. Only three aliens had remained at the ship. He could sense them. One was inside. The other two were outside. The one inside, as well as one of the aliens outside were very powerful. They were probably highly ranked. The weaker one didn't appear to be a fighter at all. A healer possibly.

He was spotted the instant he landed, and he wasted no time with the traditional greetings, boasts, and insults. He sprinted to the stronger alien, raising an arm across his chest as he ran.

He intended to chop at the alien's neck, but the alien was faster than he anticipated. The Tik soldier sidestepped, bringing a hand around and blasting 17. The blast surprised him. It wasn't anywhere near powerful enough to be fatal, but it would likely leave a nasty burn.

The velocity of the blast to sent 17 flying backwards. He hit the ground, but without losing momentum, he flipped over to his feet and sprang back at the alien. He swung a right hook, and when alien dodged again, 17 spun around and kicked. This finally made its mark.

The second alien had disappeared inside the ship, and 17 knew that at any moment he would reappear with the other strong alien.

No, he didn't have time to play with his opponent, this time. He would have to dispatch him quickly.

While the alien was still reeling from the force of the kick, 17 followed with a swift chop to the neck. That was all it took.

Bones snapped beneath his hand, and the alien's body was flung lifelessly aside. 17 didn't pay it a moment's notice.

He turned toward the ship, and as he did so, ducked beneath the energy beam that had been thrown his way. The other two aliens were in the doorway of the ship. Staying low, he sprinted up again, taking out the weaker alien with one well-aimed shot to the chest, and then turning his attention to the stronger one.

"How do you still have power?" The stronger alien asked, a glowing hand already aimed threateningly at 17. 17's eyes narrowed dangerously, and ignoring both the obvious threat and the question, stepped closer to the alien.

The alien, unnerved, backed away and fired. 17 stepped lightly out of the way.

"What kind of creature are you?" The alien repeated.

Again, 17 didn't answer. He simply disappeared and reappeared behind the alien, blasting a hole through his chest. The alien dropped to his knees before slumping over. He would be dead in a few moments.

17 stared at the dying man's face emotionlessly for a moment. Odd, greenish blood leaked from the hole in his chest, and out of his mouth. It trickled down the gangplank of the ship in small rivulets. Then, the alien's eyes rolled back.

"Hmph…" 17 mumbled, being careful to step over the alien's body and blood. He went into the ship in search of a Meiyochi device. "Creature. How insulting."

* * *

18 had caught three aliens not far from the ship and had little trouble getting rid of them. It had taken her some time since it was three to one, but in the end, she was far stronger than any of them.

With her first three opponents dispatched, she quickly checked the energy signals of the aliens 17 was handling. Two had already disappeared. A third was dwindling rapidly.

Good. That's six taken care of.

She felt another trio a few miles north of her, and quickly headed off in that direction.

She saw the smoke long before she saw the city. By the time she reached it, several buildings were on fire, black smoke billowing out of them and darkening the sky.

She paused for a moment, feeling regret for the families that would lose loved ones today. She shuddered when the reminder that not long ago, she was the one destroying cities flitted through her mind.

She quickly shook herself, however, and began her search for the aliens. It was difficult. Although she could sense them, the smoke was clouding everything and burning her eyes and lungs. She choked on it and tried to cover her mouth.

Trying her hardest not to breathe in the smoke, she headed toward the nearest alien energy source. She was almost upon him when she finally spotted him.

The alien was floating backwards, preparing to fire a large blast down at a hospital.

18 swooped in, planting her foot right in his face. He would never know what hit him. While he was still stunned from the attack, she placed one hand on his chest, and blasted him clean through.

"Hey!" The enraged shout brought her spinning around, a ball of energy already forming in her hand. An alien floated behind her. There was too much smoke for 18 to clearly make out his features, but she could see one of those terrible guns aimed directly at her.

18 and the alien fired at the same time. Both hurried to dodge the other's attack. But while a gun's beam will always go straight, 18 could control the trajectory of her blast after it was fired. Her blast came back around, hitting in alien in the back, and knocking him right into 18's fist. The alien's head flew back as his body flew forward, causing his neck to crack with a sickening sound.

The alien's lifeless body dropped.

"Hey!" 18 spun around again, getting another attack ready.

"Whoa whoa!" 17 floated behind her. His red bandana was pulled up to cover his mouth and nose. "It's me."

"What are you doing?" 18 asked. "I've got these covered. Go after the others."

"You said that after I finish I should help you find the others." He said, cocking an eyebrow. "So here I am to help you. Besides, we work well as a team."

She supposed that was true. And whether it was better for him to be with her or for him to find the others, it would serve no purpose to just sit there and talk.

"Alright then, let's go."

17 nodded, and they both dropped into the city, making a beeline for the last alien.

They located him among billowing smoky ruins of what used to be an office building. The sounds of people screaming were everywhere. Horns were blowing. Alarms sounded. Police sirens were ringing. Rocks were falling. The place smelled of smoke.

There was a time that the sights, the sounds, the smells would have pleased them. Now, 18 was disgusted.

She wanted this to be over with. Now.

Picking up speed, she disappeared, and reappeared suddenly in front of the alien.

The alien gasped in surprise, bringing up his gun. Before he could manage to shoot, 17 had grabbed him from behind, wrenching his head around hard enough to snap his neck.

"Nine down." 17 said.

The alien's body fell. Someone would find it later, covered by ash and rubble.

* * *

"Three to go." Vegeta mumbled staring seemingly at nothing.

The other fighters felt it too and all nodded.

"And the ones still in space." Goku added.

They had remained in the lab even though Bulma had left to try to find a quick fix for the ship. Though they couldn't sense the fights, they could sense the aliens' ki disappear.

After calling Hercule's home, it had been confirmed that Buu had indeed lost all of his magical ability, and was apparently quite distressed about it.

They could all imagine his distress. None of them were quite used to sitting on the sidelines while a fight was going on. They could feel hundreds of earthlings' energies disappearing. They could feel the aliens' energies disappearing as well. But they couldn't see what was going on, and that was making them restless.

Suddenly, their power rushed back to them.

The Z fighters all looked at each other in surprise for a moment at the sudden and unexpected occurrence before they became a flurry of motion.

"Alright!" Goku shouted, jumping to his feet. His hands were fisted in his excitement. "Grab on guys. Let's get going before 17 and 18 finish them all again."

The boys, Videl and Krillin all jumped to their feet with grins and latched onto Goku's clothing. Vegeta, however was staring intensely at the sky.

"'Geta…" Goku whined impatiently. Vegeta looked over to him, and Goku could have sworn he saw a hint of sadness in his face. "Vegeta?" He looked closer, but whatever he thought he'd seen was gone. "Is something…do you sense something?"

"The Krimzon are here, I think." Was all he said, as he came closer to put a hand on Goku's arm. Before he did, though, he looked at his son. "Trunks, stay here."

"What?" Trunks looked both shocked and appalled at the idea.

"You heard me." Vegeta said calmly, and then repeated for good measure. "Stay here."

Trunks sagged.

"But why, Vegeta?" Goku asked, not seeing much sense in the command.

"I have my reasons, Kakarott."

Goku cocked his head to the side. "Well, then maybe Goten should stay too." If Vegeta thought that it was too dangerous for Trunks then obviously Goten had no business there. Goku didn't want to risk it. Though it was a shame that the boys wouldn't get their fair share of fight time. It would be good practice for them.

Vegeta just shrugged as Goten joined Trunks in pouting.

Trunks and Goten both dejectedly moved away from Goku and stood staring at the warriors who were lucky enough to go to battle.

"Alright then." Goku said, suddenly serious. "We're ready."

Just before they left, Vegeta locked eyes with Trunks. The look in Vegeta's eyes gave Trunks chills. It was the one he remembered from two years ago. That look of pride and regret that he'd had just before he sacrificed himself to try to kill Majin Buu.

Trunks sucked in a breath, and his eyes widened. He opened his mouth to tell his dad not to go.

Then they all flickered away.

* * *

They appeared in a grassy field where three alien warriors were standing tensely, staring up at some lights in the sky.

They didn't appear to notice the Z fighters' appearance, so entranced were they by the lights.

Suddenly, 17 and 18 appeared, dropping down beside the Z fighters. The two looked a little worse for wear. Both were covered in soot, and 17 had a large burn on his chest.

"What…how did you get your power back?" 18 asked, looking at Krillin.

"We're not sure." He answered. "But…apparently these new ships…" He glanced to Goku and Vegeta before finishing a little unsurely. "Are on our side?"

Vegeta nodded without looking over. "The ki of the Tik who remained in space all disappeared when our ki returned. The most likely explanation is that these are Krimzon ships and that they blew up the other Tik ship."

A warm wind blew across the field rustling the grass. The lights were growing brighter.

The two large, circular ships, eerily reminiscent of Freiza's but painted in bright red, landed softly on the ground.

The three remaining Tik warriors tensed, but to their credit they did not flee. Either they were cocky enough to think that they could take on all of the Earth's special forces and the Krimzon fighters, they were resigned to their fates, or they were incredibly foolhardy.

Almost as soon as the ships landed, the doors opened, and soldiers were running out. Their boots thudded along the gangplanks in perfect step, their weapons all held at the same angle, their faces even displaying the same hard expression. They moved swiftly, forming two ranks of nine. A moment later, the commanders emerged from the vessels. One was a large burly, black-furred wolf-man. The other was a lithe, humanoid woman with short blonde hair.

Vegeta stared at them, noting the high rank of the wolf man. Kurenai wouldn't have possibly sent him twenty soldiers. It was far too much. His stomach started to churn.

The Krimzon fighters in their crisp uniforms surveyed the ragtag bunch of Earth warriors. The two commanders' eyes locked onto Vegeta with obvious recognition. They nodded to each other and then turned their attention to the three Tik warriors.

The wolf man suddenly grinned. "Kumlogh!" He called to one of the Tik warriors. "My old friend."

The Tik commander growled, tensing up.

"Oh now, no hard feelings about that hand, right?" The wolf man joked. "I told you I'd teach you a lesson. Apparently you didn't learn it well, and so unfortunately I'm going to have to kill you."

The Tik commander crouched down in a fighting stance, and ordered his two officers to move to stand in front of him.

"Now don't take it personally." The Krimzon said. "These orders are straight from the top. This planet's under the protection of the Krimzon Empire now." The Tik commander's hand started to rise, but almost instantly his and his two officers' scouters blew to pieces.

"Don't bother phoning home." The wolf man said as his soldiers lowered their smoking guns. "We'll let Hui know just as soon as you three are dealt with."

Surprisingly he turned to look at Vegeta. "Tell me, Saiyan, are these the only ones left?"

Without missing a beat, Vegeta answered. "Yes."

"Alright then." He smirked at the three Tik. "Weapons at the ready boys." He said. He raised his hand slightly, and with that, the Krimzon soldiers charged.

They made short work of the Tik. After only five minutes, the three Tik soldiers were nothing but bloody corpses.

Goku mumbled crossly at the fact that he was yet again, not able to fight.

The wolf smirked as he wiped his bloodied claws on the Tik commander's cape. "That was fairly anticlimactic?" He looked to Vegeta again. "Was it only the three to begin with? Were you really that outclassed?"

Vegeta nearly growled. "There were twelve."

"Oh, well that's a relief." He said. He motioned with his head toward Vegeta, and as one, the Krimzon soldiers were in motion again. Vegeta had just enough time to order "nobody move" to the Z warriors before five soldiers charged him. The rest of the soldiers expertly trained their guns at him, somehow managing to put themselves between him and the rest of the shocked Z warriors. The ease with which Vegeta was allowing them to cuff him surprised them just as much as the fact that he was being arrested by the people who had come to help him.

Two of the Krimzon soldiers pushed a completely compliant Vegeta to his knees. A third clasped a collar around his neck. While most of the Z fighters had expected Vegeta to suddenly spring up, knock the Krimzon soldiers away, and then laugh at them for thinking that they could arrest him, the sudden disappearance of his Ki the moment the collar was clipped on erased the idea.

A fourth soldier cuffed Vegeta's hands behind his back. A fifth kept a gun carefully pressed to his head.

Vegeta stared with a sort of grim acceptance into the eyes of the wolf man and made no move to fight back.

The wolf man stepped closer, the breeze ruffling his fur and causing his cape to billow behind him. The insignia of the united Krimzon Empire and Galaxy Police shone brightly on his black chest armor. "Vegeta, Prince of Vegetasei, by orders of the high command of the Galaxy Police, in alliance with the Krimzon Empire, you are hereby under arrest."

* * *

A/N: Woot! What's this? A weird twist in the plot? Or is it?

Now the fun begins. For anyone who is unfamiliar with my stories, they tend to be the long/epic type. Now that we've got the scenario. Let's move on to the fun epic-ness, shall we?

Thank you all who are following the story. I'm glad to hear that most of you are enjoying it. I hope you all liking reading it as much as I'm loving writing it. In any case, do let me know what you think!

And Happy 2011!


	8. Iroirona Iro

A/N : For translations of some of the names, see the author's note at the bottom.

Chapter 8- Iroirona Iro

"You can't do that!" Goku shouted, moving forward.

"Back up Saiyan!" Instantly half of the Krimzon soldiers had their weapons trained on Goku.

Without his Ki being blocked, Goku knew that the Krimzon weapons could do him little harm. He continued forward despite the Krimzon efforts to keep him back. "No! You can't arrest him."

"Kakarott!" Vegeta's glare was enough to stop Goku in his tracks, but not to deter him from his mission.

"No Vegeta. This isn't right!" He began powering up.

"Goku." A deep voice seemed to surprise Goku momentarily, and, losing his aura, he turned to regard the new arrival.

"Piccolo?"

"Goku, back down."

Goku dropped his arms to his side. "What? Piccolo, you can't be serious."

"Vegeta knew what he was doing when he contacted the Krimzon." Piccolo turned his gaze to Vegeta. "He knew this would happen."

Goku looked back to where the Krimzon officers were tugging Vegeta to his feet. Vegeta refused to meet his regard.

"Piccolo, he's helped save Earth so many times. He… he even saved the universe when we were fighting Buu. We can't just let them take him away like some…criminal."

"He is a criminal." The Krimzon commander informed him. "If you think otherwise, then you don't know this man as well as you think."

"I…" Goku started but suddenly he could feel Vegeta's presence in his mind.

_"Kakarott let it go."_

_"You knew didn't you?" _Goku shot back._ "That's why you made Trunks stay home."_

Vegeta didn't respond to that. Instead, he changed the subject. _"Kakarott, I want you to promise me that you'll look after Trunks and Bulma. Especially Trunks. Even if you have to knock him out, don't let him fight when he doesn't have Ki. You'd do well to do the same for Goten. Child soldiers are precious commodities for emperors, and they have their ways of brainwashing them."_

Goku swallowed, wondering if that was the real reason Vegeta told Trunks to stay home. Surely he trusted the Krimzon more than that? Still, that wasn't the issue at hand. _"Vegeta why would you do this? We could have found some other way!"_

"_Promise me, Kakarott."_ Vegeta turned his head quickly to lock eyes with Goku before the Krimzon soldiers tugged him back around.

The beleaguered expression on his friend's face made Goku's chest tighten. "_Fine. I promise. But—_"

He felt his link with Vegeta forcefully cut.

He sent one last message with all of his mental might. _"Vegeta fight back! We can find a way out of this!"_ But it was pointless. His mental capacity was no match for Vegeta's.

Vegeta was led, cuffed and collared into the ship. The majority of the Krimzon fighters filed in after them.

Goku watched, nearly boiling, as his friend and fellow Saiyan disappeared.

Within seconds, the ship's door closed, and it lifted off from the ground. It hovered for a moment before shooting into the sky.

Just like that, it was gone.

* * *

Bulma had passed the time—hardly a half hour, though it seemed much longer—by tinkering with one of the Tik weapons that they'd confiscated. Trunks and Goten hadn't left her lab. Both were sitting morosely in the middle of the floor, probably sensing whatever was going on, and occasionally making comments. When Goku and the others suddenly appeared in the room, the three jumped to their feet, relieved that they'd returned so soon.

But the relief only lasted a moment.

Bulma looked around at all the gloomy, disturbed faces, and immediately noticed that one was missing. Her breath hitched. "Where's Vegeta?"

Goku opened his mouth, but then snapped it shut again with an odd look on his face.

"Don't…don't tell me…"

"He was arrested." Piccolo cut in.

_At least he's not dead_. Was the first relief-filled thought that flitted though her mind, before she had time to process the statement. Arrested? A dreadful feeling settled into her stomach, and she asked. "By the Tik?"

Piccolo shook his head solemnly.

"Then…"

"By the Krimzon. The Galaxy Police."

Bulma's mouth fell open. "But…but wh…" She snapped her mouth shut. She knew why. But it made no sense. The Krimzon were supposed to be helping him. She felt her throat clench shut. She had no idea how legal systems worked on other planets. Would his prison be clean? Warm? Would he get a fair trial? Would he get a trial at all? Would he be…executed?

The mere thought was enough to make her knees go weak, and she slowly dropped to the floor.

It was just too much. He was there, he was hurt, he was fine, he was there, and then…he was gone. Just like that. Gone. And not even able to be wished back. He was arrested. And by who? By the same people from whom he asked help.

It made no sense. No sense at all.

"Mom!" Trunks was instantly at her side, and when she saw that no one else was moving to comfort the poor woman, Videl rushed forward as well and wrapped her arms around her. Bulma seemed to be more in shock than anything. Several tears escaped her eyes, but she did not sob and did not speak. She just stared into the distance over Videl's shoulder.

Videl rubbed her back soothingly and tried to whisper reassurances. Unfortunately, she had no idea what was going on, and therefore had no idea if her reassurances actually meant anything.

She looked up at Trunks for help, but the boy was glancing between his mother and the group of people across the room. Finally, he burst out. "We have to stop them!" He ordered, leaving his mother's side and going over to the Z warriors. "We can't let them take him away." He stood in front of Goku, and stared up hopefully at the tall man. If anyone would help his dad, it would be him. "What are you waiting for?"

Goku looked sorrowfully down at him and then turned his gaze away.

Trunks clenched his fists in Goku's gi and shook them. The look on Goku's face horrified him. Despite his best efforts, he found his own eyes to be tearing up. "Come on!" The hitch in his voice was clearly audible. He swallowed the lump in his throat down and looked to the other gathered fighters.

"Gohan?"

Gohan hesitantly came forward and knelt down in front of Trunks. "I'm sorry Trunks." He said, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder. "We…" He looked away, just as his father had done.

"There's nothing we can do." Piccolo cut in. "They're already gone."

Trunks stared up at him, trying to fight back his tears. He suddenly noticed some unfamiliar people behind them. "Who are they?" He asked hostilely. He honestly didn't care who they were, but he needed something to focus his attention on. He absolutely could not cry in front of all these people. He was a saiyan prince after all.

The unfamiliar people looked for the most part like humans, although one had pointy ears and a tail.

Piccolo turned and looked toward the people in question. "These are the Krimzon officers that Vegeta requested."

Trunks glared at them.

"I don't understand." The voice came from Bulma who had managed to pull herself together enough to hear the last statement. Her face was still streaked with tears, and she made no effort to wipe it clean. With Videl's help, she pulled herself off the floor.

"If these are the Krimzon soldiers, then who…?"

"There was a second squadron of Krimzon soldiers who apparently came along for the sole purpose of arresting Vegeta." Piccolo looked over his shoulder to the group of Krimzon soldiers. "Am I right?"

One of them, a woman with short, blonde hair, nodded.

Bulma sobbed and threw her hands in the air helplessly. Videl hurried to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "I still don't get it." She said. "Why?"

"He was a criminal." The woman said. "He was wanted for genocide, assault, destruction of entire planets…" She ticked off her fingers. "A number of things really. Did you have any idea just how dangerous a person you were harboring?"

"Yes!" Bulma nearly shrieked. "We all knew exactly who he was and what he's done!"

The woman looked surprised. "And yet you harbored him from justice?"

"He didn't have a choice to do those things." Goku finally spoke. "He never wanted to work for Frieza. He didn't…have the choice. It isn't fair that you're punishing him for something he was forced to do."

"I'm sorry if I don't sympathize, _saiyan_." The woman said, stressing the label, as if the simple fact that he was a saiyan would explain his sympathy for his prince.

"Enough." Piccolo interjected. "We're going to have to trust that Vegeta knew what he was doing when he set this whole mess up." He looked between Goku and Bulma. "He knew that there was a pretty good possibility that he would be arrested when he made the call. He all but told Kurenai when he called her that he was prepared for that possibility. We have to trust that he has a way to worm himself out of it. Don't underestimate Vegeta's intelligence." He looked down at Trunks and gave him what could have been interpreted as a comforting pat on the shoulder. "For now though," he looked back to the Krimzon fighters. "We need to figure out just what the Krimzon Empire sent us."

There were three Krimzon officers total. Apparently, in choosing the officers who would remain on earth, Kurenai had done her best to choose ones that could pass as humans. Therefore, the officers were mostly humanoid, and all around the sizes and shapes of the earthlings that Kurenai herself had seen during her video conversation with Vegeta.

The commander, the blonde woman who had done most of the talking, was named Chairo. Piccolo's first impression of her was that she was somewhat conceited. Despite her abrasive personality, however, she was strict and businesslike in a way that exuded confidence in her ability to help the Earth.

The second Krimzon officer was a young woman called Momo. She seemed to be of a cheerful demeanor, and quite surprisingly, despite her youthful appearance, she had been sent to train Earth's soldiers to use Krimzon technology to fight the Tik.

The third Krimzon officer was a young scientist named Shiro. Shiro turned out to be quiet, and apparently due to a rumor he'd heard about Earthlings being hostile to outsiders, was timid and nervous around nearly everyone.

He was slender, of a pale green color, and had pointy ears and a tail similar to that of a stingray. Apparently, Kurenai had assumed that the green pointy-eared variety of earthling was commonplace. Piccolo had been none too amused at Kurenai's assumption, even less so since several of the Z fighters thought it was quite hilarious.

Piccolo was determined to keep a close eye on the Krimzon soldiers. He was still suspicious of them, and decided that he didn't particularly like any of them. He just hoped that they lived up to the expectations that the Z fighters had put on them.

* * *

"Get in there!" He was shoved roughly into a sterile, gray room. He only had enough time to catch his balance before the metal door slid shut behind him and locked with an audible click.

He'd been stripped, searched, and given a new pair of clothes before being taken to a questioning chamber. There he'd been asked question after question regarding his connections, his loyalties, his activities for the past twelve years. He'd also had to give some sort of confession. He didn't remember what he'd said. He didn't particularly care at this point.

In all, the questioning process had taken hours, maybe days. He had no idea.

Where he was being taken, he didn't know. He didn't know what was going to happen to him at all.

He glared over his shoulder at the closed door before looking at the room he'd been put in. It was simply furnished. No windows. A toilet and sink against the right wall. A single bed. He tiredly crossed the room and sat on the bed. The situation seemed eerily familiar.

He'd once sat in a room like this, a room with no windows and a single cold, hard bed, on the ship that transported him to Frieza.

He'd done it willingly then, because he thought he'd be saving his people from a horrible fate. It was the same now. Though the Earthlings weren't his people per se, they had given him a home. He had a family, and people that he even dared to call friends.

He closed his eyes for a moment envisioning Bulma's face. He wondered if he'd ever see her again. He doubted it.

But then if he hadn't done what he'd done, he would have likely lost her as well.

He knew well the fate of a planet that stood against an empire.

He had replayed every scenario in his head. Every tactic that they could have used. Every technology they could have invented. But for all of his experience, he could think of nothing that would change the fate of the Earth if it tried to stand alone.

People would be killed with each attack—thousands upon thousands—until the people became so afraid, they wanted to surrender.

The Tik would send more fighters, stronger fighters, until eventually, the Androids would have been overwhelmed.

They would be killed. The Earthlings would be screened. Kakarott would probably be the next Z warrior to be killed. Then Buu. Then the Namek and Krillin. Gohan and Videl would have been captured and forced into service with the threat of the deaths of Chichi and Hercule to keep them in line. Yamcha and Tien would then step in, but they would be slaughtered. Bulma would likely be captured and forced into service as a scientist. If she refused, she would be sent to the harem where she would be mistreated until someone was careless enough to accidentally kill her. Finally, Trunks and Goten would be the prizes of the empire. Two young powerhouses with impressionable minds. They would be taken, tortured and brainwashed. The Tik would try to turn them into the monster that Vegeta had been.

No, he wouldn't allow it. He wouldn't even allow the chance.

He'd hated putting his faith in Kurenai just as much as anyone else, but he had clearly seen the necessity of it. And if the only way to keep his family sheltered from the horrors that he'd had to experience was to finally take responsibility for his past actions, he was ok with that.

He'd known when he contacted Kurenai that he was announcing to the universe that he was still alive. He'd all but given the GP an invitation to come and get him. It didn't matter. He deserved it. His family may not agree. Kakarott may not agree either, but Vegeta knew. He alone knew the how his past weighed on his soul, knew the hypocrisy of his peaceful life. How many families did he destroy? How many sons and mates had he mercilessly killed while taunting and laughing at them? He didn't deserve what he had, and he knew it.

He just hoped that this was worth it. He hoped that Kurenai kept her end of the bargain. He'd done what he could. It was out of his hands now.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed this one. Thanks to all of you who reviewed. Your input is always appreciated.

Just for those of you who were curious, here is a translation of the title:

Iroiro(na)- various (Japanese)

Iro – color(s) (Japanese)

And in keeping with Akira Toriyama's tendency to name his characters by themes…

Chairo – Japanese for brown (literally "tea colored")

Shiro – Japanese for white

Momo(iro) – Japanese for pink


	9. The Other Saiyan

Chapter 9- The Other Saiyan

"Rise and shine, princess." Vegeta bolted upright at the sudden voice.

After two—or maybe three, he couldn't really tell—days of traveling, Vegeta had discovered that his cell was boring. He'd tried doing push-ups. Then stretches. Then a kata. There was just not enough room and not enough gravity for a proper work-out.

He'd had no contact with anyone since he'd been thrust into his room. He'd had no food either, and was starting to feel the effects of the deprivation.

Eventually, out of boredom, he'd lay down on his bed and drifted off to sleep.

Only to be woken up again.

He'd neither heard nor sensed anyone enter his room. He looked around wildly for a moment before his eyes settled on what appeared to be a vid chat screen.

_ Where did that come from?_ He wondered. He hadn't seen it before he'd fallen asleep. _And…did he just call me…princess?_ Vegeta narrowed his eyes.

The wolf man—if Vegeta ever heard his name, he'd forgotten it—sent him a toothy grin. "I've called to inform you that your trial will begin four weeks from today—"

"Well, you've informed me." Vegeta snapped cutting off whatever the man was going to say next. That said, he proceeded to ignore him altogether.

The wolf man looked even more amused. "Has anyone ever told you that you're grouchy in the morning?"

"Yes." Vegeta stood and made his way over to the screen, examining it. "How do I turn this blasted contraption off?" He mumbled.

"You don't." The commander said. "And don't bother trying to break it either. You won't be able to."

Vegeta scowled. "Don't you have something important to be doing? Chasing bad guys?" He paused for a moment before adding. "Chasing your tail?"

He chuckled. "Oh Vegeta. After capturing you, I'll be getting a nice promotion that will land me right at HQ. I won't need to catch anyone ever again, I imagine."

Vegeta sneered. "You're welcome. I hope your new office has some nice furniture for you to chew on." He snapped, before turning and sliding down the wall to sit on the floor just below the screen. He crossed his arms tightly, making him look a lot like a spoiled child. He was too hungry to care that he was being childish. _At least now I won't have to look at him._

To his horror, an identical screen flickered to life across the room. Vegeta's jaw dropped, and he found himself staring into the viciously amused face of the wolf commander again.

"There was one more thing I needed to tell you." He said, as though nothing had happened. It was clear, though, that he knew just how much he was annoying Vegeta. "As you are to be tried, a legal representative has been chosen for you. You will be in touch with him in the coming weeks. Also, you will be evaluated by a series of psychologists to determine if you are mentally sound. No psychologist in the universe was brave enough to be in the same room as you, and so you will be evaluated through vid chats. That being the case…and also to save time…your evaluation will start…" He glanced down for a moment. "In about ten minutes. Do behave yourself." The wolf man grinned, and the screen flickered off, blending perfectly into the wall again.

Vegeta stared at the place where the screen used to be. He stood and turned to look at the blank wall where only a minute before, a second screen had been. There was no indication that either of them had ever existed. Vegeta looked around the room wondering how many screens there were. How many cameras. He didn't like the idea of being watched constantly.

The commander's words replayed through his head and he let out an exasperated sigh. Psychologists?

He lay back on his bed, thinking. He'd allowed himself to be arrested in order to ensure the protection of the Earth. He supposed he did feel guilty about many of his past actions, but that didn't mean that he necessarily wanted to endure punishment for it.

Now the aid from Kurenai was already on Earth. It didn't really matter much what he did anymore. It wouldn't change the outcome for the Earthlings. He could cause all the trouble he wanted now.

Maybe, when he felt that he'd served enough time, he'd simply escape from whatever prison they put him in. It couldn't be that hard, could it?

He thought about it for a moment.

He had a hard time thinking seriously of the Galaxy Police. When he'd been under Frieza, they had been a source of continual amusement—a huge organization worth billions that was powerless against the majority of the universe's criminals.

Kurenai threw another element into the mix, though. He wasn't really sure how powerful she was. But how to find out?

He'd find out eventually, he was sure. He'd just bide his time and cause as much trouble as possible while still cooperating enough to ensure that Kurenai didn't rethink helping the Earth.

There. That sounded like a good plan.

A small smirk crept its way onto his face as he started imagining ways to get back at the wolf man for his insults and mocking looks.

_I've already been arrested. There's not much more they can do to me._

_

* * *

_

Several days after the arrival of the Krimzon forces on Earth, Piccolo found himself standing ankle-deep in loose sand and frowning down at some strange contraption. A KB-7, they called it. With its dark black paint, long barrel, and rather powerful output, Piccolo supposed that it was fairly intimidating. Still, the rather hefty weapon had nothing to just a plain Ki ball.

It would be the first time he's shoot the thing. While the other Earth warriors easily put their faith in the sincerity of the Krimzon soldiers, accepted their weapons, and disappeared to train with them, Piccolo had only just developed enough trust in the Krimzon soldiers to stop stalking them everywhere.

It had only been four days since the Krimzon had arrived on Earth, and already, the three officers had not only given the Z fighters new weapons and tips for fighting Tik soldiers, they had worked their way into the Earth's government, ordinary forces, and technological research facilities. Shortly after arriving on Earth and meeting the special forces, Commander Chairo had demanded to speak to the ruler of Earth—not the guardian. She wanted to talk to King Furry.

It had been decided that the easiest way to get the Krimzon soldiers an audience with the King was to involve Hercule. Hercule was more than happy to help, especially given that he was to escort such an attractive lady. For added convincing power, Bulma, Saiya-man and Saiya-girl had accompanied them as well.

Though most of the Earth's special forces did not accompany the three Krimzon fighters to meet King Furry, the news quickly spread among them that the meeting had gone less than well.

After two waves of deadly alien attacks on Earth's major cities, the King was reluctant to trust anyone who came from outer space.

In the end, it had taken Hercule's and Bulma's fast talking to convince the king of the truth of their story. When he'd finally accepted the story, it was easy for him to see the necessity of outside help. With the Savior, Hercule's, powers mystically blocked, after all, the Earth was quite defenseless.

The next thing had been to convince him that the Krimzon fighters were not trying to trick them. It appeared that at first, he fully expected the Krimzon fighters to wait until the Earth had dropped its guard, and then proceed to take over.

Bulma again had had to do some fast talking, and convince the King that the Krimzon Empress owed her family a favor. And that these fighters came to help. No strings attached. It was partially true, after all.

It had taken hours of talking, arguing, and negotiating for the King to finally reach his decision. The three Krimzon officers would be allowed to remain on the planet, but would be kept under the strictest surveillance.

Chairo, the leader, would be allowed a room in the King's palace. She would give the king information, and advise him on useful procedures. Momo, weapons and combat expert, would be put under the surveillance of the commander of the Earth's regular forces. Shiro, the scientist, would be under Bulma's surveillance, and would help her to study and duplicate alien technology.

For the most part the technologies that the Krimzon had brought with them had been very useful. One in particular was an object that resembled a skate board with no wheels. It was called a hover board, and could easily match the speed of Goku's nimbus cloud. The boards would allow Ki-bereft Z fighters—and human fighters as well—to move rapidly without being detected by Tik radars.

Another interesting item that they'd brought was the target. The target itself was special. When deactivated, it seemed like just a plain white wall, but when activated, it projected an image of a Tik soldier of varying species. When shot with a Krimzon weapon, the target would absorb the blast—a creative way to recycle energy apparently—leaving the target unscathed. Among its other features, the target offered the option of displaying red dots to mark the various critical points on different species of alien.

At the moment, one of these targets was floating about twenty meters from Kame island.

"Come on Piccolo!" Piccolo's frown darkened and he sent a glare over his shoulder to Goku. The earth-bred saiyan was hopping from foot to foot in impatience, looking as though if he didn't get to practice soon, he may spontaneously combust. Although the others gathered behind him weren't quite so obvious about it, he was sure they were impatient as well. Even Oolong, who had balked at the very idea of joining the fight, was shooting impatient looks over the top of his dirty magazine.

"Just shoot it!" Goku whined. "You're taking forever!"

Piccolo narrowed his eyes and turned back around. Though the Krimzon had been able to spare an impressive number of weapons for the Z fighters—having a saiyan and several half-saiyans among them had accounted a lot for their generosity—they had only given them one target to practice on.

Piccolo aimed the weapon that he'd chosen as his own and fired. His shot hit just high of the red dot on the creature's chest. He hadn't expected the weapon to kick back as hard as it did. He'd have to account for that next time.

"He aimed for an hour and still missed." Oolong commented dryly, earning a glare from Piccolo.

Trunks was impatient as well. "Finally!" He said with a relieved sigh. He and Goten were sitting on the porch of the Kame house, sipping lemonade, responding half-heartedly to Marron's chatter, and enviously watching the adults practice with the Krimzon weapons. Although he and Goten had been allowed to play with the weapons a bit, Bulma and Chichi had told them both to stay out of the way. There was no point in the two doing target practice, because if they did not have their Ki, they would be forbidden to fight. Period. And to both boys' surprise and disappointment, Goku had agreed—quite uncharacteristically, they thought—with the women.

"My turn!" Goku pushed past Yamcha, Krillin, and Piccolo, nearly knocking them all over in his excitement. The weapon that he'd chosen was a blaster similar to Piccolo's, but instead of producing highly concentrated beams, it shot larger, more powerful ones. The kick on the weapon was tremendous, and required Goku to crouch down in a stance that resembled the one he used when firing a kamehamha to keep from being knocked backward.

With a large childish grin, he rushed to the box that controlled the machine. With the press of a button, the creatures on the target became mobile. Goku crouched down, and held the gun at the ready. The creature on the screen had three target points: the head and two points on the torso. However, it was difficult for Goku to fix on one since the creature continued turning and dodging.

Finally he had it. He fired. The creature, a large roach-like thing, was suddenly headless.

Goku straightened, propped the gun over his shoulder and regarded the target. There was no doubt that he had good aim. Of all the Z fighters—with the exception of Yamcha who had actually used guns before—he had picked up on the Krimzon weapons the fastest. However, it was easy to shoot the head off of a target. It was like Goten's video games. It was when he was against an actual living creature that he would have the problem. He didn't know if he could do it.

Sure he'd killed people before—only a few mind you, but he'd done it. However that had only been after he'd been assured that he was making the right choice. That if he didn't do it, the person would cause untold death and destruction. However, to kill a common soldier who may only be following orders…who may be fighting to save a family back home…who may not have even had the choice to fight to begin with…

He frowned.

"Nice shot, Goku!" Yamcha said stepping up behind him, snapping him out of his thoughts.

He grinned lightly at Yamcha and turned. "Thanks. You're up."

He headed back over to the porch and grabbed a glass of lemonade.

"Daaaad!" Goten whined lowly as soon as Goku was close enough to hear. "Can we try again?"

Goku glanced down at the dejected faces of the two young demi-saiyans. He chuckled. "Maybe later." He said. "I'm sure you'll get a chance."

They both slumped down.

"We never get to do anything." Trunks griped.

"Now that's not true." Goku said glancing into the house to see if there may be some snacks in the kitchen. "You both fought against Buu."

"Then why can't we fight now?" Trunks asked with a glare. "These guys aren't nearly as strong as Buu was. Besides, _you_ got to fight people when you were even younger than us. And you couldn't even fly, or shoot ki blasts, or turn super saiyan."

Goku blinked at him, and then looked at his own son who was staring back at him, waiting for a response.

He sighed. Trunks had apparently taken Vegeta's arrest hard. He would not say a civil word to any Krimzon fighter, and seemed to hold both Piccolo and Goku personally responsible for allowing Vegeta to be taken away. While he spent his days at school, he spent the majority of his free time with Goten and Gohan. Gohan was surprisingly helpful in helping Trunks cope. Though it shouldn't be so surprising though, given that he had lost his father at about the same age.

Goku's heart went out to the boy, but that didn't mean that he would give in to him. "Boys, this is a war. And one that I'm not really looking forward to fighting at all."

They both furrowed their eyebrows and Marron stared up at him curiously.

Man, after almost twenty years, he still found it difficult to be a responsible, sensible father. The fun father who spent time with his kids came easily to him, but when trying to convince his younger son and his friend that they should stay out of this fight after they'd fought one of the greatest terrors in the universe, he was drawing a blank. What was even more difficult was that he actually wanted the two boys to be able to fight. He wanted them to be able to practice, to get more experienced, to get stronger, to reach their potentials, to have the joy that he always had when he fought. But something about this fight didn't sit well with him. It wasn't only Vegeta's warning.

Goku had a very bad feeling.

He looked over to Krillin, Yamcha, and Piccolo. Piccolo was back up at the target, and Yamcha and Krillin were joking around behind him.

He turned back to the two boys and Marron, and was surprised to see that Master Roshi was standing behind them. The man was wearing a serious look that Goku rarely saw on him. The two stared at each other a moment, and Goku knew that he had the same foreboding feeling that Goku felt. Master Roshi nodded to him, as if encouraging him to continue.

Goku looked back down at the two boys wondering what he should say. Finally he just started talking. "We're just trying to keep you safe. In this fight, we will be severely handicapped, and because of that there is a good chance that…well that we could lose. And if that happens, we'll need you here to pick up where we left off." He raised a hand to stop the argument that he knew was coming. "This isn't the kind of fighting that you're used to. This is a heartless, brutal war. We'll have to fight in a way that isn't natural to us. We will have to kill people who may not be necessarily bad. It's a situation that we don't want you to have to deal with."

"But dad—"

Goku cut him off. "Listen, Goten. And you too Trunks. You two are not joining this fight, and that's final. Sometimes people have to make sacrifices for you. And when they do that, you have to honor those sacrifices."

He saw the hurt look in Trunks' eyes and instantly regretted his remark. The boy ducked his head, and Goten looked worriedly at his friend.

Goku wanted to take it back, but after he'd finally gotten through to them, he worried that he might undo all that he'd done. He was fairly certain that Goten would never disobey him on his own. However Trunks was a problem. He was headstrong, smart, and conniving. If he got it in his head to do something foolish, it wouldn't take much for him to convince Goten to go along.

He glanced up to Master Roshi as if asking him for some assistance. The old man was staring at him with a look of pride. Some of Goku's shame and guilt melted, but a bit of it still remained.

Master Roshi just shook his head and motioned for Goku to go back to his practice.

Feeling a lot wearier than he had before, Goku stood and headed back to his friends. They seemed to instantly sense his mood change, but didn't question him.

Ever since the Tik first came to Earth, Goku had had periods of quietness. After Vegeta was taken away, it became even worse. Though he was usually quite cheerful, occasionally he became sullen. And more and more his cheerful attitude became a cover for more disturbing thoughts.

But what he thought about, no one knew. Perhaps he was worried for the fate of the planet, perhaps for his family. Maybe he was thinking of ways to quickly end the war, planning to take down the Tik emperor, Hui, by himself.

At night, he could sometimes be seen staring up at the stars. Searching.

He never told what he was looking for. Some thought it was Vegeta. Whether the earth-raised saiyan simply missed his friend, or whether he felt in some way guilty for his arrest was unclear. Goku never said.

However, some of the Z fighters were beginning to think that maybe, just maybe, he was looking for Hui.

* * *

The Krimzon had succeeded in a few days where Bulma had failed for twelve years.

Vegeta was currently sitting, staring into the face of a psychiatrist. It was the third one he'd seen in the past few days.

The alien, a chubby blue man with a monocle, whose name Vegeta had declined to learn, glanced down at his clip board before looking back through the vid screen to his patient.

"So…you and your fellow saiyan were turned into a piece of candy…" The blue man repeated, trying for the world to sound as if he believed him.

"Yep." Vegeta said, trying to stop a vicious smirk from forming.

"And were eaten…after which time you…" The man glanced up at Vegeta.

"De-fused." Vegeta supplied with a serious look.

"Mmhm." The blue man scribbled something on his paper. "Then you both wandered through the insides of the bubble-gum creature before reaching his cob-web filled brain."

"That's right."

The man shifted his monocle. "Mr. Vegeta, do you have any…friends…that other people can't see?"

It was becoming ever more difficult to keep a straight face. "I wouldn't call them friends really, but I've occasionally had conversations with the Kais."

"Oh?" The blue man continued writing. "And what do they say to you?"

Vegeta thought. "Not much. I think the Old Kai called me a hot head once."

"And how did that make you feel?"

Vegeta choked, but recovered quickly. "Well our planet had just been destroyed, and the bubble-gum creature was still trying to kill us, so I didn't really care."

"When you say your planet, you mean your home planet?"

"Yes."

"Vegetasei?"

Vegeta paused, somewhat surprised with himself. "No. I meant Earth."

"The Earth that you've been living on?"

"Yes."

"I see." Something beeped, and the blue man looked down. "Well our time is up for today. I will be speaking with you again in a few days." The man smiled in a friendly way. "We had a good session today. I thank you for sharing."

Vegeta just grunted, suddenly much more sober than he'd been before. Since when had Earth replaced Vegetasei as his home planet?

He lay down on his back and put his arms behind his head. Though he could give himself some momentary amusement by tormenting his captors, he couldn't fool himself. He missed his family and his home. He even missed Bulma's annoying friends. They had had somehow wormed themselves into his frozen heart, and although he'd never say it to any of their faces, they were the closest he'd gotten to calling someone a friend since…since Raditz died?...had he considered Raditz a friend? Had he even known what a friend was back then? Sure Raditz undying loyalty had been nice. His stories about Vegetasei had given Vegeta a form of peace in his life. His crude jokes had been funny. The way he'd understood everything that Vegeta was going through because…well because he was living it too…that had been somewhat of a weight off his shoulders.

He thought about it. With Raditz, Vegeta could say the most vile hurtful and insulting things he could come up with, and Raditz always saw straight past the words to what he actually meant. It was something similar to what Kakarott did, though Raditz hadn't been nearly as sentimental or good-hearted as his brother.

Still, the similarity between the two brothers occasionally surprised Vegeta. There were even times when Kakarott would say something or would laugh and Vegeta would swear that it had actually been Raditz.

But, he was probably just imagining things. He'd taken Raditz for granted…Nappa too, but that was a different story. He was probably just imagining similarities where none existed.

Vegeta shook his head.

With the Earthlings it was different. Vegeta was expected to behave in a way that he never had before. He was expected to butter everything up. To be nice. To say what he was thinking and what he felt, but not if it could hurt anyone's feelings. He'd gone from silent camaraderie developed from a need to survive and stay sane long enough to avenge his people to a cesspool of saps.

And somehow, he'd grown to like them.

But that didn't matter much anymore. There were too many uncertainties in the future for him to bank on seeing anyone again—he'd seen too much to hope anymore.

As much as he fought it, the reality was beginning to sink in. His past was coming back to get him. He found himself always exhausted, but never able to sleep due to the nightmares that had returned full force. Memories that he'd worked for years to block out were now suddenly being pulled to the forefront of his mind, and there was little he could do about it. He certainly wouldn't talk about them to his psychologists after all.

He'd begun avoiding looking in the mirror. He could already see how he was growing pale. How his clothes now fit him I bit more loosely than they had a week before. How his eyes were sporting dark bags due to his inability to sleep well. He didn't want to admit it, but it wasn't only the past that plagued him. He was afraid of the future. There was a part of him that found peace in the fact that he had finally stopped hiding—that he'd taken what he'd deserved with honor. That same part wondered if what he was doing would stop the nightmares and give him a sort of closure. However there was another, much stronger part that was screaming at him for making one of the worst decisions of his life.

He'd tried to get the Ki collar off a few days ago—just to see if he could. He hadn't even come close to breaking it. And that had more than unnerved him.

It had been reassuring for him at first to believe that, if he so chose, he could escape whenever he wanted. But now he wasn't so sure that he could. He wasn't used to doing anything without Ki.

And then there was Kuro Kon.

If he had known just how much influence Kuro Kon would grow to have he may have thought twice out of humiliating him. Vegeta crossed his arms behind his head. On second thought, he probably wouldn't have. He had a habit of making enemies of the worst people imaginable. Might as well be the future leader of one of the most powerful forces in the universe.

He smirked. He could see Kuro's face now. Darkened from its usual already dark shade to be positively black. So angry that it appeared that his horns may shoot right off his bald, scaly head.

The sound of the vid screen flickering on caught his attention and he lazily turned his head to see who was bothering him now. To his surprise—and slight amusement—he found himself to be staring at the face he'd just been imagining.

"Well if it isn't Prince Vegeta." The Commander in Chief of the Galaxy Police said with a malicious smirk tugging at his lips.

Vegeta raised an eyebrow, his morose mood dissipating. This could be fun. "Yeah, that's me. Do I know you?" He asked seriously.

Kuro's expression quickly changed from gloating to enraged. "I'm Kuro Kon, Commander in Chief of the Galaxy Police."

"Kuro Kon." Vegeta repeated the name a few times as if in deep thought. "It seems as though I've heard that name before. Hmmm…" He scratched his temple for good measure. "Oh yeah. Weren't you a famous exotic dancer or something?"

Kuro's face darkened momentarily before it suddenly became calm and collected. He chuckled. "You always were a funny little guy."

Vegeta scowled. Sure Kuro was about eight feet tall, but it wasn't as though Vegeta was _that_ small. And where do people get off calling him funny?

"You remember me perfectly." Kuro said. "You told my secretaries..."

"Oh." Vegeta said, as if he suddenly remembered. "About that scar. Yeah, I remember you. I hope the burn wasn't too deep." His voice was laced with fake concern. "You can still sit down right?"

Kuro chuckled again. "I told you I'd catch you one day."

"And I told you you'd never forget me." Vegeta countered. "Sounds like we were both right."

Kuro's smirk faltered before he fixed it back in place.

"Was there something you wanted?" Vegeta asked.

"No. I was just calling to gloat."

"Sounds like being the Chief of the Galaxy Police keeps you pretty busy." Vegeta said sarcastically.

Kuro shrugged. "Not really. I have secretaries and the like to do things for me. I can stay and chat with you all day."

"Aren't I lucky."

Kuro's smirk widened, but suddenly a voice off-screen was heard. Kuro turned his head away, and out of boredom, Vegeta strained his ears to listen. Unfortunately, he couldn't make out what was said, but a moment later, Kuro turned back to the screen. "Sorry, but I'm late for a golf match in my office."

Vegeta rolled his eyes at the blatant lie. A moment later, the screen disappeared and Vegeta was left back with his thoughts.

* * *

Piccolo's ears twitched. "Something's beeping." He announced.

Bulma turned to look curiously at him. Since Vegeta's arrest, she had grown pale. Dark circles were evident under her eyes. It was clear that she did not sleep well. She apparently didn't eat very well either. Although her initial shock had given way to grief, after the first week or so, her grief had given way to anger.

How dare Vegeta pull such a stunt and not at least give her a warning?

And how hadn't she noticed? He'd been unusually attentive to her and Trunks. He hadn't even complained when Goten had come over to train with them. How could she not have gotten even a little suspicious when he willingly volunteered to help her in the lab? And how had she missed the obvious information passed between Vegeta and the Krimzon Empress during that vid chat. Having the memory that she had, she clearly recalled the conversation. Kurenai had asked him if he was prepared for the consequences if the Galaxy Police chief found out about his whereabouts…but how could he not find out when Vegeta himself had called the Galaxy Police and even dropped the chief's name.

Had the man wanted to be arrested?

While Bulma had accepted the Krimzon aid with little question—she was emotionally preoccupied with Vegeta's arrest and Trunks' odd behavior, and then mentally preoccupied with both running Capsule Corp and adapting and reproducing Krimzon technology—others were not so accepting.

Trunks was outright hostile to the Krimzon, and as he had already on numerous occasions taken advantage of the little scientist's existing fear of earthlings and saiyans, he was more and more being kept away from Capsule Corp during the day.

Piccolo, himself, was wary of them. Though he'd stopped stalking them all days ago, even now, when he wasn't practicing with the Tik weapons, he often had one of the Krimzon officers in his sights. So far, they had been nothing if not professional and helpful. At the moment, the technician was helping Bulma to adapt plans for a radar that would detect incoming space ships. It was proving to be quite a difficult task, and one that required a lot of innovation and creativity. The Earth didn't possess the main energy source that went into powering most of the Krimzon's technology. And Bulma was still learning many of the techniques that went into making Krimzon technology. As she was a genius though, she was quickly becoming proficient at it.

The Krimzon had brought with them a treasure trove of information. Piccolo had been present when Shiro had pulled out scroll after scroll of blueprints for space-capable fighter jets, rockets, radars, weapons, regen tanks, and a number of other useful items. Bulma had nearly been overwhelmed. In her excitement at seeing the amazing technological prowess of the distant empire, Piccolo could have sworn that she whispered "thank you, Hun" to some spot on the ceiling.

"Beeping?" Bulma asked, pulling Piccolo out of his thoughts.

Piccolo nodded.

"I don't hear anything."

Shiro looked up. Apparently, his hearing was of a level somewhat near Piccolo's, for his ears twitched as well. "It sounds like a scouter." He said somewhat nervously before turning back to the computer chip he was examining.

"A scouter?" Bulma asked, looking confused. After a moment, though, recognition seemed to dawn on her face, and she ran out of the room. She knew exactly where it would be.

She hurried down the hall and into the family room. Sure enough, the moment she entered, she heard the beeping as well. She snatched the scouter off the table and turned it on. "Hello? Vegeta?"

"Uhh. No." It was Tarble's voice that answered.

Bulma felt herself deflate.

"It's…it's true then?" Tarble asked. "It's all over the news. Has he really been…?"

Bulma swallowed. "Yes. Do you…have you heard anything?"

She heard him sigh. The feeling of dread was heavy in her stomach, and she dropped weakly onto the sofa. Bright sunlight streamed through the windows causing the weather to look deceptively warm. She wondered briefly if a walk outside in the snow might cheer her up a bit, but then threw the thought away. She didn't have time.

"All I know is that he's being transported now. What ship or where he is hasn't been announced. It's very high security. They're afraid of him, I think, and afraid that someone might try to break him out."

"What…what will they do to him?" Her eye strayed to the side table where a picture frame was still resting face-down where she'd left it a few nights ago.

"They'll put him on trial in front of the whole tribunal. It'll be taken to the highest court." While Tarble's tone seemed to suggest that that wasn't necessarily a good thing, Bulma was somewhat relieved that he would at least get a trial.

"Do you think he'll get convicted?"

His silence said it all. Nonetheless after a few seconds, he did start speaking. "He was known as one of the worst terrors of the universe. Even I was afraid of him." The second, honest statement hurt Bulma's heart far more than the first one. "It doesn't help that he's made an enemy of the chief of the GP. But…but perhaps Kurenai could help." He didn't sound very assured of the validity of his statement, but it was the only hope they had at the moment.

Bulma finally picked up the picture frame and looked at it. She smiled a little sadly at the familiar cocky smirk that greeted her.

_You bastard_. She thought. _You'd better get yourself out of this_.

* * *

A/N: I hope you enjoyed it! I know that not too much exciting stuff happened in this chapter, but it was important nonetheless for setting up future events.

Thank you all who are continuing to follow this story, and thanks a bunch to those of you who reviewed! I really appreciate your input and support!


	10. Kuro to Kurenai no Jimu

Chapter 10-Kuro to Kurenai no Jimu

Goku awoke at 5am, stretched, and then quietly slipped out of bed. Out of habit, he tiptoed across the room, pulled on his gi and then padded downstairs. It wasn't until after he'd opened the front door that he realized what he'd been doing.

He simply stared outside for a moment, surprised at his own forgetfulness, before slowly easing the door closed again. With the armload of fruit and snacks that he'd snatched from the cabinet a few moments before, he walked back to the kitchen table and sat down.

Hardly noticing what he was doing, he began eating his early morning snack. His bright black eyes seemed dull as he stared out the window pensively.

"Goku?"

He blinked and turned to see his wife standing in the doorway. "'Morning Chichi."

Though he wore a smile, she could tell that it was only half hearted. And she knew why, as well. She glanced at the calendar on the wall. It was the first Saturday of the month—Goku and Vegeta's usual sparring day.

She had never really liked the other saiyan much, but a part of her knew that having a sparring partner that could continue to give her husband a challenge had taken some of the restlessness out of Goku. She sometimes wondered if, were it not for these Saturday sparring sessions, Goku would disappear a lot more. It was because of that concern that she tolerated the constant broken bones and bruises, the ruined clothes and bad example he set for the boys.

She came closer and wrapped her arms around his shoulders dropping her face into his permanently messy hair. "It's early, Goku. Why don't you go back to bed?"

"Nah." He said, slowly peeling another banana.

She frowned. He was even eating sadly.

His pain would pass, she knew. She'd seen him like this before when his friends died, and he always cheered up again after a few days. She still hated to see him so sad though.

There was something else that was worrying her as well. He was growing restless.

She kissed the top of his head and felt him brighten a bit. "Breakfast won't be ready for at least an hour." She told him. One of the disadvantages of having a family of saiyans was that it took a long time to cook for them.

He nodded. "That's fine."

She frowned. "Do you want to talk?"

He shook his head. "There's nothing to talk about, Chi. I'm fine. I just forgot. Y'know?"

She nodded and tightened her arms around him. "Things will turn out alright." She promised. "They always do."

Though she couldn't see it, she could tell that she'd made him smile—if only slightly.

Trying to think of something that would cheer him up, she let go and walked over to the fridge.

"Oh, Songoku?"

"Yea, Chichi?" She could feel his eyes on her back.

"Trunks is coming over later, and with what we've got now, I don't think I can feed you all. Would you mind getting some fish?"

"Sure!" He said cheerfully. She sighed in relief. "I'll take the boys too." She frowned. She knew that unless he smelled a hot breakfast cooking, Goten wouldn't wake up until at least 9. That potentially left her with over three hours of keeping Goku cheerful. She couldn't have him just sitting at the table brooding after all. The last time he'd done that, he'd somehow come to the conclusion that the world would be safer if he were dead. She wouldn't let that happen again. And she wouldn't let Goku decide that he should handle this whole dispute on his own, or get excited about the prospect of fighting the emperor of the terrible army that had been attacking them—an even more likely scenario. No, he needed to stay right here, on Earth. There were plenty of powerful warriors in the universe. Let one of them handle things for a change.

"Well you won't just sit at that table brooding all morning, Songoku." Before she realized it, she'd rounded on him with her hands on her hips.

He blinked at her in surprise. "Huh?"

She floundered for a moment. She couldn't possibly tell him everything that she'd been thinking. She may put ideas into his head, and that would do more harm than good. No, she had to come up with something fast. "Since you're not doing anything, you'll help me cook breakfast. It's about time you learned."

"Awww, but Chichi!" He whined. "We've tried this before. I'm no good at cooking."

"You do well enough with a fire and a spit." She told him. "You can learn to use the stove and oven. Go get some flower. You'll make the pancakes."

With a pitiful look that was a clear cry for mercy, he dragged himself out of his chair and over to the cabinet.

Chichi turned away, grabbing a pan out of the lower cabinet and putting it on the stove. As she reached for the bowl of eggs, she was acutely aware of the pathetic look that her husband was sending her way. She began cracking eggs and dropping them into the pan. Pretending to be looking for salt, she quickly cast a glance over her shoulder at him.

He must have seen her turning around, for his eyes had become huge and watery, and his lower lip was sticking out in a child-like pout. She quickly turned back around, swallowing a chuckle.

She cleared her throat in an attempt to keep her amusement out of her voice. "Don't just stand there." She told him. "Go get the recipe book, and get to work."

She could hear his feet dragging as he slowly shuffled across the floor to do as he was told. She didn't look at him, but she knew that he was still staring at her with those silly puppy-dog eyes and that ridiculous lip hanging almost to the floor. She rolled her eyes. How she loved that man.

* * *

Vegeta was lightly dozing when the vid screen flickered on again. He sighed lightly in annoyance, not even looking over to see what psychologist or Krimzon/GP officer wanted to bother him now. He was tired of talking to them, and was tired of those damned vid screens.

"Prince Vegeta."

That was one of the last voices he'd expected to hear.

He blinked and turned his head to look at the person who'd addressed him. "Kurenai."

She looked displeased. "Vegeta, I took the time and effort to find psychologists to help you and here I find that you're playing games with them. Bubble gum creatures? Honestly. You're behaving like a child." She narrowed her eyes in a way that demanded an explanation.

He folded his arms behind his head. "That was supposed to be confidential."

She cocked her eyebrow. "I'm the empress." She said flatly. "And I don't appreciate you wasting my peoples' time and resources like this."

"Why do you care?" He asked. He was honestly quite curious. Her debt had already been repaid. She owed him nothing. Why was she even wasting her time talking to him? Did no one in the entire Krimzon-GP conglomerate have any work to do?

She would not let herself lose the high ground so easily. She was the empress. She was in control. "Stand up and let me look at you."

"Why?"

Oh, was the boy ever frustrating!

"So I can see if my people are feeding you right."

Apparently satisfied with her response—a blatant lie—he stood. "They're feeding me nothing but banana-flavored stuff…as a joke." He said. He was so tired of everything tasting like banana. Damn that mutt!

"Hm." Was all she said.

Vegeta cocked an eyebrow at her. He was beginning to get suspicious, but he wasn't sure why. "Was there a particular reason you called?" Vegeta asked studying her face carefully.

Though he tried to hide it, Kurenai could tell that he was burning with curiosity.

"I want to know what you've done to Kuro Kon to make him hate you." The question had been eating at her, and that had only gotten worse after a rather frustrating conversation with Kuro earlier that day. "I hear a scar is involved."

He tried to look innocent, but failed miserably.

"Explain."

"Why?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Why not? I hear that it's a V-shaped scar is on his buttock? Is it something you're ashamed of? A love affair gone wrong?" She didn't believe that for one minute, but she had to think of some way to get him to tell her.

He chuckled and rolled his eyes before dropping back onto his bed.

"We ran into each other on Trinuto back when he was just a sergeant. He thought he'd arrest me…and Raditz and Nappa too." He seemed amused by the mere idea. "So we split up, and let him and his little squadron chase us around a bit. He went after me, naturally. I got him alone in a warehouse, and thought I'd…" He paused trying to think of a more delicate synonym for 'beat the shit out of' "…mess him around a little bit. He got mad and said that one day he'd catch me and lock me up in the deepest darkest cell he could find and then forget about me. So I told him that even if he did manage to catch me one day, he could lock me up where he wanted, but he would never forget me."

"So you carved a V in his ass." She said flatly. This would be such great blackmail.

"Yes."

"I see."

"Is that all you wanted to know?" He asked cocking an eyebrow.

"For now, yes. I'll leave you to your nap. Oh, and Vegeta, do be serious with the psychologists. Your sentence will depend on your sanity." With that, she cut the link, leaving a very befuddled saiyan staring at the blank wall.

* * *

"Mmm, something smells good!"

Chichi turned at the voice, just in time to see a black blur. By the time she finished turning, Goten was perfectly installed in his chair, reaching for food. "Morning, mom. Morning, dad." He said before beginning to shove things in his mouth. His parents both greeted him, though his dad's voice sounded somewhat off. Goten shrugged the fact away. "Gohan's not up yet?" He asked around his food.

"No. It's only 7, Goten." Chichi told him. She caught another glance at the watery pout her husband had been fixing her with all morning. "Oh, fine, Goku. Go eat."

"Yay!" His face was instantly fixed into his customary grin and he hopped over to the table.

Chichi followed with a plateful of sausage and calmly sat down.

"What are these?" Goten asked, making to grab for the blackened pancakes.

"They're pancakes, dear. Your father worked very hard on them."

"Oh dad made those?" That would explain why he was covered in flower. Goten's hand subtly veered off course, and he grabbed a muffin instead.

Chichi saw Goku's pout start to return and she pulled one of his pancakes into her plate. She saw him brighten and begin casting her furtive, nervous looks, all while shoveling food into his mouth. Goten glanced between his parents, wondering what was going on.

Chichi calmly cut a piece of pancake and took a bite. Goku's nervous glances increased in frequency, and she was somewhat amused to realize that he really cared whether or not his food was good.

She smiled. There was a distinct hint of a burnt flavor, but to her surprise, he had gotten the recipe mostly right. "They're very good Goku. We'll maybe put the stove a little lower next time, but you really improved."

He grinned and reached for one himself. Now that he was certain that they weren't terrible, he wasn't opposed to eating one. He wrinkled his nose a bit at the burnt flavor, but then smiled proudly at the fact that they were at least edible.

Chichi put one into Goten's plate as well, with a silent order to at least try it. The nine year old stared a little uncertainly at the pancake before picking it up and taking out a huge bite.

"Hmm…Not bad. A little butter and syrup and they're alright." He reached for a sausage and tore into it. "Mom, these sausages are great."

Chichi smiled and looked to Goku, who was positively beaming. "Your father made them."

Goten blinked. "You're kidding."

"No. The first batch was ruined, but we got it right the second time."

Goten's chewing slowed. "But…you helped, right?"

"A little." She glanced at Goku, who was happily shoving food into his mouth. His earlier sadness was apparently forgotten.

_Perfect._

She smiled and went back to calmly eating her breakfast.

* * *

"Sir, I'm sorry, but Empress Kurenai is a very busy person and she does not accept visitors without an official invitation."

"But please, ma'am. It's really very important."

"I'm sorry, but the answer is still no."

He stared crestfallen at her. After hurrying all the way here, he was going to be turned away just like that? No, of course not. His father would turn in his grave. Not to mention his brother. He owed him after all.

No, this was too important to give up.

"Fine, I tried to play nice." He mumbled. "Let's try something else." He pulled himself up to his full height, which by all means wasn't very intimidating. However, flaring out his aura enough to disturb every stack of papers on every desk in the office was enough to get him the attention he wanted. The last, dramatic act was to unfurl his tail from his waist and to let it lash about behind him angrily. "I am a Saiyan Prince of Vegetasei and I _demand_ to talk to Empress Kurenai." He narrowed his eyes. "Now! Before I get angry."

The woman before him took one look at his tail and hurriedly picked up her phone.

"I advise you against calling security." He looked around at everyone else to make sure they understood as well and then fixed the woman before him with the most threatening glare he could muster. He had never been very good at intimidating people, but sometimes the Saiyans' reputation carried a lot more weight than he did.

"M…Midori…there's a man here. A Saiyan prince, he calls himself. He's demanding to speak to Kurenai…" The woman went pale. "I know but…please…please ask her to do something…" The woman's voice was shaking, and he suddenly felt bad for frightening her so much. He glanced down at his companion with a questioning look as if asking if he should end the charade. She lent him a supportive smile. He fixed his glare back in place and turned menacingly back to the woman before him.

"Umm…sir…w-what was your name again?"

"Tarble. Prince Tarble of Vegetasei."

While the woman was relaying the information, Tarble looked down at Gure and whispered. "Wasn't that cool?"

She giggled. "Very impressive."

* * *

"Mom!" Bulma sighed loudly as her hand slipped, causing her to ruin the computer chip she'd been working on. Her son burst into the lab, his speed causing papers to fly off the table.

Shiro—still nervous around human and saiyan alike—squeaked at the sudden appearance of the demi-saiyan and quickly ducked behind the Tik ship he was trying to reprogram.

Bulma glanced at her watch. It was nearly 10am. Trunks was supposed to be at the Son house already.

"Trunks—"

"Mom, dad's on tv!"

Bulma snapped her mouth shut and then opened it again. "On…tv?"

"Yeah!" He grabbed her arm a little more roughly than he should have and started tugging her along.

"Ouch, Trunks!" He let her go with a suddenly worried look. She waved his concern away. "I'm coming. I'm coming."

"Sorry mom!" He said, and then began leading her at a quickened pace down the hall.

"What do you mean on tv?" Bulma asked.

"Umm…well Shiro watches soap operas and stuff, and so he hooked his tv up to catch intergalactic tv channels."

"Why didn't you tell me?" She thought for a moment. "And how did you know this? You haven't said a civil word to Shiro since he's been here."

"Well…" Trunks ducked his head. "I dunno."

"And what were you doing in Shiro's room, young man?" Bulma asked sternly.

"Uhh…" Trunks looked away.

"You haven't been spying on him, have you?" She'd caught him there. She could tell by the nervous way he swallowed.

"No! Of course not!" He defended. "I just…I…uhhh…"

Trunks was saved by them reaching the guest room that Shiro was currently occupying.

Bulma frowned, but she didn't comment on her son's obvious invasion of their guest's privacy. The moment they entered the room, her eyes locked onto the tv where an image of Vegeta—one from his younger days as Frieza's soldier—was displayed. Several news hosts were debating his character, and discussing his actions under Frieza. The image changed to be replaced by one of a man who looked remarkably like her husband but with brown hair and a beard. To his left was a beautiful, if petite, woman with jet black hair. A young boy was standing to the right of the man dressed in full saiyan armor.

The caption below read…

"Trunks, record this!"

He was apparently surprised by the request but quickly did as he was told.

As Trunks fumbled around to find the remote, a watery smile crept onto Bulma's face. "Oh wasn't he cute!" She felt her chest constricting, but it was such a bittersweet moment that she didn't know whether to laugh at the picture or cry about the reminder of all that had happened.

"Huh? Who?" Trunks finally pressed the button.

"Look, Trunks. That's your father."

"No it's not. Look, he's got the wrong color hair."

"No. The little boy. That's your father as a boy!" Her mind was already running through what steps would have to be taken to print that image and frame it, but she stopped and focused intently on the television when she heard the word "trial."

"Turn it up Trunks." She said somewhat dazedly as she walked closer to the tv.

"_Our reports have confirmed that he is currently en route to Planet Iro where he will stand trial for manslaughter, genocide, crimes against humanity, conspiracy…"_ As the reporter continued to tick off the charges against her husband, Trunks turned and looked at her in confusion.

"Mom, what are they talking about?"

Bulma hesitated.

"I thought dad was a prince, mom. He couldn't have done any of that. He's a good guy. He saved the universe."

She swallowed. She didn't know what to say to that. As her brain raced to find an answer, a sudden announcement by the news caster jarred her thoughts to a stop.

"_The trial is scheduled to begin Getsuyoobi, the 18__th__ of Rokugetsu." _

A second news caster spoke up. _"Why, that's a week from today."_

"Getsuyoobi…" Bulma repeated. "Getsuyoobi the 18th of Rokugestu."

"Mom? What's that mean?"

"I…I'm not sure." She said. "I think it's a date. Other planets must have different names for their months and days than we do."

"Oh."

"We'll ask Shiro later, just to be sure."

* * *

Tarble and Gure were led down a hall and to a large, ornately carved door.

"I'll wait out here." Gure said, giving Tarble's hand a comforting squeeze. Tarble squeezed it back and nodded. He was clearly nervous. "It will be ok." Gure assured him

He nodded again and then slipped through the door. He glanced once at the young woman standing to the right of the door. If he recalled correctly, the woman was Kurenai's right hand, Midori.

He turned to look at the rest of the room. He found himself in a large semispherical chamber. It was somewhat dark, despite the fact that there were windows covering most of the walls.

Across the room, a small, wrinkled woman stood patiently, with her hands loosely clasped behind her back. "Prince Tarble is it?" The woman said. Despite the distance that separated them, he could hear her clearly. "I remember you."

"Yes, ma'am we crossed about a year ago."

"Such manners. Nothing like your brother. I had no idea that I would be seeing both of King Vegeta's sons in the same day. What a nice surprise. I suppose I'm not mistaken in thinking that you've come here because of Vegeta."

"I…yes." He couldn't manage to raise his eyes to look at her. Instead, he stared at the floor, which was oddly enough, glowing a faint green around his feet.

"What exactly was so important to tell me that you felt the need to scare my secretaries half to death?"

"I…uhh…" He suddenly felt a bit bashful. The glowing floor changed color slightly. "I'm terribly sorry about that. I just wanted to talk to you. You see…umm…"

"Well?"

How would he go about this? He hadn't actually prepared anything to say. He supposed that he should just jump right into it. "Vegeta doesn't deserve to be sent to prison for the rest of his life."

"Oh? And what makes you think that that will be his sentence."

Tarble shrunk a bit. "Well, I've heard of the things he's done."

"So you admit he did what he's accused of, but you think he doesn't deserve punishment."

"No! He…he was forced to do all those things. He never had a choice not to! It isn't fair! He's suffered enough already by having to live through all that! You…you can't make him suffer more for it. It…it's not right! He's different now. He's calm and…" Well, not really gentle. "not…_that…_violent. He…he's got a family! A wife and a son. And he's finally found happiness. You…you just can't take it all away again! You…can't" The last part trailed off into a shaky whisper, and he stopped and just stared expectantly at Kurenai.

"Well I do thank you for coming here to talk to me. You've cleared up a few questions I've had with regards to your brother. Unfortunately, I've already got plans for him, and I can't be convinced to change them."

"But…" Tarble could feel his eyes watering a bit. He wasn't used to such disappointment. He had been so sure that once the facts had been laid out, Kurenai would see what a mistake she was making.

"Don't worry young prince." Kurenai said staring at Tarble's feet rather than his face.

Tarble looked at them as well. The floor was now glowing a deep blue, nearly black.

"It's not as bad as you think." Kurenai said. "Now if you will, I'm a very busy person. We'll just forget that this ever happened, and I won't mention it to security."

"I…" His throat caught, and he felt it constricting in despair. But there was nothing to be done. "Yes ma'am."

He nodded politely to her, turned and left.

* * *

"Saiyan!" Vegeta sighed loudly. For being in solitary confinement, he sure was sick of all the company he was getting.

"Yes, Kuro?" He asked, with the most bored tone he could muster.

"Stand up."

"Why?"

"So I can look at you."

An odd feeling of déjà vu passed over him. Hadn't Kurenai told him the exact same thing? "So you can see if they're feeding me properly?" He asked.

"What? What do I care if they're feeding you bananas all day?"

So he knew about that. Vegeta scowled. "No."

"What?"

"No, I'm not standing." He clarified. "I'm good right where I am." He lazily rolled his eyes to the screen to see the flustered chief staring at him with a look of undisguised hatred.

Vegeta blinked. What on earth had happened to the gloating, self-righteous Kuro that he'd talked to a few days ago?

"Fine, stay there." He mumbled something about lazy monkeys, before abruptly changing the subject. "Tell me. What role did you play in Frieza's destruction? Was it you who killed him?"

Vegeta blinked in surprise, before gritting his teeth. "No, I didn't kill him."

"But you know who did." It was a statement.

Vegeta nodded.

"Who?"

"I can't tell you that." Vegeta said.

Kuro narrowed his eyes. "Was it a saiyan?"

Vegeta hesitated. "Yes, I suppose it was. But don't ask me his name, because I won't give it to you."

Kuro seemed displeased with that, but surprisingly let the subject drop. "How long did you play traitor to Frieza?" The question was so sudden and filled with so much malice that it caused Vegeta to sit up. He narrowed his eyes and stared at Kuro Kon suspiciously. The way he said it, it sounded as though he wished that Vegeta hadn't betrayed Frieza. Vegeta suddenly felt nervous. Having his ki bound bothered him, but not nearly as much as it was bothering him now.

"Why?" Vegeta asked. "Were you secretly loyal to him? Accepting bribes and such?"

Kuro scoffed. "Of course not. I'm trying to ascertain where your loyalties lie."

"To myself, obviously."

"Were you ever loyal to Frieza?"

Vegeta thought for a moment. "No."

"Why not?"

He blinked. "Why would I be? He killed my father and destroyed Vegetasei. I stayed within his ranks because I knew he'd hunt me down and kill me if I left. Plus I had nowhere to go. And also, it was much easier to keep tabs on his power and the strength of his army if I was _in_ the army." He paused. "Is that all you wanted to know?"

"No." Kuro said. "What is your history with Kurenai? Why is she so eager to help you?"

Vegeta cocked his head. He would hardly call sending a few soldiers to Earth being _eager_ to help him. "I saved her life."

Kuro looked honestly surprised. "Wh..when?" He stuttered. "How?"

Vegeta wrinkled his nose. The man sure was nosy, wasn't he? Vegeta wanted to clam up and not say anything, but there was something inside of him that was telling him that it was very important for Kuro to have answers to all of his questions. "I don't really remember when. I was probably around ten. Maybe twelve. I was sent with a small squadron to purge a planet—the name of the planet escapes me. Kurenai was there at the time on a diplomatic mission or something. Frieza hadn't known she was there, but she was one of his main targets and all of his soldiers knew to kill her on sight. He was afraid of the Krimzon, much like he was afraid of the saiyans." Vegeta's eyes glazed over slightly as he dredged the memory out of the darkest depths of his mind. It was one of his few shining moments, but it was surrounded by so much death and destruction, that he preferred to keep it repressed. "She'd been in the capital at the time of the purge. One of the soldiers recognized her and reported it over the scouter link. She'd escaped the explosion of the city, but I think she was too weak to defend herself. The soldier had pursued her into a forest. I tracked them down, killed the soldier and helped her escape. I got there just in time."

"Why?"

The question caused Vegeta to tense slightly. He'd almost forgotten that Kuro was still there watching him. "I told you. Frieza was afraid of her power. He thought she could defeat him one day. So did I."

Kuro stared at the man before him. Vegeta met his eyes daringly.

Kuro was the first to break eye contact. His gaze darkened and he looked away from the screen. Vegeta couldn't tell what the man was thinking. If only he'd look his way. Then he'd have some clue. Kuro didn't look back however. Without warning, and without a word, he cut the connection, leaving Vegeta alone again in his little cell with nothing but his confused thoughts to entertain him.

* * *

A/N: I hope you enjoyed that. Thanks to all of you who have been keeping up with the story and, also thanks a bunch to all of you who reviewed. Your opinions and input are always appreciated, and I do take your tips into account when writing my chapters. Thanks a bunch!

A few translations:

Getsuyoobi-Monday (Japanese)

Rokugetsu- June; literally 6th month (Japanese)

jimu- business; work; duty; affair (Japanese)

Kuro to Kurenai no Jimu—The black and crimson affair; or Kuro and Kurenai's affair/business.


	11. Trial by Fire

Warning: Some mentions of torture.

Chapter 11- Trial by Fire

It had happened suddenly. He'd spent his time, as usual, being pestered by psychologists, the occasional Krimzon or GP officer, and his lawyer. He'd had no way of keeping track of the time. No windows, no clock. It could have been days, it could have been months. Apparently, though, his time had run out.

He remembered it clearly. He'd been reluctantly talking to one of the psychologists, describing a punishment that he'd gotten once for sparing someone's life during one of his purges.

"_You said you were how old?" The man had asked him._

"_I was young. Very young. Perhaps 7 or 8 years old."_

"_And you said you saved a young woman and her child?"_

"_Yes. One of the other men sent on the purge had died. I gave her directions to his ship."_

_ The man's eyes narrowed. Vegeta wondered if he knew the story of his meeting with Kurenai._

_ "Why?" The man asked._

_ "Why?" Vegeta repeated as if surprised by the question._

_ "Why did you save them? Why only them?"_

_ "I think." He paused, hesitating. How he hated talking to this man. Dredging up all these forgotten memories that he'd never wanted to tell anyone. Even worse, the man's first question to him for this particular session had been. "Mr. Vegeta. Have you ever spared anyone during your purges?"_

_The answer, to the great surprise of the doctor, had been 'yes.' Though in all honesty, Vegeta had had a much larger propensity to spare people's lives when he'd been a child. Fighting had been fun, but the slaughtering, raping, and general savagery that been required of him under Frieza had not. _

_But, somewhere on his path to becoming a man he'd gotten twisted. His mercy had been beaten out of him. His heart had grown cold, and his sanity had slipped away._

He had hated the psychologists at first, hated talking to them, hated telling them anything even remotely personal or traumatizing. He'd hated the idea of admitting that he had been a victim, that he hadn't been strong enough to decide his own fate. Unfortunately, that was exactly what he had to do, if he wanted to get his sentence lightened. Though he didn't really care to examine how much an admission of inner turmoil could justify killing billions.

He'd been more than annoyed at people constantly coming to him asking him questions about his past. It was something that his arrogant, hot-headed persona had successfully discouraged for the past 12 or so years. And yet, here, on this ship he'd managed to open up to a complete stranger somehow. At least a little. Kurenai's odd message had something to do with that, he supposed.

It had actually been tolerable. Until today, he'd never been asked to talk about his parents, about his family on earth, or about Frieza's worst punishments. All that was about to change though.

_The doctor cleared his throat, reminding Vegeta that he was still waiting for an answer. _

_Vegeta sighed. He felt sweat bead his forehead, and, looking away from the doctor, he mumbled. "I think she reminded me of my mother." _

"_Of your mother?" The man repeated, writing something on his notepad. "What about her reminded you of your mother?"_

_Vegeta felt his muscles tense. He knew that if he'd had his tail, it would have bristled._

"_None of your business!" He snapped. "Ask something else!"_

_The doctor frowned. "One day, you will have to talk about this."_

"_It won't be today." Vegeta huffed, crossing his arms defensively._

_The other man frowned but acquiesced. "Fine. Did Frieza find out?"_

_Vegeta tensed again and hissed through gritted teeth. "Yes."_

"_And what was his reaction?"_

"_He was pissed."_

"_Can you be more descriptive?"_

"_No."_

_The doctor looked visibly annoyed, but quickly calmed himself. "Did he punish you?"_

"_Maybe."_

"_How?"_

_Vegeta didn't answer. _

_The doctor seemed to sense that whatever the punishment had been, it had been something very bad. Vegeta glanced over at the man only to realize that his reaction had somehow piqued his curiosity._

"_Do you remember the punishment?" The doctor asked._

_A way out! "No."_

"_Oh?" The doctor asked, raising his eyebrows innocently. "Is it possible that you have forgotten this particular instance because you were punished often?"_

_Vegeta narrowed his eyes. "Are we done yet?"_

"_I have all morning." The doctor said glancing away from the screen for a second. "But I'll make you a deal. If you tell me about this punishment—in detail—I won't ask you any more questions today." _

"_How much detail?" He asked guardedly._

"_That's up to you. Enough to accurately describe the event from your perspective."_

_Vegeta frowned, considering it. It would certainly be nice for this man to leave him alone. After a few minutes, he nodded, swallowing nervously. "He knew even before I made landfall at the base. As soon as I stepped out of my pod I was called to his office. I hadn't had time for a shower, or even to go to the med ward. He and his two…aides…"_

"_Aides?"_

"_Zarbon and Dodoria." He clarified, not meeting the man's eyes. "They called me dirty, commented on my odor. It was normal. They did it often. But then, Freiza told me that he knew. And what was worse, he couldn't find the woman or her child. Usually, in such cases, he would have them found and brought back. And I would have to finish the job. But he…couldn't find them."_

_Vegeta paused, and the doctor waited patiently for him to continue._

"_Freiza decided that Zarbon and Dodoria could have some fun with me. They were allowed to do whatever they wanted as long as I was still conscious by the end of it. I…" He took a deep breath. "I don't remember exactly what they did." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the doctor open his mouth. "It isn't relevant." Vegeta hurried to clarify, and then cringed at how shaky his voice had become. He swallowed. "That wasn't the punishment. It was just for entertainment."_

"_Entertainment?"_

_Vegeta nodded distractedly. _

"_Did that happen often?"_

_He nodded again, though it was clear that his mind was elsewhere._

_The doctor waited a few minutes, but soon it became clear that his patient would not speak. "Mr. Vegeta?"_

_Vegeta's eyes snapped to his, seeming somewhat dazed and haunted. His face was pale and the sweat was evident on his forehead. The doctor took all this in with surprise evident in his eyes. Never in his life had he anticipated that in agreeing to psychoanalyze this cold-hearted monster, he would find such a scarred traumatized soul. _

_An 8 year old who found it normal for some of the cruelest men in the universe to torture him, who was punished for showing mercy to two people; a man who was powerful enough to destroy entire planets, but who was terrified of speaking of his childhood—he'd rarely seen such a specimen._

"_If that wasn't the punishment…" He actually hesitated before asking. "What was?"_

_Vegeta shifted uncomfortably. "Frieza had a box. It was the size of a coffin." He paused again. "He kept snakes and large insects inside it. They weren't poisonous—at least not deadly. Sometimes you could get a bad infection, or they'd make you sick."_

_The psychologist shivered. His hand had frozen above the paper as he stared in surprised horror at the man in front of him._

"_The box was dark—pitch black. I guess it had air holes, because you could stay in for days without suffocating." He paused before adding. "It smelled terrible. And it was…dirty. Slimy."_

_He swallowed. "And how…how long were you…"_

"_On that occasion?" Vegeta thought for a moment. "Two, maybe three days."_

_The man could think of nothing to say to that. Nothing to ask. Years of training and experience had left him completely unprepared for the horrors that this man had had to endure…as a child even. He remained silent for a moment, trying to think of something to say._

_Before he could, however, the door to Vegeta's cell slid open._

_Both men were surprised. Vegeta, because this was the first time since he'd gotten there that the door had opened, and the psychologist because he had never been interrupted during a session._

_A haughty dark-furred wolf—from the planet Loup no doubt—strode into the middle of the room._

_Indignantly, the psychiatrist began stuttering. "E…Excuse me, but…"_

"_Sorry doc," The wolf-man cut him off. "We'll be landing soon." He sent a nasty smirk to Vegeta before adding. "We're taking your patient."

* * *

_

"Sure we can."

Piccolo sighed. "Goku, the universe doesn't work that way." He argued. "You can't just run to Otherworld to ask the Kais questions every time you can't handle something yourself."

Dende seemed to side with Goku, but he was hesitant to say so in front of Piccolo.

"I _can_ handle it, Piccolo." Goku said, pressing two fingers to his forehead. "I just need to know where to go…and what _it_ is exactly."

Piccolo's grabbed Goku's wrist and pulled his hand away from his forehead. "This is…wrong."

"Why?"

"I don't know. It just seems wrong."

"They helped us during the whole Majin Buu thing." Goku pointed out.

Dende nodded vigorously but didn't add anything.

"That was different."

"No it wasn't." Goku argued. He fought Piccolo's grip to bring his fingers back to his forehead. The moment they touched, the two flickered out of sight.

"Wait," Dende yelled, but it was too late. "for me…"

* * *

"Oh, wow look at this place!" Goku said, sticking his hands on his hips and surveying the scenery.

Piccolo's eyes bulged and he turned to Goku indignantly. "Goku! This is hallowed ground! We can't be here!"

"Of course we can. I've been here before."

"Goku!"

Goku turned with a broad smile. "Hi, Kibitoshin! It's good to see that your grass grew back."

Kibitoshin smiled, and laughed lightly. "Yes, the last time you were here, it was nothing but craters."

Piccolo's eyes got wider, and he turned to look at the Kai behind him.

Kibitoshin gave him a kind smile. "Hello Piccolo." He turned back to Goku. "What brings you here?"

Goku pressed two fingers together and leaned closer to Kibitoshin with a sly smile. "We kinda wanted a favor."

"Oh." Kibitoshin lowered his voice and looked around suspiciously. "Okay." He leaned closer as well. "We should move away from here before—"

"We can't help you!" A loud, nasally voice called.

Both Goku's and Kibitoshin's face fell and they turned to regard the new arrival.

Old Kai was stomping across the grass, a comic book in his hand, and grumbling about how he couldn't get a moment of peace with all these needy mortals. "Go back to your planet! It's bad enough I gave you my life. Now you want favors all the time."

Goku pouted. "This is the first time in two years that I've asked you anything."

The Kai came closer. "And you never paid me back for helping you before."

"Oh." Goku tapped his finger to his chin. "About that…"

Old Kai dismissed him and turned to a rather blue-faced Piccolo. "And who are you? You're not that young Namek from last time."

"Elder, this is Piccolo. He was…the former Kami of Earth before Dende." Kibitoshin explained. "Could we…" He gave a nervous chuckle at the glare that Old Kai sent him. "Could we at least listen to what they want before we say no?"

Old Kai frowned. "Young Kai, this is a highly inappropriate situation. Mortals should not have access to the land of the Kais, and the Kais are not responsible for every misfortune that befalls mortals. It is high time that you learn that the Kais do not intervene in mortal affairs unless there is a very serious problem."

"But there is!" Goku argued.

"Really?" Kibitoshin asked, wide-eyed.

"What problem?" Old Kai asked, narrowing his eyes at the tall saiyan.

"Well there's this emperor called Hui who is trying to take over the universe."

Kibitoshin's face fell and Old Kai rolled his eyes. "That's not our problem." Old Kai said, turning on his heel.

"What?" Goku was flabbergasted. "What do you mean? The…the universe…"

Kibitoshin hung his head regretfully. "What he means to say is that…this kind of event is normal. You mortals never seem to be able to coexist peacefully. For millennia there has always been some warlord or empire that is wreaking havoc on the universe or trying to take over. I'm sure you know of Frieza's story. Those warlords rarely threaten the existence of the universe itself, and so we don't intervene."

"But—"

"So go home!" Old Kai snapped. "Why are you so concerned now? That war has been going on for years. I suppose your own planet was attacked. Typical. Mortals are so selfish."

"I…uhh…" Goku frowned and glanced at Piccolo who sent an oddly embarrassed glance his way. "But you helped us with Buu." He argued.

"Majin Buu had the ability to destroy not only the mortal universe, but the afterlife as well. If Majin Buu had been allowed to succeed, everything as we know it would have ceased to exist." Kibitoshin said. "We had to intervene."

"So…" Piccolo spoke for the first time. "You're saying that Hui isn't as powerful as Majin Buu."

Kibitoshin tensed, but before he could speak Old Kai cut in. "No, we didn't say that. We're saying that he is incapable of destroying the otherworld."

Kibitoshin spoke. "Because he's incapable of reaching it."

"Hush, Young Kai." Old Kai snapped.

"He can't do instant transmission, you mean." Piccolo guessed. His suspicions were confirmed by Kibitoshin's brief, guarded nod. When Old Kai looked over, Kibitoshin quickly began studying a nearby tree.

"We can not help you." Old Kai repeated turning back to his guests. "To do so would be to disrupt the natural evolution of the universe. You mortals should learn how to work together. Instead of only looking out for yourselves all the time." He looked scornfully at Goku. "If you had stepped in at the beginning of this conflict you could have taken down the Tauran Empire easily. But no. You waited until it affected you."

Goku frowned again, opened his mouth to defend himself, and then snapped it shut again. It was rare that someone called him selfish. He'd always been treated as a martyr, a savior, a hero. He didn't know how to respond to this.

"Uhh…Elder, perhaps that is not fair." Kibitoshin said hesitantly upon seeing the hurt expression on Goku's face. "I mean Goku defeated Majin Buu after all."

"Not until Buu killed his own family. And you notice that instead of wishing back the other worlds that Buu destroyed, he wished away the earthlings' memories of the event so that he and his friends could live without being bothered." Old Kai turned his back on them. "That sounds selfish to me."

"Uh…" Kibitoshin looked between the two residents of earth and his elder. "But…I'm sure that Goku didn't know that there was a war going on in space."

"Because the earthlings choose to remain isolated."

"But…" Kibitoshin sighed. He was out of ideas.

Old Kai glanced over his shoulder. "Even if we felt like helping you, we couldn't. You saiyans destroyed every ancient artifact that we possessed. You'll have to do this yourself."

"But…" Kibitoshin argued. "Surely we can…at least…give them a little information."

"No."

Kibitoshin turned to the two visitors and sighed. "I'm sorry, Goku, Piccolo. But Elder Kai is right. We cannot make exceptions for even friends."

"But—" Goku started, but Piccolo put a hand on his shoulder.

"We understand." Piccolo said. He gave Goku a significant look.

Goku sighed. "Fine." He thought for a moment and then smirked slightly. "Bye guys." He said a little too cheerfully. "Thanks anyway." With that he flickered away.

The two Kais stared at each other a moment.

"He's still in otherworld." Kibitoshin commented after a second.

Old Kai frowned and went over to his crystal ball. "Ah, dammit! He's gone to North Kai!"

As Old Kai led off into a string of curses and insults—most of which would have probably gone right over Goku's head had he been there—Kibitoshin smiled slightly.

* * *

"Hi King Kai!" Goku greeted cheerfully.

"Goku!" The portly blue Kai greeted rising from the picnic table where he'd been sitting.

Suddenly another man appeared, seemingly out of the blue.

"Hi Pikkon!"

"Hello Goku. I thought I felt your presence in our realm" Pikkon looked at Piccolo. The two green men stared at each other guardedly and then raised matching, hairless eyebrows. "You're not dead again are you?" Pikkon asked, turning back to Goku.

Before Goku could answer King Kai snorted a chuckle. "Why did the dead man cross Snake Way?"

Matching sweat drops dripped down Goku's, Pikkon's and Piccolo's temples.

"To get to the Other Side." King Kai snorted again and fell off into a fit of laughter. "Get it? The 'other side.'"

"Umm yea." Goku said, glancing between Pikkon and Piccolo. "We're actually not dead. Hey you two look a lot alike. Are you related?"

Piccolo and Pikkon sweat-dropped again.

King Kai sobered and glanced above the two visitors' heads. Sure enough. No halos.

"So then why are you here?" Pikkon asked.

"Well uhh…" Goku rubbed the back of his head. "You see we're kinda having a problem."

"Oh?"

"The Earth was attacked by an empire."

"The Taurans?" King Kai asked.

"Uhh…yea. You know of them?"

"Everyone knows of them. Heh heh. What do you call a—"

"Uhh King Kai?" Goku interrupted him. "We don't really have much time. You see Vegeta was arrested and is going on trial tomorrow on some planet somewhere. And now there are soldiers from another empire—"

"The Krimzon?"

"…Yes." Goku said. "Have you been watching…?" He shook the question away. "Nevermind. Anyway, we would really like to know…uhh…where exactly the emperor of the Tauran Empire is."

"You mean Hui?"

"Yea. Can you tell us?"

King Kai stared off a bit. "Hmmm…no" He concluded. "I can't tell you where he is."

"Why not?" Goku pouted.

"Because I don't know. Hui is a very powerful sorcerer. He can mask his energy from even me. The supreme Kais could find him though. You could ask—"

"Eh heh." Goku tapped his fingers together in embarrassment. "We already did."

"And…?"

"It didn't go well." Piccolo supplied.

"Hmm…" King Kai thought a minute. "Well I'll do what I can to help. Though I don't know much about Hui."

"Can you…just tell us what you do know?"

King Kai nodded. "Let's see. His full name is Hui Bao Feng Yu. He is the current emperor of the Tauran Intergalactic Kingdom, which is colloquially called the Tik. His story starts during the last years of Frieza's reign, when it became clear that the Taurans would not hold out against Frieza. Hui had an older brother, who he's never met. His brother was given to Freiza as an assurance of the Tauran's loyalty. But that did not stop Frieza from killing Tauran warriors. The Tauran Emperor, Hui's father, seeing how dire the situation was, decided to have another son. One with enough power to defeat Frieza. You see the Taurans were, even at that time, very technologically advanced. His father used genetic engineering to create the most powerful creature in the universe. The project apparently took years. The idea was to defeat Frieza and establish the Taurans as the beneficent ruling force in the universe.

"To protect him from Frieza, he had his creation spirited away, with some of his top scientists. Before the child was born, the Tauran Empeor was killed by Frieza and his empire was absorbed into Frieza's. Frieza killed scores of Taurans, but he kept the scientists for himself.

"Unbeknownst to him, the Hui was born on a remote planet somewhere in a western galaxy. His Ki was enormous, and had an amazing capacity for magic as well. He was the perfect weapon. He was raised for those first few years by the scientists, taught to harness his energy by some of the most powerful sorcerors in the universe, and taught to fight by some of the most skilled martial arts masters to every walk the galaxies. All of them were relying on Hui to defeat Frieza should…" King Kai paused and looked at Goku. "Should the Saiyans fail.

"However, Hui was unstable. Much like that other saiyan, Broly, the power went to his head. His viciousness was present from a young age. When he surpassed a master, he killed them. He had no remorse, and no love for anyone. Before he was able to face Frieza, Frieza was killed. Hui was only 10 at the time."

"But…but Frieza was only killed…" Goku began ticking off the years on his fingers. "12 years ago?"

"More or less."

"Then Hui is…" Goku looked at Piccolo.

"He's still almost a child." Piccolo said in astonishment.

King Kai nodded. "Yes, he is very young, and unfortunately he has not yet learned to empathize with others. He is cruel and selfish, and powerful enough to get everything he wants."

Goku's face lit up. "So…how powerful exactly?"

"No one knows for sure. He uses both Ki and magic, and the combination of the two is…" He looked seriously at Goku. "Some people think that he's unstoppable."

Goku shrugged as if the comment didn't phase him. "So how can I find him?"

"Now wait a minute, Goku." Pikkon cut in. "You can't just expect to go after that guy alone?"

Goku motioned to Piccolo. "Piccolo's with me."

Pikkon turned to King Kai. "If they're going face this guy, can I go too?"

"What?" Goku looked horrified at the idea. "But you're dead!"

"You're just being selfish again!" Pikkon argued. "You always keep every villain to yourself!"

Goku's mouth fell open, and then he snapped it shut again. Why was everyone calling him selfish today?

"Now boys!" King Kai intervened. "No one will be facing Hui today, because we have no idea where he is."

"Oh yea." Goku said, crestfallen.

"And then there's the fact that we still haven't figured out how to use Ki when we're up against the Tik." Piccolo added. He sent a significant look to Goku. "I doubt even you could put a dent in him if you had no Ki."

"Well then how do we beat him?"

King Kai shrugged. "You'll have to figure it out on your own, Goku. I've told you just about all I know."

Goku frowned. "Oh…alright, King Kai. Thanks for the help. Come on Piccolo, we have to get in a spar before dinner."

"What?"

"Well, I promised Chichi that I was just going to spar with you. If I show up without any bruises, she'll know I was lying."

Piccolo rolled his eyes. "Fine." He laid a hand on Goku's shoulder and they both disappeared.

"He's in warrior paradise, and he goes back to Earth for a spar?" Pikkon mumbled, clearly insulted. "Tch." He turned and walked away, leaving a snickering King Kai behind him.

* * *

He'd been stripped again. Then searched again. Then sprayed down with a cold hose. Finally, he was given some sort of injection before being handed a clean set of prison garb. His hands and ankles were put into shackles, and heavy chains were attached to the collar that was still around his neck. He'd stood silently, halfway in a daze as all of this had happened.

He'd been told to keep his eyes down, and to make no sudden movements. Policemen would be standing by, fully armed, in case he tried to run or attack anyone. The second command he could understand, but the first baffled him a bit. Nonetheless, he nodded and allowed them to lead him out of the room.

He was pulled forcefully—though not exactly roughly—out of the ship, and was met with something he hadn't expected. The media. People with cameras were everywhere. Bright flashes hurt his vision—vision made sensitive after weeks in a dimly-lit space ship. Reporters shouted questions at him, pushing forward and trying to shove microphones into his face. The place was nothing but loud noise, bright flashes, unfamiliar smells, and sweltering heat.

To his surprise, he found it overwhelming. And offensive. He was likely about to be sentenced to death, and these people wanted a picture? A comment? He could think of quite a few comments he'd like to make, but he had no desire to take another blast through the chest.

A cordon of policemen were trying to keep the reporters at bay as Vegeta was hurried through the throng to a waiting car. Thankfully, the entire experience lasted less than a minute before he was placed into the back of the armored car. The door shut, and not a moment later, the car lifted off the ground. Through the darkly-tinted window, Vegeta could see reporters continuing to take pictures of the car as it lifted off. They rose even higher, and Vegeta noticed that police men on what appeared to be flying motorcycles had been circling the ship and the landing dock. As the car moved forward, the police enclosed the car, escorting it and its passenger to wherever he was being taken.

He lay his head back feeling suddenly dizzy. He let his eyes drop closed.

A moment later someone called out to him. He snapped his eyes open to see a blurry figure standing in the open doorway.

He blinked. The open door? When had they landed?

The person ordered him to get out of the car. Without waiting for his vision to clear Vegeta swung his legs out and made to stand. He swayed dangerously, but thankfully police were there to grab his arms.

"Whoa there. You don't look so good." Someone said.

Vegeta didn't respond. He wanted to glare, but his vision was refusing to clear.

He was tugged forward, and he could tell that the officers were really supporting a lot of his weight. Vegeta didn't know why he suddenly felt so weak.

"What's wrong with him?"

"It's the sedative." He heard someone say. "They were worried about how strong he was, so they didn't want to take any chances."

Vegeta raised his head looking for whoever had spoken. He wanted to know what they were talking about. What had they given him? What would it do to him?

Stark white hallways blurred by as he passed through them. Someone mentioned a regen tank. Vegeta tried his hardest to comprehend the response.

"Nah. He'll be fine. There's nothing wrong with him. It's the drug that's making him so weak."

"How long will it last?"

"Hmm…I think they said it would be two days. By the time it wears off, the trial should be over."

Vegeta nearly groaned. He may have actually groaned. He wasn't sure. He hated the thought that he would have to feel so weak and miserable for two whole days.

For the next day or so Vegeta drifted in and out of consciousness. His drug-induced stupor left him miserable. He had a terrible headache, and felt dizzy and nauseous when he stood to cross the small cell to use the bathroom or get a drink of water.

Kuro Kon visited him at some point. So had Vegeta's appointed lawyer. Vegeta couldn't remember at all what either of them had said to him. It had been all he could do to open his eyes and look in their general direction.

He had no concept of time in that state, and so it came as a bit of a surprise when a group of guards entered his cell with the news that it was time to escort him to his trial. He steeled himself to his fate raised his chin, and forced himself to walk with as little help from the soldiers as possible. In this state, he doubted he would be able to remember any of his trial—or even to understand what anyone was saying. But whatever happened, he would meet it head on with the pride and dignity of a saiyan.

* * *

The Capsule Corp living room was packed with people. The room that had hosted so many parties and been the home to so many laughs, stories, and good times, was now tense and silent.

Bulma was sitting tensely on the couch. She seemed near fainting. Chichi had an arm around her. Yamcha was on her other side, trying to provide what comfort he could. Trunks, Goten, and Marron were upstairs playing video games. They had no idea what was happening.

Trunks had let the information about Vegeta's trial slip to Goku, and once Bulma discovered how Getsuyoobi the 18th of Rokugetsu translated into Earth-time, Goku had all but forced her to tell him.

The news had spread throughout the Z fighters until everyone—well everyone except for Trunks, Goten, and Marron—knew the exact date and time of the trial. They had all flocked to Capsule Corp. in a show of support for Bulma, while claiming that it was just a normal party.

Shiro had connected the large living room TV to his intergalactic transmitter, allowing the gang to watch the trial in Capsule Corp.'s large living room. He'd since disappeared. He was still incredibly nervous around the Z fighters.

The trial had lasted hours with different people—some even veterans of the Planet Trade presenting testimonials and evidence of Vegeta's viciousness and blood-lust. However, some had testified to the cruel way in which Frieza treated the saiyan. They had told of Vegeta being publicly humiliated by Freiza's higher officers, and by Frieza himself. And of the punishment and torture that Frieza used to keep Vegeta in line.

One of these ex-soldier's testimonies was particularly interesting. A man in a jumpsuit that matched Vegeta's had taken the stand. His hands were in cuffs, and his blue skin seemed to pull tautly on his gaunt face. He was clearly serving time for his own war crimes.

"_I didn't know Vegeta well, but I know for a fact that he wasn't loyal to Frieza. I was sent on several missions with the other Saiyan, Raditz."_ The man started. _"The Saiyans usually kept to themselves—partially because most of the other soldiers hated them. But Raditz was the weakest of them and was often sent on purges with the other soldiers. Raditz was somewhat simple-minded, and when he got to drinking he could say things that would get him in trouble later. Once, we found some booze, and we started talking. Raditz told me that the only reason that Vegeta was staying in Frieza's army was because he was keeping tabs on Frieza's power. Because Vegeta was planning on defeating Frieza himself."_

Vegeta's face appeared on the screen, but he was staring dazedly ahead of him as if he didn't hear what was going on.

"_There was another saiyan that they knew of. I don't remember what his name was, but it was Raditz's brother."_

All eyes turned to Goku, who was staring as if entranced at the image of his tired, pale friend.

"_Vegeta and the other Saiyans were keeping his existence a secret from Frieza—even though if Frieza ever found out he would have probably skinned them alive. Apparently the other saiyan was young and wasn't very strong, and they didn't think he would last long under Frieza's…care." _

Wide eyes darted between Goku and the tv screen. Goku's eyes remained locked on his fellow saiyan. His expression was astonished and somewhat…regretful?

"_Raditz said that once the other saiyan was old enough, they would find him and bring him back so that he could help defeat Frieza. Though…I don't really understand the way saiyans think, but it seemed to me that they were protecting him so that he could survive rather than because they really thought he could help them defeat Frieza. That was supposed to be Vegeta's job."_

After the man had finished his testimony, he stepped down.

The Capsule Corp. living room was even more silent than before. The air seemed thicker. The ex-soldier's revelation seemed to have triggered some sort of new-found understanding for the Z fighters' long-time comrade. With it had apparently come a sentiment of guilt.

A few of Vegeta's victims—that had somehow survived—took the stand as well, telling of the cruelty and brutality with which the saiyan had treated them. The stories were enough to put tears into the eyes of the people in the court room, and caused shivers to run down the backs of the Z fighters.

Then, to the surprise of the entire group, Tarble had appeared. The small man had been pale and shaky, and had clearly been fighting back tears as he'd spoken. He'd revealed all that he knew of the politics, threats, and coercion that went into sending such a young child off to an evil warlord. Tarble's story made it clear that Vegeta had not had a choice in joining the Planet Trade. However, from the looks on the jury's faces the fact did not absolve him of his later actions.

Oddly enough, Vegeta hadn't seemed to recognize his brother.

A few people who claimed to be Vegeta's psychologists testified as well. They too gave testimony of coercion, threats, and even torture that Frieza had employed to force the saiyan to do his bidding.

One man even told of a box with snakes and insects where the saiyan had been placed for days as a punishment for sparing the lives of two people. One of the ex-Planet Trade soldiers had been brought to the stand again, and had confirmed the story, as well as the use of waterboarding, and other odd, terrifying tortures.

However, the jury did not seem convinced that the coercion could justify all of what he'd done.

Occasional glimpses at Vegeta's face seemed to indicate that he was not hearing anything that was being said.

After hours, the testimony was finally over. The court took a break as the jury reflected on a verdict.

No one expected the verdict to be good. The atmosphere in the Capsule Corp living room had been somber throughout the entire event. They knew that Bulma would need some friends around after all was said and done. Especially in a few minutes.

At the moment, the tv was showing nothing but commercials advertising weight-loss products, shampoos, and electronics. Bulma was nervously biting her thumb nail

Capsule Corp's living room suddenly fell into a hush. The commercial break was over. An announcer declared that the jury had reached a conclusion and that the court room was ready for it to be read.

The camera focused on Vegeta. He stood, dressed in a black formless jumpsuit. He still looked gaunt, pale, and tired. Although he stood proudly, something about his composure told that he wasn't entirely coherent. "_Vegeta, Crown Prince of Vegetasei we hereby find you guilty of all charges." _

The weight of the words seemed to crush all the energy out of the Capsule Corp. living room.

Bulma's breath hitched; she gasped. It was hard to tell if she might be sick, start to cry, or just collapse altogether. She seemed to sway a bit, and Chichi pulled her closer, holding her as she had done for her two children when they had been upset.

"_It is acknowledged that you were coerced into much of what you have done. The penalty for such crimes is usually a lifetime in prison, with no bail."_ Bulma fainted.

"Oh, no! Bulma! Bulma!" ChiChi noticed first, Yamcha second.

"Lie her down!" Yamcha said, rising from the couch.

Chichi rose as well, and allowed Yamcha to adjust Bulma across the couch. "I'll go get a cold compress." Chichi said, more to herself than anyone else as she hurried out of the tense room.

"Shh!" That was Piccolo, ordering everyone to silence. He pointed back to the TV screen.

A small woman, the one that Vegeta had contacted asking for help had just entered the court room and was approaching the judge. Apparently this was not a common occurrence. All of the people in the court were shifting, murmuring to each other. Even Vegeta was staring, half dazedly, half warily, at the woman.

Chichi returned, pressing the compress to Bulma's forehead and began fanning her. She noticed that everyone was still staring at the screen.

"What—"

"Shh!" Half the room shushed her before she could even finish her question. She glanced at the screen to see that everyone's attention had turned to the judge and to the woman he was talking to.

The woman stepped back, handing the judge a paper and then striding away.

"_It appears that due to extenuating circumstances, Empress Kurenai Kali and Chief Kuro Kon of the Galaxy Police have asked that we make an exception._" The judge narrowed his eyes discontentedly at Vegeta.

The court room was just as silent as the Capsule Corp living room.

"_In light of new information that Empress Kurenai does not wish to publicly disclose, your penalty has been temporarily postponed_." He looked down at the paper. "_Instead of immediately going to prison, you will serve in the Krimzon army until the Tauran Emperor has been dethroned—at which time your deeds will be reevaluated and you will be re-sentenced._" The room burst into low mumbles and shouts of rage. "_However!"_ The judge banged his gavel to quiet the room. "_At the first indiscretion, the first inappropriate act, the first hint of disobedience to an order, either direct or implied, your deal is terminated, and you spend the rest of your life in jail. Your superior officer will be Kurenai herself and whoever she appoints to look over you_." The judge banged his gavel and stood. "_This court is adjourned_." He looked to the confused guards. "_Keep him both subdued and cuffed until you've gotten him to Kurenai._"

The guards surrounded Vegeta grabbing onto his arms and roughly steering him out of the court room.

The Capsule Corp. living room remained silent. No one dared speak. For several minutes it remained that way…everyone staring at the tv in surprise and occasionally glancing around at each other.

Finally a voice spoke. "What happened?" Bulma asked groggily, rubbing her face.

"We…we're not sure." Yamcha answered her, looking between Goku and Piccolo to see if they had any idea.

Bulma suddenly gasped. "Oh no! They…he said…" She sat up looking around frantically as if searching for something. He face drained of color again.

"Bulma." Chichi grabbed her hand. "Bulma calm down. They, they changed the sentence."

Bulma blinked in obvious confusion but also with a clear expression of hope.

Chichi looked to her husband. Goku, in turn, looked at Piccolo for an explanation.

"The judge has suspended Vegeta's final sentencing at the request of the Krimzon Empress, Kurenai, and the Galazy Police Chief. For now he is a soldier in the Krimzon army."

Bulma stared at Piccolo. "What does that mean?"

Piccolo shook his head. "I don't know. We'll have to wait and see."

* * *

A/N: First of all, major props to those of you who figured out that Vegeta was going to be drafted. (If anyone is wondering where the hints were, check out Vegeta and Tarble's conversation in Chapter 5, Kurenai's daydream in Chapter 6, and then most of Chapter 10.)

Thanks for the idea to involve the Kais and to have Vegeta talk about one of his torture sessions. And as always, thanks for your continued support.


	12. A Boy Bred for War

Chapter 12- A Boy Bred for War

Vegeta was in a daze. He had steeled himself—prepared himself for the life sentence he was bound to receive. And when it had come, he had not been surprised. He had hardly reacted at all—though he supposed he'd hardly heard it. The entire experience had been surreal to him. It was a scenario that he had dreaded for years—to suddenly be recognized, to be captured, to be tried and sentenced for all the crimes he'd committed. To be sentenced for who he used to be. To be sentenced for things that Frieza had forced him to do. For having his mind and soul corrupted, and then to be brought back and reminded of all of that all over again.

The jailers hadn't been kind to him. And why should they have been? He had been one of the most vicious, hated people in the universe. His body count had even made him sick to his stomach several times. He was ashamed of who he had been—of _what_ he had been.

Since he'd left the Earth, he had hardly slept. He couldn't. Flashbacks of his past acts all screamed through his mind every time he shut his eyes. The most horrifying ones were the ones that his mind created—a screaming, crying Bulma, his own hand coated in her blood; Trunks on the floor not moving, a hole in his chest. Unlike so many of the other nightmares that had plagued him throughout the years, Frieza was rarely featured in these. In these nightmares, it was always Vegeta himself who was the villain.

He was led down a sleek, dark hall and to some large doors. The doors opened and Vegeta was brought into a large room. He found that his head was slowly clearing. He was finally lucid enough to take in some of the aspects of his surroundings. The room he was in had many high windows that overlooked a large city. The sky outside was a deep red.

Vegeta dropped his gaze to the floor, and noted with a sort of exhausted curiosity that the floor rippled like water with ever step he took. For some reason, his ripples glowed brightly, yet flickered somewhat, while those of the Krimzon soldiers who escorted him were dim and steady. The guards noticed too. Apparently the lights meant something for they were suddenly nervous around him.

Vegeta was pulled to a stop. All four guards dropped to a knee, and Vegeta himself was roughly tugged down with them. He was, among other things exhausted, hungry, shell-shocked, and drugged, and so as he hadn't expected to be suddenly pulled down, he landed hard on both knees, sending pain shooting up his legs.

"Thank you boys, but I would like to talk to him alone, if you don't mind."

He recognized the voice to be Kurenai's

The guards stood. One appeared to try to convince Kurenai through a quick gaze to change her mind and to keep the guards in the room. Kurenai undoubtedly recognized the gaze, but she declined the aid. The guards filed out, leaving Vegeta alone with the Empress of the Krimzon Empire.

"You may stand, if you are able." Kurenai told him. A slight warmth enveloped his wrists, and a moment later, his shackles fell to the ground. Vegeta noticed, however that his Ki collar remained in place as always. Kurenai was apparently a very perceptive woman. "I'm sure you understand that until we've developed a sort of trust between ourselves, I cannot risk taking off the collar. For that, I am terribly sorry. If it were just me, I would undoubtedly remove it, but at this point in time, the Krimzon Empire cannot handle my being…in anyway indisposed."

Something about her, inspired confidence in Vegeta. It was odd. She had just told him that she wasn't sure that he wouldn't kill her. Did he have a reason to kill her? He wasn't sure. Perhaps she wasn't so sure of his sanity.

Yet despite her lack of trust, he somehow found himself trusting her. He who usually trusted no one, even those who he'd known for years, could somehow feel in this woman that she was telling the truth.

Vegeta realized suddenly that he'd continued kneeling before the woman. As quickly, and with as much dignity as he could, he pulled himself to his feet. He swayed a bit as a sudden dizzy spell overcame him.

"I can see that the guards gave you a bit too much sedative. Hmm…Is it true that Saiyans eat their bodyweight in a single sitting? I personally found that rumor a little farfetched."

Vegeta was somewhat surprised that her first question to him had been something so odd. "I…" He blinked and shook his head, realizing a moment later that it had been a terrible thing to do when he already felt dizzy. "I really doubt it, though we do require more sustenance than most other races."

"Hm." She looked him up and down. "Apparently you needed more than what you got. You are weak from hunger and exhaustion. I see that your spirit is troubled as well, but that will subside given time."

Vegeta found it in himself to glare hostilly at her.

"Such a face." She chided, as if her were a child. "It is not fitting on such a handsome young man. Your brother was much more civil when he visited me. Though he did threaten all of my secretaries."

Vegeta found himself vaguely amused. He thought he'd seen Tarble on the stand, but his head had been so fuzzy that he hadn't been sure at the time. He thought he'd been hallucinating.

"Shall I tell you how I know?" He stared at her dully. He'd forgotten what she'd been talking about. "I saw that you were curious about my floor. You are pretty perceptive. Most people don't notice it. Though…most people don't have the spirit that you do."

"What are you talking about?"

"The floor." She made a slight gesture with her head as if indicating the direction. "It tells many things. Your power-level, your mood. If you know how to read it well enough, it can tell what someone is thinking."

"Hm." He supposed that explained why his had been brighter than the others.' If brightness corresponded to power-level, color to mood…flickering and steadiness to…he drew a blank there.

"The steadiness tells me your health. Both mental and physical, though different patterns tell of differences in each." Kurenai supplied. "You." She looked him up and down. "Are unwell."

He thought they'd established that already.

"It's alright. You'll be able to rest soon enough." She turned her head slightly and called, in a voice hardly louder than the one she'd been using to talk to him. "Midori."

A young woman walked in. She could have been in her mid-twenties if going by earth standards. However as she was obviously not an earthling, Vegeta had no idea how old she was. Vegeta sent a befuddled glance to Kurenai. _Has the woman sent for a prostitute?_

He looked back to the younger woman. Her pale grayish-blue skin reflected oddly in the red light coming through the window. She seemed to sparkle slightly, but Vegeta realized as she got closer that the sparkling was coming from the silver rings and chains that she was wearing as decorations in her hair and on her face.

Vegeta may have found her quite attractive, but the cocky stance that the woman took as she regarded him wasn't attractive at all. And then there was the rather conspicuous fact that the woman lacked breasts entirely—a rather severe flaw as far as Vegeta was concerned.

If this was a prostitute, Kurenai had wasted her money.

"She's not a prostitute." Kurenai told him. Vegeta stiffened. He hated when people read his mind without his permission. The young woman heard the comment, and apparently knowing Kurenai well enough to understand what had just happened turned a glare on Vegeta. Vegeta noticed that her eyes were a sort of deep reddish brown.

As if the situation wasn't bad enough, Kurenai continued. "And so you know, Midori's race is reptilian, not mammalian. Her species does not rely on lactation to feed their young."

Vegeta wondered how the woman could blame him for thinking she was a prostitute. The shirt she wore was less a shirt than a cloth that had been wrapped to cross over her torso—apparently just for fashion rather than a real need to cover anything—and her pants, though they covered her were apparently sheer, so as the floor lit up beneath her, Vegeta could clearly see her shapely legs.

"This is Midori." Kurenai said, motioning towards the young woman. "My right-hand officer, personal assistant, and your new parole officer."

Midori apparently didn't like her new position, but didn't say anything.

"We've rented an apartment in your name." Kurenai told continued. "Midori will take you there now. You will pay the rent with your own wages. Since the agreement was that you would be under my watchful eye…well Midori will be close at hand at all times. You are not to leave the planet…or even the city without my permission. You are not to engage in any violent act. No killing, no stealing. Don't even hit anyone. I'm sure you understand that if you break your end of this bargain, you are going back to jail, correct?"

He stared blankly at her. He was still reeling from shock at the fact that he had just been forced into military service again. "And if I refuse?" He asked.

She cocked an eyebrow. "The son of King Vegeta would refuse an offer to fight? Or is it the offer to clear his name and that of the saiyan race that he is refusing?"

Vegeta scowled at her. Why did she have to bring his father into this?

Kurenai clearly saw that the comment had hit hard. "Vegeta, I am not a cruel person, but I am practical. There is a telecom screen in your apartment. The code to the Earth-based Krimzon officers' telecoms are on the table. Feel free to call Earth and talk to your family whenever you want—during your free time. If your family wants to visit you here, that is also permitted. You have every right that any other active officer has, except to leave the service."

That last right was the only one that Vegeta really wanted.

* * *

He followed the woman called Midori as if in a daze through the halls of the huge palace that housed the headquarters of the Krimzon Empire. The building was very attractive. Black marble floors, gold trimmings, luxurious red curtains, columns, and intricate artwork. And huge windows. Kurenai apparently liked windows.

His eyes locked dully on her long dark-purple hair. It was as if he were entranced. It was all pulled back into a ponytail which reached her knees. As she walked, the ponytail swished from side to side, letting Vegeta catch a glimpse of the shimmering silver rings and chains that held the hair at intervals.

They went down an elevator, through a series of doors, hallways, a large entrance room, and then down another elevator before Vegeta found himself in what appeared to be a metro station. He was momentarily confused. He didn't remember ever leaving the building. Was the metro somehow connected?

He listened with only half an ear to Midori's explanation of the train times and lines, only enough to register that line 7 would lead him directly to the apartments where he would be staying.

There were very few people on the train, fortunately, and he was able to get a seat. He was painfully aware that everyone was staring at him and that as soon as he'd sat down, people had moved away in fear.

Midori sat across from him and glared at him the whole ride. Vegeta occasionally glanced at her, wondering on what planet was it stylish to wear sheer clothes and have chains linking facial piercings. The woman had two facial piercings. One was in her eyebrow. A small silver chain ran from her eyebrow to the top of her pointed, elf-like ear. Another chain ran from her nose—if you could call it a nose—to the bottom of her ear. Her nose was flat, hardly protruding at all, and there were only two small slits as nostrils. However, her wide reddish eyes, prominent cheekbones, and plump lips made her a figure that men across the galaxy probably coveted.

He didn't care. He was too tired to care about anything.

Eventually the train rose above the ground. It was night-time apparently, but the sky was a deep shade of purple. They were in a city—an enormous city. Tall buildings with orbs that seemed to grow off of them like branches on trees rose into the sky. Lights glistened and sparkled as far as he could see.

The train sped between large buildings, turning this way and that, stopping occasionally.

Vegeta watched glassy-eyed through the window as lights whizzed by.

Eventually, Midori stood. "Our stop is next. Number 84." She said simply, and Vegeta stood as well.

The train stopped, and Vegeta followed Midori out. They were surrounded by seven tall, identical buildings. The buildings seemed to be a mixture between modern and gothic architecture. Dark stone carved with intricate designs provided a framework for the building, but most of the walls were made of black tinted glass. Those spherical objects jutted out of the building at odd intervals, making the building itself look like a piece of art.

The train sped off again.

"It's building number 5." Midori said, and then she was off across the grey cobblestones. Vegeta didn't take much interest in the surroundings, though he did find the place to look something like a labyrinth. A large fountain with a statue of some legendary person no doubt stood in the middle of the seven buildings, but it was not quite a courtyard. Cobblestone pathways linked the buildings to each other and circled the fountain. As they walked, they passed a set of stairs that went down somewhere. Vegeta wondered where. Several sets of stairs also led upwards toward raised pathways. Two foot bridges rose to cross over the train track.

Midori led him to the building number 5. Inside, the floor was done in an almost golden marble. It looked similar to one of the deluxe hotels Bulma had taken him to once. Vegeta followed silently, not really caring to look around at the luxurious furnishings. Midori led him to an elevator. The elevator was a glass cylinder. Half of it looked outside over the city spread out below. The other half looked inside at all of the identical hallways.

"You're on the 97th floor." She told him. "In a suite." The elevator stopped and opened into a luxurious hallway. She led him down the hall a short way before stopping at a door. She handed him a card. "Here. This is your key. I have a copy…as do your…guests."

While he'd only been half-way paying attention to her before, the last word caught his attention. "Guests?"

She ignored his confusion. "My suite is the next door over, so I'll be able to supervise you. We'll be in touch." She said, and then stalked off down the hall.

Vegeta watched her go before turning toward his door. He hoped his room had a decent bed in it.

He scanned the card and the door slid open, revealing a set of stairs. Blinking, he started up the stairs glancing out of the small, circular windows as he passed them. The stairs led into a large, luxuriously furnished room. It was definitely not the small, cold room he'd been expecting to be given.

He found himself to be standing in what appeared to be a living room. There was a black sofa—possibly leather—a black coffee table, two chairs, a television. He looked around. Like most of the other architecture he'd seen, the walls of the room were mostly windows. The roof was dome-shaped and boasted an excellent view of the sky. To his right, a modern-style kitchen area complete with a fridge, stove and oven was visible. Near the kitchen, a table sat next to a large window that overlooked the city below. He walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. There wasn't much food inside, but there were what appeared to be left-overs. He pulled out a plate full of food and glanced down at it.

"Nii-san!"

Vegeta jumped nearly a foot high and spun around.

"Tarble!" He exclaimed, having just enough time to recognize the person in front of him before his brother grabbed him in a hug. Vegeta held the plate awkwardly, trying not to spill anything, and waiting for his brother to let go.

To his left, a circular stairwell disappeared downstairs. Vegeta didn't really care where it went, but over Tarble's head, he could see Gure emerge from it.

Tarble finally let him go. "Oh. Gure made that. We hope you like it. It's a specialty of our home planet." Tarble took the plate from his hand and went over to what appeared to be a microwave. He stuck it inside and turned. "Are you ok, Nii-san?" He asked studying him. "I was so grateful when I heard that Kurenai was going to help you. She was nice enough to give us a key to your place so that we could stay with you for a few days and help you get settled in."

"I…uhh…" He glanced over at Gure, who was, strangely, one of the only people to whom Vegeta could be perfectly polite. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Gure said with a smile. "We hope you don't mind us staying. We took the guest room downstairs."

"Oh." He had a guest room. Hm.

The microwave beeped and Vegeta pulled his food out. He turned to look for a fork only to have Tarble supply him with one.

"So what exactly does Kurenai want with you?" Tarble asked flatly.

Vegeta slurped up a huge mouthful of pasta-like substance, and walked past him to the table. Tarble followed him, sitting down across from his brother.

Gure hovered nearby before quietly excusing herself and going back to bed.

"Are you going to have to fight?" Tarble asked, when he realized that his brother wasn't going to answer his first question.

Vegeta only shrugged. It appeared as though the dish he was eating wouldn't last very much longer, so Tarble got up to heat up another plate full of leftovers.

"Didn't she say anything?" Tarble asked.

Vegeta finished off the plate, and as he had nothing better to do while waiting for the other one to heat up, he decided to answer. "She said that I was a soldier in her army with all the rights of any other soldier…except to leave the service. She didn't elaborate much further."

"Oh." The microwave dinged, and Tarble carried the food back over. "Hm." Technically, Tarble was a soldier in Kurenai's army as well, but he was nowhere near as skilled a fighter as his brother and had never really been asked to do anything for her.

He sat across from Vegeta and stared at him. "I talked to Bulma." He said suddenly.

Vegeta paused, momentarily and glanced up at Tarble, before he continued eating.

"A few weeks ago." Tarble continued. "She's worried about you."

Vegeta just grunted. Silly onna.

Tarble leaned back. He hadn't been around his brother enough to understand his mannerisms. He knew that Vegeta cared deeply for his wife, and that the callous attitude was only a show. At least he thought so. "Well uhh…the TV in the living room doubles as a vid chat link." He said somewhat suggestively. "I can show you how to use it if you want."

"I can figure it out, thanks."

"Oh…ok."

Vegeta finished off the second plate of food and stood. "Is that the bedroom?" He asked pointing to the door on the left side of the room.

"Yea."

Vegeta nodded. "Good." Mumbling something about going to sleep, he headed over to the closed door.

"Good night." Tarble called to him. "See you tomorrow."

Vegeta just grunted and disappeared inside.

* * *

The next morning, Vegeta awoke late. He lay in bed for a while somewhat befuddled, as if he'd expected the day before to have been only a dream. By the time he got up, took a shower, and ventured out into the living room, Tarble and Gure had disappeared. There were plates of leftover breakfast in the fridge and a note on the table saying that the two had gone shopping and would be back in a few hours. Vegeta only glanced at the note before moving on to his breakfast.

He ate slowly, taking his time, and savoring the food. He was also putting off the inevitable call that he knew he would have to make.

Finally, when he ran out of food, he figured that he'd put it off long enough. He'd have to call Earth and face the music.

He sat down on the couch and stared for a moment at the com-link in front of him. He knew exactly who to call. Undoubtedly the scientist, the one they called Shiro, would be working in Capsule Corp. His com link would get him to Bulma fastest.

He hesitated a bit though before pressing any buttons and leaned back on the couch for a bit. He was nervous. Tarble had said that Bulma had been worried. But what if he was wrong? What if she didn't want to talk to him…ever again.

Finally, he put in the code before he could stop himself.

Shiro's face came onto the screen. Vegeta couldn't say that he recognized the young, green man, but it was evident that Shiro recognized him. His eyes widened. "Hello. Uhh…"

"Where's Bulma?" Vegeta said, opting out of the awkward situation.

"Hold on." Shiro stood up and walked out.

A few minutes later he heard his wife's voice. "Who wants to talk to me, again?"

"Just…just come on." Shiro said, somewhat agitatedly. "It's right there."

Bulma walked around to look at the screen and froze.

"I'll…just wait outside." Shiro said from somewhere off screen.

If Bulma heard him, she didn't respond. She just continued to stare, taking in every inch of Vegeta's face.

Vegeta shifted, feeling somewhat awkward. "Onna?" He didn't know how to handle the situation. How would he explain to her, that he had been judged worthy of life in prison but had only gotten off because Kurenai thought that he would be useful in her war?

Bulma finally dropped into Shiro's chair sobbing loudly. "Oh Vegeta! When we saw the trial, we were so worried!"

They'd seen the trial? The news both relieved him and made him more nervous.

"Oh you're so pale!" Bulma exclaimed. "And you've lost weight! Are you alright? Where are you?"

"I'm fine." He said, somewhat surprised that she was worried for his health. He'd imagined that she, along with everyone else would be disgusted at the reminder of who he'd been before. Though, he supposed, he'd never hidden who he was. Perhaps he shouldn't have been surprised at all. "What's happening on Earth?"

"No, no, I asked first. You don't get out of telling me, mister. I've been worried sick. I can see they weren't feeding you right." She observed, with a hint of a catch in her voice. "Are you…will you be living better?"

"Uhh," He looked around at his new apartment. "Yea. It's nice up here. Kurenai wants me as her right hand. She's paying me as a high ranking officer. I've got a flat in a nice neighborhood...a maid." He shrugged. "I'm fine."

That seemed to relieve her a lot, and she smiled somewhat shakily. "I…I'll have to figure out when I can call you."

"You could just call randomly, and if I'm here, I'll answer."

She rolled her eyes. "I have things to do you know. I can't just sit in front of the com link all day trying to get in touch with you. Now." She pulled out a notebook and a pen. "What time is it there?"

"About 18-H."

"What?"

"It's 18-H. The day is divided into 30 hours." He wasn't entirely sure how he knew that. Perhaps one of his psychologists had mentioned it.

"Oh…" She apparently scribbled that down. "I'll need to know how that translates into Earth time. Which means that I'll need to know the circumference of the planet and the speed of the rotation…"

"Onna…"

Bulma was mumbling to herself, trying to work out what numbers she would need to devise a formula to be able to always calculate the time on the other planet.

"Onna…"

"Wait, wait." She tapped the paper with the pen.

"Bulma!"

"What?" She snapped, glaring at him.

"Just click the button at the bottom of the screen. Then click the icon that says 'display time,' select 'Iro.' That's the name of the planet I'm on. The time that will be displayed in the upper right of the screen is the current time on this planet."

Bulma followed his instructions, frowning a bit. "Why didn't you say that sooner?" She grumbled.

Vegeta shrugged. "I was trying to, but you kept interrupting me."

"Well how was I supposed to know that there would conveniently be an application to display the time on the planet you happen to be on right now?"

"I'm on the planet where the Krimzon Empire is headquartered. Every Krimzon com link is going to have such a simple thing as the local time in the Krimzon capital. The Empress can't have them calling her at all hours of the night."

Vegeta heard the sound of a door slamming open on Bulma's end of the link. Then he heard a voice that he recognized instantly. "Dad?"

Bulma grinned and turned slightly, undoubtedly to look at the boy who had just run in. "Over here, Trunks."

Suddenly Trunks' face appeared on the screen. "Dad! Shiro said you called. I beat everyone else here! Where are you? When are you coming home?"

"I'm on a planet called Iro." He said, and hesitated a moment before adding. "I…don't foresee returning to Earth for quite some time."

Trunks' face fell. Bulma looked sadder than before at the declaration, but it seemed as though she'd already known.

"But…but why?"

"I've…been…well the Empress of the Krimzon Empire has recruited me to fight in her army. I can't really get out of it."

"But…"

Vegeta looked to Bulma for help. Bulma seemed as though she was trying to fight to maintain her composure. He couldn't ask her to explain the situation.

Vegeta ran a hand through his hair. "It's really a long and complicated history. It started long before you were born. Long story short though, I did a number of really terrible things during my youth while I was…working…for a certain warlord. After the warlord died and I gained my freedom...or…" He paused. He hadn't meant to throw the word "freedom" in. He'd never wanted his son to know that he'd technically been a slave. "I came to Earth and stayed there. Since the Earth is so far out in the universe, I never ran into any law enforcement officials who would have tried me for my crimes. The Krimzon Empire has since merged with the largest law enforcement agency in the universe. By contacting Kurenai and asking for her help, I basically…turned myself in. But since I'd met Kurenai before, and there were several witnesses who testified that I had been…coerced…into doing a lot of what I was being tried for, she thought it would be both fairer to me and," He smirked a bit self-debasingly. "more beneficial to her, to have me fight in her army, to prove to the universe that I can be…of honorable character…" He sneered at the phrase. "and then to have the galactic tribunal reevaluate my case." He shrugged and fixed his son with a somewhat guarded look. "Any questions?"

"But…if you were forced to do all of it, then how can they put you on trial?"

"I said 'a lot' of it. Not 'all' of it. I am very much guilty of quite a number of things. I think, all things considered, I'm pretty lucky with what I got."

A door slammed open somewhere off screen. "Vegeta!" Vegeta never thought that he would be happy to hear the sound of the clown's voice. He was pretty happy now, though, if only because it ended this awful conversation that he had never wanted to have.

Suddenly, Goku's face was in front of the screen. "Vegeta! It _is_ you! Wow, you look terrible. Where are you?"

Suddenly Piccolo was there as well, not as close as Goku, but at a rather decent distance. Piccolo nodded in greeting, and Vegeta did the same.

"Have you had the chance to gather any information about the Tik?" Piccolo asked.

"A little." Vegeta said. "But nothing helpful. I may be able to come by quite a bit of useful stuff though, pretty soon. Kurenai wants me to be her right hand."

"What's she thinking?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. As far as I can tell, she knows that I would make a good addition to her army, apparently enough to convince quite a few people who hate me—and I mean _hate_—to postpone my sentencing. But she doesn't trust me enough to let me go without supervision."

"Doesn't trust you?" Piccolo asked. Vegeta could hear Bulma ushering an arguing Trunks out of the room. Good. Trunks didn't need to hear all of this.

"She knows that I betrayed Frieza every chance I got. That _favor_ she owed me was for helping her to escape from a planet that was being purged even though she was at the top of Frieza's hit-list. The reason she was on the top of the hit-list—and incidentally the reason why I helped her escape—was because she and her father were some of the only people in the universe who were rumored to possibly have the potential to overthrow Frieza. I think," He smirked a bit. "she's trying to figure out my motives for wanting Frieza dead, and if I might try to overthrow her as well."

"Would you?" Piccolo asked.

Vegeta chuckled. "I've got no reason to. She's the only person keeping me out of a life-sentence, right now. Killing her would be kind-of counterproductive. And besides, the Saiyans and the Krimzon go back a bit. They were some of my father's best allies before Frieza coerced him into joining his empire. My father never quite severed the link between himself and the old Krimzon Emperor either, which was a pretty risky thing for him to do. To blatantly go against Frieza like that, he must have thought very highly of the Krimzon and their power. Though in the end, it didn't help him much." He mumbled the last part to himself.

"Is there any chance you could be stationed on Earth?" Piccolo asked suddenly. He figured that if Kurenai wanted him close, the answer was likely 'no,' but he thought he'd ask anyway.

"Not unless Earth becomes the new front." Vegeta answered. "Which given its location, is not going to happen soon. You're still getting only stragglers. The Tik are…" He shook his head seriously. "I don't really know how powerful they are, but from what I've heard, you shouldn't take them lightly."

Bulma suddenly appeared again. "Enough of all this." She said nudging Goku back a bit. Returning to her chair, she looked at Vegeta. "So was the trip very rough? Did you eat right? Did they hurt you?"

A look of annoyance crossed his face. "It was long and boring, but the conditions were humane. They gave me…" He paused and thought for a moment. "adequate nourishment." That they had fed him on a daily basis was a huge step up from Freiza's punishment and imprisonments. "Though after I pissed off the commanding officer on the ship, they…" He trailed off and rolled his eyes.

Bulma raised an eyebrow in question.

He sighed in annoyance. "Well we exchanged a few insults which quickly led to racial slurs and…"

She cocked her head, while Goku and Piccolo shared a look that clearly said that they expected this to be entertaining.

"And I spent the rest of the trip eating everything banana flavored."

Bulma rolled her eyes, and Goku had a sudden, unconvincing coughing fit.

Vegeta fixed his gaze on Goku. "Kakarott, you should know that it is a serious insult to be called a monkey."

Goku straightened and just shrugged.

"Well, what'd you call him?" Bulma asked.

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "I didn't call him anything." He defended.

She cocked a sceptical eyebrow.

He smirked a bit in amusement at the memory. "I only implied that he chewed on furniture and dragged his ass across the carpet."

Piccolo smirked and shook his head, and Goku chuckled again.

"But other than the banana thing—which in my opinion is highly unprofessional—everything else was ok?"

He gave a half-shrug, half nod. "Yeah, if you don't count the fact that every ten minutes someone would come over the vid chat to gloat or psychoanalyze me or just annoy me in general."

Despite the fact that nothing he said was particularly cheerful, she found herself smiling.

* * *

"He was a boy bred for war."

Through the hazy mist she could just make out his silhouette. She stared at it curiously.

_A small, dark boy fought ruthlessly, destroying enemy after enemy, cleanly, and with little effort. After the battle was finished, a larger man who resembled him greatly laid a proud hand on the victorious boy's shoulder._

The image disappeared in a swirl of smoke and a moment later, another became visible.

"He was fearless."

_The same boy slashed down an enemy that had been easily ten times his size. The body dropped to the ground, and the boy stepped over it without so much as a blink._

"He was powerful."

The boy seemed to age, getting taller, his face less childish.

_Slightly older now, the boy dropped, seemingly out of nowhere, into the middle of an army easily five thousand strong. His face was clearly exhilarated._

"He was fast."

_He held out a hand and blew away nearly a fourth of the army in one shot._

"He was smart."

_One of the enemies shot a brightly colored blast at him. The boy swatted it away and then, smirking evilly, recreated the blast from memory, and shot it back at the startled warrior._

"He was ruthless."

The battlefield disappeared, but the boy remained. He seemed to age a few years.

_As a young man, he stalked down pristine white halls. Older, larger warriors darted out of his way or pressed themselves into the wall to try to avoid his gaze._

"He was crafty."

_The boy entered a large room and stood proudly before the white, lizard-like tyrant._

"He was…"

His face was now clearly recognizable as the man she knew.

"The perfect warrior." Kurenai turned away from the hazy liquid-like screen to regard the woman before her. "Do you understand now?"

Midori furrowed her eyebrows.

"He will save us all."

"How can we put our faith in one person?" She asked. "Especially one so…evil?"

Kurenai shook her head. "Vegeta is not evil. His heart tells me so. He had been scarred by life, true. But his is a passionate soul, who will give up everything he has to ensure the survival of those he loves. As a mere child he outwitted one of the most cunning, ruthless warlords the universe has ever seen, and he did it from right under Frieza's nose. Vegeta is the greatest ally we could hope for. I'm only sorry to have had to take him against his will. I just hope that one day he can forgive me for it."

"You…you planned this." Midori said, startled.

Kurenai looked away. "I may have played a few cards, yes."

"But…how…"

"We will have to earn his trust, Midori. I fear that that will be a difficult thing to do.'

* * *

A/N: I hope you enjoyed! Thanks as always for reading, and also a special thanks to those of you who have taken the time to review.


	13. The Tactician's First Task

Chapter 13—The Tactician's First Task

It was the first time that he could remember that he'd spent Christmas without his father. Sure Vegeta had never been full of the Christmas spirit, and more often than not, he had been dragged grumbling and cranky into the festivities. But he'd still always been there.

Now he wasn't. And no new video game, no amazing toy, nothing, could get rid of the empty feeling that had settled into Trunks' chest. He knew that his mother felt the same way. She'd sat on the sofa, trying to fake a smile as Trunks opened his presents that morning. Now, though she was decidedly less morose than she'd been earlier, she still occasionally lapsed into a sad silence.

They'd tried several times to call Vegeta on the chat line, but he wasn't answering.

Currently, the Capsule Corp. living room was a colorful chaos. A giant, brightly decorated tree stood against the wall. Little Marron was snooping through the presents and trying to see if she could recognize her name—which she had recently learned to write—on any of the tags.

Krillin, who had had a little too much eggnog, was singing off-key Christmas carols to 18 as if they were love ballads. 18 had tried to shrink away, but he refused to let go of her hand. Eventually, she'd closed her eyes in embarrassed defeat and began laughing along with everyone else.

Master Roshi was stalking Videl around the room with an Oolong-turned-mistletoe. When the poor girl wasn't dodging behind furniture or running out of the room, she remained glued to Gohan's side.

Goku, Goten, and Buu could be found at the buffet table, laughing at the karaoke show and stuffing their faces. Trunks had halfheartedly joined them.

Piccolo and a rather bored looking 17 were sitting quietly away from the main festivities. Dr. Briefs was trying to engage a nervous Shiro in a conversation about the pros and cons of nuclear reactors.

Mrs. Briefs and Chichi were in the kitchen, finishing up the desserts.

A few others were playing cards, and telling old stories. Bulma was among these people. She looked normal. She was no longer as pale as she had been, and could frequently be seen smiling and laughing. She was still somewhat thinner than usual, however. Occasionally, when she thought no one was looking, she adopted a longing expression—but as soon as it was there, it was gone, and the normal, cheerful, Bulma had returned.

They didn't often celebrate Christmas together, but it just seemed right this year. With such a huge threat hanging over their heads, they knew that there was a possibility that they may not be able to celebrate Christmas at all next year. Looking at all the smiling faces, it seemed impossible that that could happen, though.

Bulma glanced at the clock—something that she did every few minutes—and smiled. The time had flown by since her friends had come over.

She quietly excused herself and headed over to the small desk that she'd recently installed near the tv. On the desk was Shiro's computer, the only mode of contact she'd had with Vegeta since he'd left.

Bulma checked the time on the screen and smiled. Good. He should be in his apartment.

A nervous feeling fluttered in her stomach as she called him. A beep sounded letting her know that she'd been connected, and the screen flickered on.

"Well, hey there." She said, her face lighting up upon seeing him. "I've been trying to reach you all day."

Vegeta was in what he called his "civilian clothes." They were different from what he usually wore on Earth. Now, though his shirts generally looked like earthling muscle shirts, his pants always looked suspiciously like leather. He sat back on his couch and cocked his head to the side. "What is that terrible noise?"

Bulma laughed. "That's Krillin singing." She turned the computer so he could see the room full of people. "It's Christmas."

"Dad?" Trunks had caught a glimpse of the screen, seen his father's face, and was suddenly bounding over. Goten was right at his heels. Goku grabbed an armful of food and followed. "Dad!" Trunks yelled again when he got closer.

"Merry Christmas, Vegeta!" Goku called.

Vegeta scratched his temple. "Yeah." He said awkwardly. Slowly, more people trickled over. First Piccolo and Gohan, then Videl. Mr. and Mrs. Briefs meandered over too. Chichi, Yamcha, and Master Roshi followed shortly after.

"It doesn't look like you're celebrating Christmas, Vegeta." Goku said taking note of the lack of decorations in Vegeta's apartment with a frown.

"That's because I'm not." He responded as if Goku should have known that already.

Before anyone could exchange any greetings, the door to Vegeta's bedroom was suddenly flung open, drawing the earth-side special forces' attentions to the corner of the screen. Vegeta glanced over his shoulder momentarily.

A shapely, blue-skinned woman in translucent clothing walked out of Vegeta's bedroom. "There was nothing in your sock drawer." She called, sounding annoyed, and then disappeared into the kitchen.

Bulma's mouth dropped open. Trunks and Goten both glanced at each other and then at Bulma knowing that something bad what about to happen. Yamcha's eyes narrowed in anger, and Master Roshi and Oolong were suddenly sporting matching cotton balls in their nostrils. The other Z fighters who had ventured over to the vid screen looked at each other nervously.

If Vegeta noticed the sudden shift in demeanor from the other end of the link, he didn't show it. He just shifted and called toward the kitchen. "That's why I told you not to look in there. I hope you didn't check under the mattress."

"There was nothing there either." The woman hollered back.

Vegeta looked back to the Z fighters, and blinked in confusion at their odd expressions.

"What?" He asked, clearly clueless.

Bulma's mouth opened and she snapped it shut again.

"I'll say it, if no one else will." Chichi snapped, nudging her way past Goku and closer to the screen. "Why do you have women walking around your house in lingerie?" Goku tried to pull her back a bit, but she swatted him away. "You should be ashamed of yourself!"

Vegeta rolled his eyes. Crossing his arms, he leaned back on the couch. "That's Midori, my parole officer and Kurenai's idea of a joke." He explained. "Apparently sheer clothing is the style on her home planet."

"What's she doing in your house?"

He smirked in amusement. "Checking it for weapons, illegal drugs, and hostages." His face lit up maliciously. "Watch." He glanced back to the kitchen and called. "You didn't find the white powder that I may have hid under the sofa cushion, did you?"

A loud growl was heard, and the woman stomped back into the room where Vegeta was sitting. "Stand up." She ordered, pulling up sofa cushions and mumbling insults directed both at him and at Kurenai.

"No. I'm comfortable." He said.

She sneered at him, and a moment later had grabbed the couch and flipped it upside down. Vegeta had just enough time to jump off before he was tipped over with it.

Master Roshi's and Oolong's cotton balls flew out under the pressure of their nosebleeds.

"Heh heh!" Roshi laughed, dancing closer to the screen. "That's my kind of woman.

Midori glared back at the screen, not knowing who had said that. She chose to just glare at them all before turning back to her task. She quickly flipped over the sofa cushions and turned back to Vegeta with a glare. "There's nothing here."

"Oh? I must have hidden it somewhere else. Keep looking."

Her face darkened. "You know well that you don't have anything illegal here."

"Then I wonder why you came at all."

"I have to follow up on any report of misbehavior!" She growled.

He nodded. "It would be pretty lax of you to leave when you heard I was keeping drugs in here."

"_You_ told me you were keeping drugs in here!" She nearly shrieked.

"And you still haven't found them."

"Because you don't have any!"

"Where's your proof?"

She stomped her foot and let out a loud scream, he blue face turning purple.

"Vegeta." He turned to the vid screen, trying to hide his amused expression. The Z fighters were all snorting and chuckling.

"Yes, onna?" He asked innocently.

"I hope you're behaving yourself." Bulma said with a significant look.

"When do I not?" He asked, and quickly continued before someone decided to answer his rhetorical question. "I don't really have anything illegal in here." He righted his sofa and put a cushion back on it. "I was just getting back at Midori for being a bi…" A raised eyebrow from Bulma had him cutting himself off. He rolled his eyes and fell silent.

Behind him, Midori groaned loudly in relief that he'd admitted it. "Finally." She said to herself. She came over to him with a glare. "I will get you back for this. Just wait." She looked back to the screen. "Who's this? Your street gang?" She asked sarcastically.

"Maybe."

She ignored him, and narrowing her eyes leaned closer. "Are those saiyan?" She asked, eyeing Goku, Yamcha, and Goten.

"How would I know?"

She let out an annoyed sigh and rolled her eyes. "Is your mate one of these people?"

Before Vegeta could come back with a sarcastic and unhelpful retort Bulma spoke up. "That would be me." She said.

Midori looked at her in surprise. "You're not nearly as ugly as I imagined you'd be." She said honestly. "With his personality flaws, I thought he'd be scraping the bottom of the barrel."

As Goku broke into loud laughter and the others tried to be more inconspicuous in their amusement, Bulma giggled. "He grows on you."

Midori cast the man in question a skeptical look. "I hope so." She narrowed her eyes at him.

Bulma giggled again, amused both with the comment and with her husband's flabbergasted expression.

Vegeta cleared his throat loudly and scowled between the two women.

Before he could say anything a cheerful voice called out. "Nii-san! We're back. Ohh…Hello, Miss Midori…ma'am."

Midori nodded slightly in greeting.

"Is that Uncle Tarble and Aunt Gure?" Trunks asked leaning closer to the screen as if by doing so, he may get a better view.

Tarble came closer and looked at the screen. He smiled. "Hi Trunks. Hi everyone."

A round of happy greetings were exchanged.

"Wow, everyone's all together." Tarble said. "Are you having a party?"

Trunks jumped up. "No, it's Christmas."

"Christmas?"

"Don't tell me you've never heard of it."

"Umm…"

"Christmas is only a holiday on Earth, son." Vegeta explained, not noticing Midori's raised eyebrow. "No one else celebrates it."

"What's it for?" Tarble asked.

"For eating!" Goku called from the back causing a rumble of laughter from his friends.

Midori humphed. Vegeta glanced at her. "Now Midori, let's be culturally sensitive." He said a bit mockingly. "If you don't criticize anyone's holidays, we won't comment about the chains on your face."

She narrowed her eyes at him.

Suddenly, a beeping was heard. Midori sighed, and walking away, pulled something out of her pocket.

A moment later she stormed back. "I hope you're happy!" She said. "You wasted my entire day!" She slapped a scouter into Vegeta's hand and, crossing her arms, glared at him.

Vegeta hesitantly raised the scouter to his ear. "Yeah?"

"I need you, in uniform, in my office now." The voice was Kurenai's.

"Now?" He repeated.

"Don't waste time asking ridiculous questions!" She snapped. "_Now_!" The line went dead.

Vegeta looked blankly at Midori.

"Don't just stand there." She snapped. "Get dressed! We have to go."

Vegeta cast a glance at the screen where his family and acquaintances were staring in silent curiosity. Without a word to them, however, he sighed in exasperation, and headed off to his room.

He emerged a few moments later in his uniform earning a blush and giggle from Mrs. Briefs.

"Finally!" Midori said, as if he'd taken an hour. "Let's go."

"Will you be back for dinner?" Tarble asked as Vegeta passed by him.

Vegeta just shrugged.

"Vegeta?" Bulma called. "Is something wrong?"

"No idea, onna." He said, pausing for a moment in front of the screen. He opened his mouth to speak, but Midori grabbed his shirt and began tugging him toward the door. "I'll call later." He grumbled before disappearing.

Tarble and Gure stared at the Earth special forces. They in turn stared back. "Sooo…" Tarble started. "Christmas?"

* * *

"Where have you been?" Kurenai growled as soon as they walked through the door.

"I would have been here quicker if I was allowed to fly." Vegeta snapped with a glare.

"What's the problem?" Midori asked before they could start arguing.

"I'm at my wits end. That's the problem. Hui has stepped up his pressures on Argon. He's sent an elite squadron and a hundred soldiers to the planet, and they've put my commander out of commission. My forces have been forced into hiding. They're holding them off, but they're slowly being chipped away."

Vegeta blinked. "So…you want us to…?" If Kurenai intended to send them to Argon, her forces would be completely wiped out by the time they reached the planet.

"All of my strategists and commanding officers are in a meeting with the king of Yort. It would be an insult to the king to call them here to deal with this…" She rounded on Vegeta. "Vegeta, they tell me you're a tactical genius."

Vegeta blinked. "Who's 'they'?"

Kurenai waved the concern away. "I've been in touch with one of the soldiers there. Vegeta, you will solve the problem for me. I want those Tik forces destroyed."

His jaw dropped. "You…you want me to…do what?"

"You will direct my forces there."

"From here?"

"Of course from here!" She snapped. "Vegeta, time is of the essence. Enough of your questions. This is an order." She waved a hand and a large screen appeared. On the screen was an anxious young man. A large, blood soaked bandage was wrapped around his head. The man's eyes locked onto Vegeta, and he paled.

"Devon, as I'm sure you know, this is Prince Vegeta." Kurenai said. "Tell him your situation exactly—how many able men you have, your abilities and weapons. Tell him also the power levels and abilities of the Tik forces there. He'll need to know everything, if he is to help you."

The two men stared at each other, both of their eyes registering reluctance and uncertainty.

The man called Devon, though, swallowed, nodded and launched into his explanation.

Vegeta listened intently. Sweat was starting to bead his brow. How could Kurenai do this? Just suddenly ask him to direct a battle for people he knew nothing about. It was bound to fail.

Screw the king of Yort! Those were her strategists! This was their job!

As the explanation wore on, however, he became less doubtful. Almost without even trying, an idea began to form in his head. It would be a long-shot, but it could work. And it was the only option he could think of.

Devon finished his explanation and stared at Vegeta in undisguised fear and doubt.

Vegeta ran over the facts in his head. A space-ship hovering above the planet blocking the ki of the Krimzon soldiers. Their strongest Krimzon fighters injured and out of commission. Their spaceship too damaged to fly. Thirty able-bodied Krimzon fighters remained…including five Chirpi. The Krimzon soldiers had fled with their wounded to hide out in a rocky, cave-filled ravine where they'd been for the past twelve hours. They'd left their damaged space ship behind, and were therefore unable to use its regen tanks.

The Tik on the other hand had over a hundred soldiers including six elites. They were using some sort of hover scooters to drop bombs into the ravine—clearly an attempt to scare out the remaining Krimzon soldiers.

The Chirpi were the key to this. Though in his opinion, they were quite ugly creatures that somewhat resembled the crickets on earth, their exoskeletons were notoriously strong, and they were well known for their ability to jump very high without the use of Ki.

"Divide your able bodied fighters into groups of six." He began, and proceeded to lay out his strategy.

* * *

In groups of six—all of which included one Chirpi—the Krimzon soldiers put Vegeta's plan into effect.

They all wore scouters, and Vegeta could watch the proceedings from multiple angles.

"We've got one." One of the Krimzon soldiers reported.

"Send out the bait." Vegeta ordered quietly. His arms were crossed tightly over his chest, fingers tapping a rapid pattern on his bicep. Kurenai, Midori, and surprisingly Kuro Kon were standing silently behind him. When Kurenai had heard his plan, she had been so astounded that she'd immediately called Kuro to come and watch. Vegeta wondered if it was normal for the two leaders to gloat as much as Kurenai was doing. He knew that, if his strategy worked, Kurenai would never let Kuro hear the end of it.

Vegeta didn't have much time to worry about the two leaders' rivalry. He had a battle to direct.

The lone Tik hover craft was approaching. It had taken the bait. "Remember. Get rid of his scouter first. We can't let him radio in and announce your location."

A solitary Krimzon soldier was standing in clear view on top of a cliff. He was holding a scouter to his ear and a small satellite in his hand. To all appearances, he was trying to make a distress call.

"He's taken the bait." Vegeta said. "Run for cover."

The Krimzon soldier immediately started running back towards where the five other soldiers were waiting. He got closer. Closer. Then ran right past them.

The Tik soldier wouldn't be stupid enough to waste a bomb on one Krimzon soldier. He would use a gun instead. He dropped down lower and took aim at the running soldier.

Suddenly a person was on his hover craft with him. Before the Tik soldier could shout, his scouter was ripped from his face and a blaster was pressed to his neck. He had just enough time to see that it was a Chirpi who had attacked him before the Krimzon soldier fired, killing him instantly.

"Incredible." He heard Kurenai whisper from behind him.

Vegeta ignored her. That was just one soldier. There were dozens more—but a hover craft and a Tik uniform would be a great asset, certainly.

"Perfect execution. Stand by for others." Vegeta commented as the Chirpi lowered the hover craft into the small crevice where the other Krimzon soldiers were waiting. "Check everything for tracers." He said. "And get that uniform off him—try to get as much blood out of it as you can."

He looked back to the screens to check on the other small squadrons of Krimzon soldiers. Stage one of his plan had already proven to be feasible. He smirked. This was kind of fun.

* * *

After two hours, his Krimzon soldiers had taken thirteen of the Tik's twenty hover craft.

Vegeta had already had the ten most techno-savvy Krimzon soldiers dress in the Tik uniforms and memorize their identification information. He sent them back to the Tik ship.

Their orders were to lay low and blend in as well as possible.

The other twenty able-bodied Krimzon soldiers and the injured commander would stage an attack against the Tik. It was the most dangerous part of his plan, but alas, one that was necessary.

Three of the twenty Krimzon would take the three remaining hover craft and begin throwing bombs onto the Tik encampment—hopefully that would take out a good number of soldiers and lure the elites out into the open.

The other ten would take advantage of the confusion to search for Meiyochi in all of the Tik ships, and sabotage all of them except one. Vegeta knew that they would likely not find Meiyochi on the grounded ships, but it would be foolish not to search. When they inevitably did not find anything, however, the ten Krimzon soldiers would take the one working ship, go into space to meet with the other Tik ship waiting there.

Once the Tik ship had been taken into space, the Krimzon would retreat once again into hiding.

In space, the ten Krimzon soldiers would announce the sabotage of all the other ships. They would also announce the capture of the Krimzon commander and request permission to transfer him to the other ship.

This was a tricky part since it would depend on the decision of the Tik. Luckily, they would actually have the Krimzon commander with them for proof. If they were granted entry, they would inconspicuously search for the Meiyochi and destroy it. If not, they would force entry and destroy it. It was risky.

With their powers back, they would hopefully be enough to take care of whatever Tik soldiers were there. They would put the Krimzon commander into a Regen tank where he would theoretically be healed in a matter of hours.

That would hopefully level the playing field—at least enough to allow the Krimzon to hold off long enough for Kurenai's reinforcements to arrive. Once the Krimzon commander was awake, Vegeta would relinquish control back to him.

The hours passed by. Kurenai, Midori, and Kuro watched slack-jawed and with clenched fists as Vegeta's plan panned out.

The ships were successfully sabotaged, the Krimzon commander "captured" and hauled into the Tik ship. The ship lifted off causing more confusion among the Tik soldiers. Several soldiers thought that they were retreating. Or being abandoned. Some Tik soldiers saw it as a sign that they were being overwhelmed somehow and fled the battle.

Eventually word spread among the soldiers that the Krimzon commander had been captured. That seemed to satisfy the majority of them that it was a routine occurence, and also explained the sudden retreat of the twenty Krimzon soldiers.

No one attacked the ship. The Tik would not attack their own.

"We're contacting the Tik ship now." One of the Krimzon soldiers said gaining Vegeta's full attention. The rest were likely familiarizing themselves with the layout of a Tik ship. It was necessary for them to know where the command room was and where the medical bay was. They couldn't just go wandering around the ship and expect not to garner suspicion.

"Alright." Vegeta said. He motioned for the people behind him to remain silent. To his surprise, his crowd of onlookers had grown to include Kurenai's top-level generals and strategists as well. Apparently the meeting with the king of Yort was over. He had been so focused on what was going on that he hadn't noticed their entry. The fact surprised and worried him a bit.

He turned back to the screen to see that the Krimzon soldier had already made the call and that a green, bulbous alien was speaking. "I don't recognize you. Your name and identification number, soldier."

"Corporal Chon Ungh." The Krimzon soldier reported. "ID number 45590340."

The Tik on the com link quickly typed something in. "Oh I see. And you're requesting permission to board?"

"Yes. We've captured the Krimzon commander. Your ship is the most secure place for him now. We sort of took a little initiative borrowing this ship. Our commanders were busy down there, you understand. We'll have to bring it back down."

"Ahh yes. Hold on." The screen went blank.

Vegeta could feel his heart thudding in his ears. The silence was unnerving. A bead of sweat rolled between his shoulder blades. This was ridiculous. He hadn't sweat this much in weeks, and he was doing virtually nothing. He brought up a nervous hand to run it through his hair.

The Tik com link came back on. "Come around the port side door." The link shut off again.

Both Vegeta and the Krimzon officer let out the breaths they'd been holding. Vegeta glanced over his shoulder to see the anxious and disbelieving faces of the people behind him. Kurenai's look was somewhat odd. Though she was looking at the screen, Vegeta wasn't entirely sure that she was seeing it. Her expression was somewhat hungry—similar to the expression Bulma got when she was looking at the blueprints for a new invention that she knew would bring her a lot of money. Vegeta raised an eyebrow and looked back to the screen.

After a few minutes the hijacked Tik ship docked with the other one. The doors opened allowing five Krimzon soldiers to escort the commander in.

"He's a mess." One of the Tik commented. "He'll die before we get any information out of him. Keep him cuffed and put him in the regen tank."

The five Krimzon soldiers quickly did as told.

"How many powers do you read on the ship?" Vegeta asked.

The Krimzon soldiers inconspicuously played with their scouters a bit. After a few minutes, it was concluded that there were six powers on the ship—none of which were very high.

Vegeta couldn't have asked for his plan to go more smoothly. It made him nervous. Something had to go wrong.

"Hurry it up in there." He said. "Two of you stay and put him in the regen tank. The rest of you, head to the command room. The Meiyochi should be in there." That's where it had been when Android 17 had destroyed it anyway.

The five warriors split up. Two headed directly to the medical bay. The others continued down the hall toward the command room.

Vegeta's breathing became more nervous. Something would go wrong. He just knew it.

The three reached the command room, revealing three Tik officers.

The Tik officers all turned, curious about the interruption.

The Krimzon soldiers froze, but Vegeta was suddenly speaking, coming up with an excuse. "Ask them if the battle has finished."

The highest ranking Krimzon soldier did as told.

"Temporarily." One of the Tik officers said. "The Krimzon have fled back into the mountains. They've somehow gotten hold of some of our hovercraft."

"Ask if they will pursue them now or if they will wait for the Krimzon commander to reveal their hiding place."

The soldier again repeated Vegeta's question.

As the Tik officer answered, Vegeta continued talking to the Krimzon soldiers. "The machine in the corner is the Meiyochi. It's the one that's glowing green. A powerful blast should destroy it. If you think you can take on all of the people in this room go ahead and take it out. Use your own discretion."

This part was out of Vegeta's hands. He didn't know the exact power levels of the people in the room, and he couldn't ask the Krimzon soldiers for it either. Before he could think too much, the Krimzon struck.

A blast hit the Meiyochi, and before the Tik could react, the Krimzon were lunging toward them. Their power returned to them mid-lunge, causing the soldiers to shout in exhilaration.

Behind him, he heard Midori gasp.

The Krimzon soldiers made quick work of the Tik soldiers. In only moments, three Tik bodies were on the floor.

"Alright, don't get cocky." Vegeta told them. "Make sure that they're dead. One of you should stay to ensure that no one makes a distress call. The rest of you, go finish off the other three."

"Right!" With much more enthusiasm than when they'd started, the two Krimzon soldiers ran out of the room.

Vegeta turned to the screen that was displaying the two Krimzon soldiers who were putting the Krimzon commander into a regen tank. "You two." He addressed them. "Stay there and protect the commander."

He looked again to a third screen that was displaying the five Krimzon who had stayed on the hijacked ship. "And you five. One of you should stay and guard the command room. The rest of you may want to go help your friends destroy the other three Tik."

The Krimzon nodded and did as told.

Within the next few minutes, the Krimzon had succeeded in killing the remaining three Tik on the ship. One of the dirt-side Krimzon radioed in and confirmed that their powers had returned.

Vegeta let out a deep breath of relief, and his shoulders sagged.

He stared at the screen as the people celebrated behind him. Why had that gone so smoothly? There was always a catch. Vegeta wasn't known for his luck.

He turned to Kurenai and her entourage with a questioning look.

"Vegeta, I told you that I wanted the Tik soldiers destroyed." Kurenai said. "I meant all of them."

Vegeta sighed and looked back at the screens. What time was it anyway? "Take the two ships down." He ordered. "Put the most injured in the regen tanks—but try to heal the most powerful soldiers first."

He ran a hand through his hair. Though he was relieved that that much of his plan had worked, he was finding this whole thing very stressful. He was getting hungry, and he was ready for this to be over.

"You need to strike while they're still confused. They're not used to fighting soldiers who can match their power, so you may have an advantage. Gather everyone who is well enough to continue fighting. This is going to be a long night."

He looked over his shoulder again. "Can someone get me a coffee?"

* * *

A/N: Hope you enjoyed that. I always love portraying Vegeta's tactician side, so this one was particularly fun for me to write.

Thanks to all of you who have been keeping up with this story, and thanks too to all of you who reviewed. Your opinions are always appreciated!


	14. Midori's Revenge

A/N _Italics_ denote Vegeta's thoughts and memories.

Chapter 14- Midori's Revenge

Oh yeah.

It was on.

Kurenai and Midori didn't know who they were messing with.

Vegeta fumed as he strode angrily down the sleek black corridors of Kurenai's palace. His black boots clicked loudly on the dark tiled floors, alerting everyone in the vicinity to his approach. Just as when he'd been a younger soldier under Frieza, all other people in his path pressed themselves into the wall, ducked out of his way, and occasionally gracelessly dived into whatever nearby room, plant, or garbage bin they could find.

The Saiyan Prince was in a terrible mood.

And it was all. Their. Fault.

The story had started two days before, apparently—or so said Midori. If Midori could even be trusted to tell a proper story without skewing everything out of proportion.

It went like this…

_Midori was innocently walking down the street, minding her own business. _

_Bullshit. _

She'd actually been brooding over a conversation she'd had with Kurenai earlier in the week. That conversation, incidentally, was about Vegeta.

"_Here is a picture, Midori. I want it to be exactly the same. Understand?"_

"_Yes, but…how am I supposed to do it?" There was no point in asking why she wanted it that way. Kurenai kept her secrets. As frustrating as it was at times, her secretiveness usually turned out for the better. _

"_You're a smart girl" Kurenai responded. "Figure it out."_

Vegeta had a sneaking suspicion that he knew exactly what that conversation had been about, but there was no use in dwelling over what he might have realized the day before. The damage was done.

_So back to Midori's ridiculous drivel of a story…_

_The sun was just dropping below the horizon, and she was strolling through the underground streets window shopping. She was due to meet her boyfriend, Chet. He was dashingly handsome and perfect and…_

_Bla, bla, bla. Fast-forward. Ok._

_Passing by one shop she froze, her eyes widening and her jaw dropping. _

_Total. Shock._

Apparently, it had been normal over the years for Midori to make the cover of an occasional magazine—she'd been named "Most Influential Hottie of Child-Bearing Age" for five years running. In Vegeta's opinion, the standard for what constituted "hot" in the Krimzon Empire was somewhat disturbing.

And what was even more disturbing was that recently, it had become common to see Vegeta in magazines and newspapers as well.

The universe was curious and fascinated with the dark-prince-turned-hero. The majority of the universe was still fearful and skeptical of him, but apparently there was no accounting for tastes. Women between schoolgirl and middle-age all over Iro had begun developing crushes on the man since he'd "saved" that planet—a planet whose name he didn't even know.

It seemed as though every day a tabloid with some "scoop" concerning his relationship status, his habits, and such random things as what he did or did not wear to sleep appeared in shops. Vegeta himself had been oblivious to all of this. With Tarble and Gure around to shop and cook for him, he'd had no reason to venture into the underground in search of food. He avoided pop culture channels on TV like the plague, and wouldn't be caught dead in those strange "gossip shops"—those colorful, loud places filled with video chat links, sweet drinks, and at least ten televisions which constantly showed celebrity news. Vegeta couldn't understand the concept.

Needless to say, he hadn't seen a single one of those tabloids.

But whereas Vegeta had no idea that he was making magazine covers, Midori had been all too painfully aware of it. And on this particular day, the tabloid that she saw was even worse than usual.

_It was all…_very_ dramatic. _Vegeta mused as he thought back to her half-wailed, over-detailed explanation.

_Midori felt an arm suddenly snake around her waist, and she jumped in surprise. Whipping around, she realized that it was only Chet._

"_Hey, Baby." He said with a grin before noticing her startled expression. "You ok?"_

_She chuckled nervously before placing herself between him and the offending tabloid. It was nothing but lies after all._

_He instantly saw what she was doing and glanced over her shoulder. Nudging her aside a bit, he looked at what she'd been hiding. _

_She saw the frown crease his face and glanced back to the tabloid. The cover featured two pictures with a large question mark separating them. The first picture was one of Midori and Chet—it had been candidly taken during one of their moonlit walks. The second picture, however, was of Midori and Vegeta—also candidly taken. Somehow someone had gotten a picture of them standing in Vegeta's doorway, their faces scandalously close. _

Vegeta remembered the episode. She had been furious with him. He'd toyed with her anger and refused to let her inside to do one of her routine checks. That was when she got in his face and started growling threats and curses at him. Apparently, though, from the picture, you'd never guess that they'd been arguing.

And that's apparently what Chet thought, too. She'd tried to make light of the situation, to convince him to forget about it, but he'd refused. A tension had been building between the two lovers since Vegeta had arrived. Apparently, Vegeta had been oblivious to that too, but in his defense, he'd never met Chet, and had no idea that Midori even had a boyfriend.

So later, while Vegeta sat idly wondering what kind of man would ever willingly put up with her, Midori had furiously yelled at him, recounting the entire event, and telling him almost verbatim everything that Chet had said to her.

"_You see him more than you see me…not that that's saying much. We see each other what? Once a week?"_

"_I work with him. And Kurenai—" _

"_No. Don't blame Kurenai." He said snappishly and then seemed to soften. "I know your job is tough. I really do. Look. I know that you don't have a lot of time now—what with playing babysitter to that saiyan and all."_

"_Chet—"_

_He interrupted her again. "Maybe we should take a break. Until you have time for me."_

Apparently, she'd tried to protest, but her phone rang at that exact moment, calling her away on business, and ruining both her nice night out, and her relationship.

Logically she'd ended up in his apartment later that night, with the full intention of letting him know just how much he had ruined her life and how little chance there was that she'd ever forgive him. Vegeta had listened to her rambling, hysterical account with as little apparent interest as he could muster. It was surprising even to him that he could remember so much of it.

_Especially since…hmm…_

Several hours after Midori came and paid him her little unwanted visit, Kurenai called them both out to the palace on urgent business. In retrospect, there had been hints in Kurenai's behavior then that should have put Vegeta on guard. However, he'd been in no capacity to take note of them. It is actually surprising that he could remember so much of what went on during that particular meeting. He could remember it pretty clearly too.

"_Now this is impressive." Was the first thing Kurenai had said, looking at her two top officers. "Just what I like to see."_

_Neither of the two responded. There wasn't much to say at this point. _

"_Now tell me, was this intentionally done to teach me some sort of lesson? Or did I just happen to call at the wrong time?"_

_Vegeta opened his mouth to respond with something that would have no-doubt been sarcastic and abusive. He couldn't remember exactly what he'd planned on saying, though because Kurenai hadn't even let him get a word out._

"_Shut up, Vegeta!" She snapped. "I don't need to hear whatever rubbish you're undoubtedly about to spit out. Midori. I want an explanation." She fixed the woman with a hard glare. "Now."_

"_I…" Midori swayed, and then snapped her mouth shut, swallowing quickly with a somewhat sick look on her face._

"_Perfect." Kurenai said. Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. "That's all I needed to hear." She made her way down the steps with quick, angry strides. "Tell me…Did you take the train looking like this? I think you'd just as well have dragged both of your sorry-asses through the drainage system for all you look like. At least no one would have seen you." She paused, suddenly and sniffed. "Do I smell vomit?"_

_Vegeta cast a sidelong indicative glance at Midori._

_Kurenai glanced between the two of them. Her silver eyes seemed to flash red for a moment, and she snapped her gaze to Vegeta. "I assume that you are responsible for this! Midori has never done something so foolish! So…disgraceful!" She levitated and placed herself nose to nose with him. "As I know that this is your fault, I will allow you to explain." She paused. He made no move to answer, so she demanded again. "Explain!"_

_He wasn't sure how it had gone as far as it had. Actually, he wasn't sure how it had happened at all. He was wasted. Midori too._

_He sighed. "Midori's boyfriend broke up with her." Vegeta said as if that would clear the whole situation up. He wasn't in the mood to argue. He'd much rather just go to sleep._

"_I can't see the connection. Go on."_

"_She was upset so she came to rail at me for it. Apparently the guy dumped her because she spends more time with me than with him. And then because the paparazzi think there's something going on between us. My fault, obviously."_

_Kurenai glanced to Midori who had just broken into a bout of drunken sobs, but made no move to console the younger woman._

"_I had a little booze around. Taking the edge off. Trying to adjust to being drafted against my will. The usual." Man, he was mellow when he was drunk. He'd have to remember that so as not to ruin his reputation. "So I thought Midori might appreciate joining me."_

_The story was partially true. It had been years since he'd gone on a bender, but somehow tonight seemed like a good night for one. Tarble and his wife had left for their home planet and despite the gruff assurance to Tarble that he'd never needed his company to begin with, Vegeta found surprisingly that he didn't like the solitude._

_So there he'd been, on his couch, when Midori had come in, absolutely furious, yelling and raving at him, and telling him how every problem in her life was his fault. He'd been surrounded by empty bottles of booze that though unlike anything found on Earth, were entirely familiar to him. Most were bitter, but unlike the burn that many Earth drinks left going down, these were smooth, and occasionally tingly and cold. _

_He was already half gone and so instead of trying to defend himself, he'd just taken her abuse and then offered her a bottle of something strong. Things had degenerated from there. _

_How was he supposed to know that she was such a light-weight?_

_He'd locked her in the bathroom to keep her from vomiting all over his apartment. Then, he'd settled back on the couch and turned the tv up so that he wouldn't have to hear her drunken sobs and retching._

_Then Kurenai had called them demanding their presence. There was no refusal allowed. No excuses. They'd gotten on their uniforms, stumbled out of Vegeta's apartment, thankfully managed to find seats on the train, and then had arrived in Kurenai's observation room a few minutes later._

"_You never said anything about us working tonight. If I wanna drink a bit, then I think I'm entitled to it. You said I had all the rights of any other officer, barring actually leaving. Any officer can drink within the privacy of his own home. You have nothing to hold me of." A very impressive argument, for someone in his condition, though he wasn't sure if some of his wording actually made sense._

_Kurenai glared at him. Her pink face turned absolutely red. Then, to Vegeta's surprise, she just swept out._

_Vegeta stared at the door for a minute or two, and then glanced to Midori. He heard himself chuckle. A moment later, he did it again. Midori chuckled as well, somehow managing to cry and laugh at the same time. Then finally, her legs gave out and she fell to the floor. Vegeta stared for a few seconds, and then found himself bent over in peals of laughter._

_That was how Kurenai found them when she returned a few minutes later. She was holding two bottles._

"_Here." She said thrusting the larger bottle to Vegeta and the smaller one to Midori. "To sober you up. Take those and get out of my sight." They both swallowed their potions feeling the effects almost immediately._

_Midori scrubbed at her face to dry it. Kurenai stepped over to her and whispered something that, despite straining his ears, Vegeta couldn't hear. Midori glanced at him, letting him know that whatever was said was about him, then nodded._

_Together they left._

In retrospect, he should have been suspicious. He should have questioned the fact that Kurenai had given Vegeta and Midori distinctly different sobering potions. He should have been more suspicious about that whispered conversation. And he should have been downright alarmed at the fact that Kurenai had let them both go with so little reprisal.

_Little reprisal indeed. _

She'd gotten him back for his stunt, and he was ashamed to say that she'd made good work of it too.

What had she done, you may ask? Well, well, well…

_Shortly after he'd gotten home, he'd felt so inexplicably exhausted that he'd just gone into his room and collapsed on his bed. He awoke late the next day (today as it happens). _

_He sat up and stretched and then glanced down curiously as something dark caught his eye. He reached down and picked it up. _

_A lock of hair? He felt it. His hair. Looking around a bit more, he came to realize that his hair was positively everywhere._

_He reached up to feel his head, a sudden horror overcoming him. To his relief, it was still there, but…oh no._

_He leapt out of bed and ran into his bathroom._

_On the mirror written in red lipstick were the words "Hope you like your hair cut!" in Midori's bubbly handwriting. She'd apparently kissed the mirror by way of signature. He stared at himself in the mirror in disgust. His hair was now almost exactly like Tarble's._

Vegeta slammed open the door to Kurenai's throne room. "Where is she?" He bellowed, upon finding the room empty.

Unfortunately, everyone else in the building was far too terrified of him to come and answer his question. He twirled around, using his ki sense to find that the entire floor was abandoned.

"Damn it!" He shouted, striding forward. It was amazing that Kurenai's floor didn't just melt under the pressure of his anger. Just before he reached Kurenai's desk—or rather just before he could pick it up and throw it out the window—he spotted note.

"Unavoidable circumstances have caused both Midori and myself to be absent today. Do calm yourself down, and try to be civilized until we return." Signed Kurenai.

Vegeta glared at the paper, wishing that he could shoot a ki blast at it. Instead, he just crumpled it up, feeling very unsatisfied at the fact that it did not immediately disintegrate. "Tch!" He picked up the desk and threw it across the room. The sight of it splintering to pieces improved his mood somewhat. With one last glare around the room, he turned on his heel and stalked out.

* * *

The screaming alarm clock made her jerk awake. With a groan, she reached out a lazy hand and shut it off. Picking her head up from her pillow, and wiping the side of her mouth, she looked at the time. 6am. Why did she ever agree to all this?

Being the President of Capsule Corp was one thing, but trying to do that, raise a kid on her own, and make reasonable deals with foreign companies for access to Capsule Corp's innovations with the alien technology was driving her down.

She climbed out of bed, shivering at the cold, and hurried over to the shower. The hot water woke her up halfway. A huge cup of coffee would do the rest of the job.

With her shower done, she quickly brushed her teeth, fixed her hair, pulled on some jeans and a sweater, and headed off to start the day.

"Good morning, Shiro." She greeted upon entering the kitchen.

The alien mumbled a shy greeting as he sipped on what, to Bulma, looked like a spinach smoothie. Apparently it was the closest he could come to his usual morning beverage.

"Coffee?" She offered, turning on the coffee machine.

As he did every morning, he politely declined.

Everyone in her acquaintance knew very well that she could not cook. There would be no huge breakfast today. She popped two slices of bread in the toaster and turned to regard the frail, green man who was leaning over some sort of touch screen computer that was displaying what looked suspiciously like celebrity gossip.

"Anything interesting?" She asked, as she did every morning.

Other than science, celebrities and the space equivalent of soap operas were the only thing that she knew Shiro to have an interest in. And even though she had no interest in space celebrities at all, she didn't tell him that.

Shiro seemed suddenly nervous—well more nervous than usual.

To her surprise, instead of going off on a detailed explanation of who was dating who, and who was caught having an affair, he just sat silently, and made that funny hand gesture that she'd learned was the equivalent to a shrug. He'd done the same thing the day before.

Shrugging it off, Bulma headed over to the cupboard to grab a coffee mug. However, upon seeing her move toward him, Shiro hurriedly closed whatever it was he'd been looking at.

Bulma blinked, suddenly curious. If he hadn't done it the day before, she would have thought it was nothing. And far be it for her to interfere in his business. Bus she could have sworn that she'd seen…

She stepped closer. "What was that?"

"Nothing." He said quickly.

"Oh yeah?" She pulled out a mug and filled it with coffee. "It doesn't look like nothing."

"It's just…lies."

"Lies?" She said surprised. "Then why do you read it?"

"I uhh…"

"You know, for a moment, I thought I saw Vegeta's picture on that thing."

Shiro's green face turned white.

Bulma raised an eyebrow. "I did, didn't I?" She held out a hand expectantly. "Let me see."

To his credit, he tried to dissuade her. "I'm sure that it's just…"

She stepped forward, and he reluctantly handed her the thing.

The moment she saw the first picture, her cheeks flushed scarlet. Then she scrolled down a bit more.

Her lips pursed, and she made a mental note to give that arrogant saiyan a piece of her mind. How dare he!

But then, a moment later, she reigned in her composure. Seeming perfectly calm, she just handed the contraption back to Shiro.

She didn't have time to deal with it now. She had a meeting in two hours with a representative from some American aeronautics company. She had to keep a clear head if she was going to get them to raise their asking price for the plans for the space equipped fighter plane that she and Shiro had sketched out.

She grabbed her coffee and turned around, noticing that her son had yet to make an appearance. With a sigh, she went over to the intercom.

"Trunks, honey, wake up. You'll be late."

A groggy "I'm not going" was the only reply she got.

"Oh no, young man, I do not feel like dealing with this today. You get out of bed right this instant."

"No."

"Don't make me come up there!" She warned.

"And do what?"

She blinked in surprise. Trunks had never behaved this way. Sure he got into mischief sometimes, or deliberately didn't do what he was told. But never, never had he talked back to her like this.

"Trunks you get out of bed right now or you can forget seeing Goten for the rest of the week."

That did it. The grumbles were enough to convince her that he had indeed gotten up.

She glanced at her watch. Good, because she didn't have time to be dealing with this.

"I'll see you later, Shiro." She said, and without waiting for a reply, she swept out of the kitchen.

This wasn't the perfect way to start the day, she'd admit, but that didn't mean that the day would continue to be rotten. She was Bulma Briefs after all. A genius.

The elevator door slid open revealing her outer office. Her secretary stood upon seeing her, and hurried to her side, handing her a schedule.

"Your meeting with Dowlin is at 9:30. They're sending Kirshing, so you know they're serious. Then you've got lunch with your father at 12. The Russians called. Their flight's been delayed by 30 minutes, so they asked that the meeting be pushed back to 3:30."

"What's delayed it?"

Kim glanced down. "The weather, I believe."

Oh this was annoying. "What? Like snow?"

"Umm. A blizzard."

"Oh alright. I suppose we'll have to start late. What else have I got?" She reached her office and glared at the stack of files waiting for her to sort through.

"The nuclear department is asking for the go-ahead on mass production of their project."

"I want to inspect it first."

"Yes I told them that."

"And?"

"They want you to come today."

"When have I got time?"

"This morning until 9:15 is free."

She opened the top file and looked at it. More bids for the Krimzon technologies that she'd adapted. "How is the Special Project department coming with that radar?" She asked flipping through the files to see if perhaps one of them concerned that.

"They hit a roadblock."

She frowned. "Fine. I'm going down to Nuclear, and if I have time, I'm heading to Special Projects. Hold my calls unless it's an emergency."

Grabbing the top file from her desk, she strode out of the office. She flipped through the file as she went down the hall, hardly looking up to press the button on the elevator. The elevator doors opened and she stepped out onto the Nuclear development floor, only to have something suddenly appear in front of her.

With a shriek of surprise, she stumbled back. Her papers scattered to the floor. She would have tripped if strong arms hadn't grabbed her. "Whoah. Watch out."

Her wide eyes fixed on the person who'd grabbed her and narrowed a moment later. "Goku! I told you not to do that. Learn to use the damn door!"

He sagged, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry, Bulma. I didn't mean to scare you."

With a tight-lipped scowl, she stooped to gather her dropped files. "It's alright Goku." She said with very little sincerity. "Did you need something?"

"Uhh…yeah actually."

She glanced up momentarily upon hearing his odd tone. "Well let's hear it then."

"Eh heh. Did you ever get that spaceship fixed?"

She paused and fixed him with a surprised look. "What for?"

"Just…wondering?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm a genius, Goku. Stop playing games. What do you want a ship for? Do you…sense something?"

He waved his hands in front of him. "Oh no. Nothing like that. I was just…uhh."

She finally collected all of her papers and stood. "Going to leave again? You too?" She started furiously shuffling her papers although they were fairly neat already. "There's a war going on and so you have to find some extravagant scheme just to get off of Earth and go fight in it? So what if space is more exciting and glamorous. You've got all you need right here."

Goku stuck his hands on his hips and cocked his head to the side. He wasn't sure, but it sounded like she had stopped talking about him.

"Is your family not good enough for you? Too boring? Would you rather run off with some exotic space chick?"

"Uhh…Bulma?"

She paused as if she'd forgotten that he was standing there.

"I don't want space chickens. I just want a ship."

She rolled her eyes. "Well I'm sorry, but I haven't fixed it yet."

"Do you think you could—"

"No!" She snapped. "I'm not going to waste my time fixing a ship just so that you can leave your family and go gallivanting around space."

"But—"

"Sorry, Goku, but I'm busy. Use your instant transmission if you really want to leave."

"But I can't find the right Ki signatures!" He complained.

Before Bulma could respond to that, her cell phone started ringing. Suppressing a growl, she pulled it out of her pocket. "Hello?...Mr. Kocho, yes this is Bulma Briefs. What do you mean he _left_ school? He _flew_ out the window? I…" Her cheeks grew red and she brought up a hand to rub her face. "Yes, I'm sorry about that. I'll take care of it. Alright. Thank you for calling me. Goodbye." She snapped the phone shut, and then with a frustrated cry threw it against the wall. She rubbed her face, horrified to find that her eyes were tearing up in frustration.

"Umm, Bulma." It was then that she realized that Goku was still standing behind her.

She took a deep stabilizing breath. "Yes, Goku?"

From the tone of his voice, she could tell that he'd finally noticed just how stressed she was right now. "Do you want me to go find him?"

She sighed and then, swallowing her pride, silently nodded.

A moment later, he disappeared.

She took a moment to calm herself, stooped to pick up her phone from where it had landed. She was somewhat disappointed to find that it hadn't broken. Taking a deep breath, she continued along her trajectory to the Nuclear department.

* * *

He slumped onto his seat in the small, dark restaurant. He'd heard people talk about this place. It was simply called "Pop's," it was old and dimly lit. But it apparently had the best food on this side of the galaxy. He figured that such an incredible hang over and the lingering frustration at his failure to brutally murder Kurenai was worth kicking out a lot of money for. Especially since—to his oh-so-great surprise—the tabloids featured new pictures of him and Midori, smashed and laughing, stumbling down the sidewalk with him clearly supporting her, and riding on the train the night before.

The restaurant was bustling, but somehow he still felt alone as he sat—or rather slumped miserably—at the counter.

After a few minutes, he grumpily realized that no one had approached him to take his order. He lifted his head, ready to start yelling at who ever was nearest him, only to have a drink slid onto the counter just where his head had been.

"It won't do for the son of King Vegeta to behave in such a manner, don't you think?"

Vegeta narrowed his eyes at the drink as if it had made the comment. "The son of King Vegeta has done worse." He stared down at his drink a moment longer and then took a sip. It was water. "What do you know about it?"

"More than you'd think."

Vegeta finally looked up at the person who was speaking to him. It was a large, portly man, with a rather enormous belly. He had orange scales covering the side of his face and his arms, and a tentacle-like mustache. Vegeta had seen people like him before, but he couldn't name the race. The man was studying Vegeta just as carefully as Vegeta was studying him.

"I'll tell you a story, shall I?"

"I didn't come for a story!" Vegeta snapped. "I came for food!"

"Well you'll have to wait."

"What?" Vegeta was astonished by his gall.

"It's already cooking." The man explained somewhat hurriedly. "Food doesn't cook instantly."

"I didn't even order."

Now the man smiled calmly again. "I know what you want."

Vegeta scoffed and gazed around at the other people in the restaurant as if daring them to take them as lightly as this man was now.

"You couldn't possibly." Vegeta said. Something inexplicable, some small tickling in the back of his mind was keeping glued in his seat. "Who the hell are you anyway?"

"The name's Pop." The man nodded his head in customary greeting. "I own the place."

"I gathered that from the name."

"Now about that story."

Vegeta rolled his eyes and was about to get up and just leave when the man's first sentence kept him rooted to his seat.

"Vegetasei's sky was a bright red. The night air was hot and smelled of spices. Lanterns were hung from every doorpost. Saiyans, wearing traditional garb wandered the streets, looking at the decorations, searching for food, and crowding around the field to watch Kung. Amongst them all was the tall, proud King Vegeta, his wife, the Queen, and their young son. Now little Prince Vegeta was only three years old at the time of this Natsu Festival, but he would remember every sight, every color, every song the drummers played. Though he wasn't interested in the dancers, he loved to watch the Kung players running around the field. He was especially excited to see his father start the Kung match—which is tradition among Saiyans. That's why, when night fell, and he was taken back to the palace, he was quite upset. He knew that the festivities would last well into the night, and he didn't think that a grown boy of three whole years would need anything so silly as a bedtime.

"That's why, as soon as his parents left him safely in bed under the watchful eye of his bodyguard, Nappa, he was up again, trying to sneak back to the festival."

Vegeta knew the rest of the story. He knew it in much more detail than this old man did. Still, he found himself listening. It wasn't often that he found anyone who could share an experience of Vegetasei with him, or who would have looked on his parents as people and not just as fear-inspiring rulers, traitors, or victims of Frieza's reign. Rooted in his place, he allowed the man to continue.

"But, a three year old, incredibly powerful as he may be, can not trick a guard who has known a life-time of service. He was caught instantly. I hear, though, that the look on his cute little face was so sorrowful that even the old warrior's heart was melted."

Vegeta suddenly felt a little guilt at the thought of Nappa, but then pushed it away. There was no point dwelling on that.

"Well lucky for them, the King was to hold a ball at midnight in the royal palace. This is also tradition. There would be much beautiful music, dancing and, most importantly, food. So Nappa took his young charge down to the kitchens, where he knew the best chefs in the universe would be cooking up both Saiyan and foreign delicacies. He found a chef. A younger man back in the day, maybe not quite so big around the middle, but his appearance may not have changed so much if you think about it."

Vegeta's eyes widened as he realized that the face of that anonymous chef was the same as the one of the man in front of him.

"That chef gave Prince Vegeta a Fres Tart with an extra-special chocolate filling."

Vegeta just stared. He didn't like the odd swirling feeling in his stomach that he had right then. "I…was four at that time."

Pop laughed heartily. "Were you? Oh my, well that changes the story quite a lot doesn't it?"

To Vegeta's own surprise, he felt his lip twitch upward.

"Ah! Here we are." A young woman had come out from the back with a food-laden tray. Pop took it from her. As the girl disappeared back into the back, Pop started placing dishes in front of Vegeta.

To Vegeta's surprise, he recognized some of them as things he'd eaten at the palace on Vegetasei.

"A Saiyan feast for a hungry Saiyan. It's been a while since I've cooked a Pato." He said with a smile. "Give it a try and tell me how I did."

Vegeta was almost nervous to try. It had been so long since he'd eaten Pato, a meal that consisted of a heaping pile red-colored sweetish-savory noodles, a large roasted animal of some sort drizzled in a thick sweet sauce, and thick, chip like things made of mashed vegetables. He didn't know if he could have remembered what it tasted like. Hesitantly, he picked up one of the chips and took a bite.

It was amazing.

Without bothering to thank Pop he dug in hungrily.

* * *

"Trunks Briefs, I want an explanation." Bulma said, fisting her hands angrily on her hips.

"I told you I didn't want to go to school."

"School isn't optional, young man. As long as you are living under my roof, you have to go."

"It doesn't matter, mom! It's not like I need an education. I'm going to work here when I'm older. And I'm not even fully human. Who cares?"

"I care!" She snapped. How on earth had her counterpart from the future managed to raise this child on her own? "Your father cares."

"Pfft. No he doesn't." He retorted.

Bulma was taken aback. She hesitated for a moment before asking. "What do you mean by that?"

"Because he hates all that human stuff. He always calls Gohan a nerd because he studies so much."

She nearly sighed in relief. "Trunks your father doesn't think that school is stupid. He wants you to succeed in every way—education included." At least she thought so.

Trunks squinted an eye as if considering that for the first time.

She sighed tiredly. "Tomorrow you will apologize to your teacher for disrupting class." She said.

"Aww mom!"

"This isn't a discussion. You're apologizing. That was entirely inappropriate. You know better than to fly out of the window in the middle of class."

He sighed and glared at the floor.

"Go call someone from your class and figure out what your homework is." She said, rubbing her temples. "And stay in your room until I tell you to come out."

"Why?"

"Because I'm calling your father, and I need to talk to him alone."

Trunks went pale and swallowed. "You're not going to tell him."

She narrowed her eyes. "Of course I'm going to tell him." Right after she figured out what that tabloid was all about.

* * *

The moment he stepped into his flat, he heard the chat screen beeping. Running a hand through his newly shortened hair, he went to answer the call.

"Where have you been?"

He blinked at her. She was clearly angry. Her eye makeup was smudged, indicating that she had been wiping at her eyes a lot. Her hair was messed. Her cheeks were flushed pink.

"Out to dinner." He said simply. To his surprise, he'd found the experience to be rather pleasant. He'd even taken some of the food back with him in case he wanted a snack later.

She narrowed her eyes.

He had an odd feeling curling in his stomach. If he didn't know any better, he would have guessed that she were angry at him about something. But that was impossible. He was across the universe.

Before he could open his mouth to ask her what was wrong, she started talking. "I'm not even going to dance around the subject." She reached down and picked up a piece of paper. "What is this?"

To his surprise and slight horror, he discovered it to be the same pictures as those on the tabloids that morning.

He felt his face get pale. "Where did you get that?" In retrospect it was probably the wrong question to ask.

"From the internet. Shiro likes celebrity news." She reached down for the other pictures she'd printed out. "Would you like to see the others?"

"Not really." He responded. His nice mood was quickly dissipating, and was being replaced by a sense of cornered panic.

"Too bad." She showed him another one. "This looks romantic."

He cocked his head, considering it. "It does, doesn't it?" He agreed. Man this photographer—whoever he was—was good.

Bulma's eyes widened in surprise at his reply.

He cocked an eyebrow in amusement. He loved being able to surprise her. "Did you want an explanation, or did you just want to yell at me?"

"Is there a reason to yell at you?" She asked testily.

He actually chuckled.

"I don't like that you're finding this so amusing." She said, her cheeks reddening more. "Imagine if you found pictures like this of me and some other man."

Her hurt expression sobered him more than her words did. "So you want the explanation then?" He shifted. "Alright. The picture of us in the doorway—the caption probably suggests some form of kissing—she was actually threatening to castrate me using a—well a spoon would be the Earth equivalent I guess."

Bulma's face lost all expression for a moment. She blinked, and Vegeta could tell that she was probably trying to figure out how that feat could be accomplished. Before she could do that, however, he continued. "The one of us in the train…" He hesitated, and he could tell that she had caught it. He sighed. "We were both drunk."

"Drunk?" Bulma repeated. She picked up the picture again and stared at it. Sure enough. On closer inspection, Vegeta's cheeks were pink, his eyes glazed over slightly. His normally rigid stance was loose and relaxed. What had at first appeared to be Midori leaning lovingly on his shoulder was now revealed to be her asleep in a drunken stupor and him too out of it to push her away.

Vegeta rubbed his temples. "Yeah."

"So…you what? Went out drinking together?"

He let out a chuckle of surprise. "No." He rubbed his temple again. He launched into the story of Midori's relationship issues, their booze fest, and Kurenai's call. Finally, he finished with. "..and when I woke up, they had both fled the planet and my hair was like Tarble's."

"Your…hair…?" She looked up and gasped. "Oh Dende!" She looked back at his face and chuckled upon seeing his blush and defensive scowl. "I like it." She declared.

The scowl got weaker, but the blush deepened.

She smiled at him. "I'm glad that this was all just a misunderstanding. I had such a terrible day."

He cocked an eyebrow in question.

She smiled longingly at him for a moment before shaking her head. "I'll tell you about it later." She could tell that he was in a rare good mood, and she didn't want to ruin it. How she wished that he could come back. Maybe there was something to Goku's idea of going to space.

But no, she was needed on Earth, and Vegeta was needed in space. Eventually, they would find some way to resolve the situation, but until then, they were stuck like this. They would just have to make the best of it.

* * *

A/N: So at first glance it may seem like a filler. Actually, there are a few elements in this chapter that will play a large role in the future. By now, you're all used to my style enough to know that things that seem like fillers can actually be pretty important. Unfortunately, I'm not going to reveal just what those things are. You'll have to wait and see.

And for all you Tarble fans, fret not. He'll be back.

Translation:

Trunks' Principal's name, Kocho, is simply the Japanese word for "principal, or headmaster."

For the Siayan dishes- Fres is my own variation of the French word "fraise" which means strawberry. And Pato is my variation of the French word "pates" or pasta.


	15. Honey part 1

Chapter 15 - Honey (part 1)

Vegeta stood on the platform staring at the bright red ship before him. People dressed in black jumpsuits bearing the Krimzon insignia—a symbol that combined traditional Krimzon characters that symbolized silk for empire and water for life as well as a character that resembled an English "I"—scurried back and forth. Most of the people on the landing were technicians. Not many people had permission to enter the area where Vegeta stood, even less so since the ship that just landed was that of the Empress herself.

Vegeta's arms were crossed tightly across his chest, fingers tapping his biceps impatiently. The door to the ship opened and his eye twitched at the sight of Kurenai and Midori. He held his composure however. Mostly.

"You're late." He snapped, although he'd only been waiting for ten minutes.

"Our apologies." Kurenai said insincerely.

He glanced to Midori. "Your clothes aren't transparent." He commented offhandedly.

"Of course." Midori said.

"Women are held to different standards on other planets, Vegeta." Kurenai explained, passing him swiftly on her way toward the car that awaited them. "It's best to err on the side of caution. No need to insult anyone on a diplomatic mission for something as simple as fashion."

Vegeta snorted and followed the two women crossly.

Once the three were comfortably installed in the car—Kurenai on one seat and Midori and Vegeta riding backwards across from her—Kurenai sent him a knowing smile. "You may begin."

His eyes narrowed at her condescending attitude. "You had no right."

"I notice that you're speaking only to me." Kurenai said.

"You told Midori to do it." He glanced to Midori. He wasn't entirely certain of his accusation, but he had a suspicion.

"Yes." Kurenai admitted easily. "I think it looks much better. I trust that your mate thinks so too, or else you would have started moaning the moment we landed."

He crossed his arms again, his fingers digging painfully into his biceps. "Why?"

"Perhaps I just wanted to clean you up a bit."

"Bullshit. You let her walk around looking like a trollop, and you take issue with my hair? Doubtful."

Kurenai chuckled, and only partially at Midori's offended expression. "Ok. That wasn't the reason. On another note, you need to get fitted for armor."

Vegeta paused for a moment to comprehend the sudden change in subject. "Armor?"

"Yes. If you want my armor technicians to make any alterations to the standard Krimzon armor to adopt symbols or traits from Saiyan or Earthling armor, you'll have to do it soon. It will take them several hours to make the alterations."

He blinked.

He was accustomed to space's concept of uniforms. For an earthling it may appear odd that uniforms—which admittedly denoted standardization—occasionally allowed for the expression of cultural identity. Kurenai's empire was not the "universal domination" type of empire. Kurenai had no interest in turning people into standardized machines, nor had she any interest in trying to homogenize all of the planets in her empire. That would cause far too much distrust and contention, and would be far too much effort on her part.

He hadn't even questioned the way that Midori's uniform was sheer. It was the right colors—black and red—and bore the Krimzon insignia. For someone of her rank and station, that was perfectly normal. Frieza's empire had even allowed high ranking warriors to incorporate aspects of their home dress—Zarbon's leg warmers were enough proof of that.

The personal touches to his armor hadn't been a surprise to him, but why would he need armor so soon?

He shared a suspicious glance with Midori.

"I have a small task for you." Kurenai's tone was cheerful—very foreboding. She looked between her two aides. "Both of you."

Vegeta sighed and rolled his eyes, while a look of dread found its way onto Midori's face.

"The planet Oso is due to have its bi-annual Honey Festival—" Vegeta cocked an eyebrow and without even looking at him, Kurenai anticipated his remark, "yes, Vegeta, Honey Festival—in two weeks. Now, the Oso as you undoubtedly know," She sent a pointed look to Vegeta that was vaguely reminiscent of the look Trunks' teacher had sent the boy whenever she mentioned homework. It suggested that Kurenai guessed—correctly as it was—that Vegeta in fact _did not_ know. She continued, "are very important allies to the Krimzon. Their soldiers are quite powerful, and they have always been loyal. Now, on to business. Tik soldiers are currently en route to Oso, and will arrive just before the festival. Their intentions, as I'm sure you've already guessed, are to exterminate the entire Oso population. You two," She smiled, "are to accompany my soldiers to Oso to get rid of the Tik before they have a chance to do that."

Vegeta couldn't help the smirk that crept onto his face. Finally, he would get a chance to stretch his legs a bit!

Midori, however looked less than thrilled. "Are you sure it's a good idea to send him to another planet. You heard the Queens of Uenon. They were most displeased that you'd taken him in." Vegeta scowled at the fact that they were speaking of him as if he weren't there.

"Which is exactly the reason that we didn't take Vegeta with us." And all this time, Vegeta thought they'd been running away from him. Hm. "You'll find, though, that the Prime Minister of Oso will be much more welcoming than the Queens of Uenon would have been. He met Vegeta's father once. Apparently they got on quite well. And due to certain circumstances, he tends to be much more forgiving than most of former Planet Trade members."

Midori frowned, but didn't ask for an elaboration. Vegeta suspected that she simply didn't want to go. For someone who had just gotten back from a ten day trip into space, the prospect of leaving again was probably not appealing.

"Now, Midori, don't give me that look. You'll enjoy the trip. The Honey Festival is renowned for its good food. And the Oso men, well…" She smiled. "You'll see them for yourself."

Though the mention of universally-renowned food had indeed piqued Vegeta's interest, Midori still looked miserable.

"Vegeta." He looked up just in time to see Kurenai give a small wave of her right hand. He heard a click, and suddenly the collar that he'd been wearing for the past few weeks fell off. He caught it before it hit his lap and stared at it in surprise. "You are to behave yourself. Midori will keep the collar with her unfortunately. The same rules apply. You are to harm no one but Tik. I will be watching everything…and so will the international media, as it happens."

Before Vegeta could come back with a snide retort, Midori cried indignantly. "Oh no! Kurenai, honestly!"

"Midori, the media always flock to Oso for the Honey Festival. Besides, Vegeta has become a new celebrity. If he plays his cards right, he may just convince the universe that he's of noble character." She gave him a significant look. "Which means, of course, that torture and excessive displays of brutality are off limits."

He rolled his eyes, but he could feel his heart speed up in excitement at the idea of a battle. He suspected that Kurenai sensed his excitement somehow, despite the fact that he didn't let it show on his face, for she sent him an almost pleased smile before turning away.

"One last thing. Although you two are ranking officers, _do_ listen to Commander Pion. He knows a lot more about the situation than either of you do. Oh, and your ship leaves from Dock 17 tomorrow at 1-H."

"But…but that's…dawn!" Midori whined.

Kurenai waved her concern away. Their car lowered itself gently in Kurenai's personal garage.

Midori was clearly pouting.

"I suggest you both hurry to get packed." Kurenai said as an aide opened the door for her. "You're dismissed."

Vegeta glanced over at Midori.

"Oh shut up!" She snapped, although he hadn't said anything.

He narrowed his eyes and then smirked. He snatched her braid, and using his newly returned Ki, cut five inches off the end of it. His smirk growing, he dropped the severed hair (chains and all) into her lap and climbed out of the car. He reached Kurenai's side just in time to hear Midori's enraged scream.

Kurenai glanced up at him. "That was childish." She said, somehow knowing what he had done.

He hmphed. "No more childish than your stunt. I'd expected better of someone of your breeding and…" He looked her up and down with a clearly unimpressed sneer. "age."

"That's hurts me deeply, Vegeta." She said with mock sincerity. "But, just so you know, Midori is one of the most powerful witches in the universe." Vegeta had known that, which was the reason that he was currently walking beside the old woman and not heading back to his apartment. "And I won't stop her from turning you into a Fungazoid."

"Of course you will." He said confidently. "I wouldn't be able to fight for you if I were a giant mushroom." He stuck a hand on his hip. "And if she's so powerful, she can just make it grow back."

"She could also make all of _your_ hair fall out." Kurenai said, causing Vegeta to grow pale. "Which wouldn't hinder your fighting ability in the least."

"It would if I refused to fight for you." He said, crossing his arms.

Kurenai just smirked at him and stepped into the elevator.

* * *

The next morning found him standing on Dock 17 in his new armor (with his hair still, thankfully, all on his head). The trip to planet Oso would take 12 days, but it was apparently necessary to dress in armor at all times during the trip. Vegeta supposed that it made sense, though he couldn't imagine armor helping at all if the ships were blown up in space.

Krimzon armor, like all Krimzon uniforms, was red and black. Vegeta's consisted of a flexible black chest plate with red trim that covered his entire torso. Rounded black shoulder pads shone in even the dimmest light The Krimzon insignia was on the left side of his chest. A smaller crest of Vegetasei was right below it—he'd been almost nostalgic the first time he'd seen it…almost.

His black pants were, unlike his usual uniform pants, loose. High black boots were the usual fighting footwear. A fighter's pants were generally tucked into the boots so that they wouldn't become a tripping hazard. Planet Oso was apparently a very hot place, and so he opted for a sleeveless red undershirt, fingerless black gloves that came up halfway to his elbow, and no cape. It was apparently bright too, and so he'd chosen a rather personal, earthling addition as well—sunglasses.

The lower ranking soldiers who stood in file on the platform before him looked more standardized, although they were also allowed to wear insignias of their home planet below the Krimzon insignia on their chests.

Midori, again wearing opaque clothing, was wearing armor as well, but her pants were red and slightly shimmery. Her black chest armor had a more feminine cut, and had red and silver lines crossing it in imitation of her usual shirt-wrap. Her silver rings and chains were still in her face and hair, but her long hair had been twisted into a bun on the back of her head. A belt with several pouches and his Ki collar hung loosely around her hips. He had no idea what was in the pouches.

Commander Pion, a thin, green, bird-like man with a hooked nose and a tuft of red hair shooting straight up on his head stood to the other side of Midori shouting orders to his troops.

As one, the troops snapped to attention and then began marching into the ten awaiting ships. Vegeta and Midori would be flying with the Commander and the first squadron of troops.

A feeling of déjà vu briefly flitted through his mind. He remembered standing time and again on platforms like this, dressed in his blue and white armor, Nappa and perhaps Raditz flanking him. He'd never been in this position though—he'd never stood beside the people shouting orders. Never stood before a ship with the intent of saving a population rather than destroying it.

He shook the thought away, and noticing that the Commander and Midori were turning to head toward the ship, followed them.

* * *

"So I can talk to Vegeta through this thing?"

"Yep." Trunks said, making the final connection to the vid chat screen. "You can also watch intergalactic tv."

"Really?" Goten asked. "Cool! Like what?"

"This is crazy!" Videl said leaning closer to have a better look. "I didn't even know they had tv in space."

"It sure was nice of Bulma to give us one of these." Goku said inspecting the machine that she'd sent over. It was one of the prototypes that she'd replicated. She was still waiting approval to sell them commercially. Unfortunately, that was hitting roadblocks left and right. Apparently, most of Earth's governments preferred if the populations did not have access to intergalactic media, and therefore had banned the machines. Since she had so many, she'd decided to send one to each of her friends' households.

"They've got cartoons, but some of them are kinda violent and gross. They've also got a lot of celebrity news. That's what Shiro watches, but it's really boring. There are all kinds of weird sports and game shows too."

"Could we see what's going on with the war?" Gohan asked.

"Umm yeah…" Trunks said pressing a few buttons on the control. "Here's the main news channel."

"…_a surprise visit to Planet Oso for the Honey Festival. These two have been making headlines lately, particularly since Midori ended her relationship with Chet Romonuptri several weeks ago._"

"Uhh…Trunks?" Goten said, as the entire Son family and Trunks stared in surprise at the screen. "Is that your dad?"

"Yes…" Trunks said lamely, blinking in surprise at the screen. "Yes it is."

Sure enough, on the screen, dressed in black and red sleeveless armor and a pair of sunglasses stood Vegeta. Beside him was that same woman, Midori, that they'd seen a few weeks before. Whereas Vegeta looked perfectly at ease in his surroundings, Midori was staring around warily.

"Whoah!" Goku suddenly exclaimed, pointing dramatically to Vegeta. "His hair!"

Gohan and Goten mirrored his expression of surprise. "He cut his hair?" Gohan asked. "But…but…"

The announcer's voice cut him off. _"Prince Vegeta amazed the entire Krimzon Empire several weeks ago when he led a squadron of thirty Ki-blocked Krimzon soldiers to victory against a hundred Tik soldiers including six elites."_

"_For our viewers who are just tuning in, Prince Vegeta was not at the battle. Nor was he on the planet at the time."_ On the screen, Vegeta said something to someone off screen and then began walking away. He walked swiftly and smoothly over the yellow, rocky landscape, but Midori was having a little more trouble. The camera crew hurried to follow after them. _"He'd never met a single one of the soldiers and had been briefed of the situation on the spot. He directed the battle through a com link from the planet Iro. The battle lasted for two days, during which time, amazingly, not a single Krimzon soldier was killed."_

"Wow." Gohan said, clearly impressed. "Go Vegeta."

Goku, however was pouting. "He gets to have all the fun."

"Oh come on, dad. He wasn't actually at the battle." Gohan tried to reassure him. He knew well that his father had been trying to sneak off the planet for the past few weeks. He hadn't mentioned anything to his mom or Goten about it though.

The announcer began speaking again. _"There have been rumors that a fleet of Tik soldiers numbering in the thousands are on their way to Oso as we speak. The Oso are known for their prowess in battle. These large, powerful warriors have defended their planet against many attacks so far, and have been among the Krimzon's greatest allies. However, it seems as though Emperor Hui has decided to eradicate the population once and for all."_

There were cries of horror and outrage from the Son living room.

_"Empress Kurenai has said, however that there is no cause for alarm." _The announcer continued. _"She has sent her own fleet to protect the planet, along with what she has said was—and I quote—a 'surprise.'"_

An off-screen reporter began speaking. _"Does anyone have any idea what that surprise may be?"_

_"Well, Unlott, most people suspect that the surprise is Prince Vegeta himself."_

"_Really?"_

The announcer nodded. _"Prince Vegeta's Ki collar has officially been removed, which to some is a clear indication that Kurenai sent him here to fight. Both he and Midori have refused to talk to us however." _

"_How much of a role might Kurenai expect Prince Vegeta to play in this battle, if indeed that was her intent?"_

"_It is hard to say. We have it from a very reliable source that Commander Pion is in charge of the operation, and that Midori and Prince Vegeta are only here if their powers are needed. Empress Kurenai does not want the Oso soldiers to miss the Honey Festival, and so she is having her own soldiers take up the front line. Although Prince Vegeta has been very candid about revealing his actual power level, many people believe him to be more powerful than the entire Cold Clan."_

The other reporter gasped, and Goku clicked his tongue. He slouched down and rested his cheek on his fist.

"_Thanks Minh. We'll be back to you later to see how this develops."_ The screen switched to a reporter—presumably Unlott—who somewhat resembled a white snow fox, standing in a semispherical room. On the background behind him was a rather impressive map of the universe. _"Now we'll turn our attention to the Saggitarius system, where brutal fighting is still under way between a small fleet of Tik and the Krimzon's 730__th__ division fleet 5."_

"Wow, it's crazy out there." Videl commented.

Gohan nodded. "Makes you feel grateful to live so far out in the middle of nowhere doesn't it?"

"Middle of nowhere?" Videl asked.

"Yea…" Gohan said. "As far as solar systems are concerned, ours is pretty far out of the way. I guess you never hung around with Vegeta much. He used to complain about how backwater this place was all the time."

Goten and Trunks giggled.

Goku sighed and stared wistfully at the tv where images of a huge battle were being shown.

"Hey Goku?" Trunks asked suddenly. "If you leave to fight, can you take me with you?"

Goku blinked. "What?"

"_Now, we turn our attention to the Milky Way system, where the Tik line is pushing forward. This obscure, northern planet, called Ee…Earth…is not an official member of the Krimzon empire, but in the past few months, it has apparently established a few bilateral agreements with Iro. This mysterious little planet is rumored to be the place where Frieza and King Cold met their ends, although there has never been any proof of that. It is also rumored to be the planet where Prince Vegeta had been hiding out for the past twelve years."_

Trunks' question was immediately forgotten as all attention turned once again toward the tv.

An image of Earth had appeared on the screen. _"The Earth is covered in about 70% water. Its dominant population is mammalian and apparently closely resemble Saiyans. The planet is also believed to be home to a plethora of different plant and animal species as well as valuable minerals. The population is fearful of outsiders, however, and not at all welcoming of alien visitors. Over the past few centuries, a handful of vacation-goers and explorers have traveled to this planet. They often go missing. Survivors of these accounts tell of horrifying experiments, brutal treatment, and "shoot first" policies. Sorry folks, this is one exotic planet that it is not safe to vacation to._

"_Now, two waves of Tik troops have already attempted to take the planet, and it is clear that Hui has not yet given up on it. After the planet Aquarian, which was a major source of water for the Tik, left the Tik to seek refuge in the Krimzon Empire two weeks ago, Emperor Hui has turned his attentions once again toward Earth. The Earth, despite its own military and an exchange of technology with the Krimzon Empire, is relatively undefended. Only days ago, Krimzon Scouter troops reported picking up traces of at least six ships carrying approximately 100 soldiers en route to Earth as we speak. They are expected to make landfall within the month. As of this time, the leader of Earth, King Furry, has not requested further aid from Iro._

"_And now it's on to our celebrity news. More details on the big break-up_—" Trunks muted the tv.

The Son living room was in shock.

"Did he just say…" Videl began and then trailed off.

Gohan blinked, still staring at the tv. "Y…yeah…"

* * *

It was hot. He didn't know how the inhabitants of Oso could live in so much heat with such thick, dark fur.

His own black sleeveless Krimzon uniform vest was sticking to him. He considered taking it off and just going about in his red sleeveless undershirt, but figured that that probably wouldn't be princely behavior.

Despite its weather, Oso was beautiful. The plateau that the grounded Krimzon ship had touched down on boasted a phenomenal view of the landscape. Mountains, lush jungles, rivers and water falls stretched out in every direction.

It hadn't taken long for emissaries of the Oso Ministry to meet them and escort them down the plateau and into the thick jungle where one of Oso's largest "cities"—or population centers—sat. Vegeta was amazed to see that the people made their homes in the trees—and not only just in the branches. Many homes were apparently made in the hollowed-out trunks of the trees. Bridges were made to link trees together, stairs wound up the trees disappearing into the canopy above them.

Osonian people came to their windows to gaze at the visitors as they passed. Vegeta could feel that most people were staring at him.

They came into a place where there seemed to be more people. A group of old Osonian men wandered onto a pathway overhead, and upon seeing them beat their chests and started roaring. After a few moments, more people emerged from nearby trees. Upon seeing the Krimzon soldiers, they followed the elders' examples and began beating their chests and roaring as well.

Vegeta glanced to Midori curiously.

"They're welcoming us as saviors." She explained before turning her eyes forward. "You should read about planets before you visit them."

He huffed, but couldn't seem to get over the odd feeling that the Osonian peoples' welcome was giving him. This was certainly an experience that Vegeta could say that he'd never gotten—except maybe by his family and acquaintances on Earth once or twice.

On the wooden paths above the Krimzon troops, barely-clad, black-furred children ran, cheering, laughing, and showering flower petals down on them.

Osonian women were quite a sight to see. Their fur was braided, and intertwined with ribbons of some sort. Small bits of metal hung from the end of these short micro braids causing the women to jingle when they moved. He was finding it oddly enchanting, but he figured that that was probably the idea.

Osonian men were large and bulky, and had huge teeth and long claws to finish off whatever intimidation their size failed to produce. None of them wore shirts. Apparently the style for men was a simple pair of brown slacks made of what appeared to be a very course material. Some wore straps around their arms and chest to which they strapped knives and other sorts of weapons. The planet was on high alert, apparently, due to the Tik threat.

He found that whereas the children didn't look at him any differently from the other Krimzon troops, and the elders and women seemed to accept his presence, the younger Osonian men seemed to eye him warily. It made sense, he supposed. The Osonian men were the normal protectors of the planet. They were now being expected to put the fate of their planet in the hands of someone else—someone who, until recently, had been one of the most feared people in the universe.

A flower petal floated down in front of Vegeta, he caught it gently, smirking a bit at the cheer that went up among the children at his action.

"Keep that." Midori said. "They have magical properties."

He glanced over to see that she had pulled a pouch from her belt and was popping the flower petals that she caught inside it.

Vegeta twirled the petal between his fingers as he walked, examining the odd city. They were approaching the city center, he realized. Whereas the homes and "buildings" they'd walked through before had been made only of trees and wood, he was beginning to see the use of stone in the architecture, a sign of wealth, power, and probably outside influence as well.

The thick jungle rather suddenly parted to reveal a towering stone building. The architecture was unlike anything he'd ever seen—spires, columns, curved lines. The building seemed to somehow embody the nature that surrounded it.

There were a few reporters with cameras around the building. They rushed the crowd of Krimzon soldiers as they approached the building but were entirely ignored.

Vegeta and the others were led up some high stone steps and into an elaborately carved hall. Ribbons hung from the columns and blew in the breeze that wafted through the window.

"Welcome!" A loud shout hailed them as soon as they were inside. A brightly dressed, large, Osonian strode toward them, his arms open in greeting.

"Prime Minister Kolo'hu." Commander Pion said accepting the large hug that the Prime Minister gave him with practiced ease.

Midori was a bit more flustered by the hug she received, but she quickly smiled and nodded in greeting. Vegeta was shocked and almost horrified when the large, round Osonian turned to him and scooped him off the ground. He remained stiff, and had to fight the urge to knock the man off him. A moment later he was set down and held at arms length. "You look like your father. A good man, King Vegeta was. A good man. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." With that he turned and motioned toward the group of Osonians behind him. "I would like to introduce you all to my family."

The Prime Minister's wife had died years before. He had eight daughters, only two of which were married. Vegeta didn't bother to learn their names, even though some of his younger daughters were eyeing him somewhat flirtatiously. He was snapped back to the conversation by the sound of his name. "And, Prince Vegeta, you may know my son in law, Lu'cha. He had the unfortunate displeasure of being recruited into Freiza's army for a time."

Vegeta turned his attention to the large, clearly powerful Osonian warrior that the Prime Minister was motioning to. The warrior's shirtless furry chest was crossed with scars, much like Vegeta's own. A large scar ran from the right side of his forehead to his cheek. Whatever had cut him had apparently taken his eye with it. Vegeta thought that he vaguely recognized the man. He'd probably seen him once or twice in the years that he'd served under Frieza, though he had never talked to him.

Vegeta didn't particularly like running into Frieza's former soldiers. They were just reminders of painful times, and things he regretted.

The two locked eyes, both ignoring the Prime Minister as he continued his cheerful greetings. From the look in Lu'cha's eyes, Vegeta figured that he felt the same way. They studied each other. Vegeta didn't know where Lu'cha's loyalty had been. He may have to be careful around him.

Rather suddenly, Lu'cha's lip twitched upward into a smirk and he nodded in greeting. Vegeta blinked and did the same.

The Prime Minister began leading them out of the entrance hall, and up some stairs. Within five minutes, Vegeta found himself in a surprisingly modern communication and surveillance room. It was a bit of a shock to see all of the computers there. Seeing the homes made of trees and the simple way that people dressed, he'd imagined that they wouldn't have much technology at all.

"The Tik ships have passed our outlying radar. Abiding by Kurenai's suggestion, I have not sent out ships to engage in combat."

Vegeta was once again surprised at the fact that these people had ships. He stood back as Commander Pion examined the position of the ships and guessed at their arrival time.

Vegeta wasn't the least bit afraid of the Tik soldiers. With his Ki collar gone, he couldn't honestly say that he was worried about anything—except maybe a Meiyochi. That could be a problem. He was finding it quite exciting actually, this idea of fighting again. The fact that he would be doing it for a good cause was nice as well.

* * *

The festival had been scheduled to begin only two days after the Krimzon soldiers landed, and true to form, it did begin. The Tik ships had slowed down. Krimzon ships encircled the planet protecting it from any outside assault.

On Oso, Vegeta and Midori were led by a bustling Prime Minister Kolo'hu through the brightly decorated streets. It was just breaking dawn, and a fog was still lingering, giving the forest a somewhat surreal feeling. Ribbons hung from every branch in sight making the forest an enchanted rainbow of colors.

Osonian children ran through the streets with honey flavored candies. Vendors called out of windows hawking hot food and drinks. Reporters seemed torn between filming the festivities or getting a scoop from the two top ranking Krimzon soldiers or the Prime Minister as they passed.

As they passed small clearings, they saw crowds of people dancing in various styles and laughing. Music seemed to permeate the area, drifting through the trees and on the wind. People were selling food out of their homes, in the streets, everywhere. Following Kolo'hu's advice, Vegeta had gotten a weaved basket full of spicy meats and was contentedly munching as he was guided through the streets.

The main festivities wouldn't begin until nightfall, but the morning of the festival was important in creating the right spirit apparently. Vegeta for once didn't mind the commotion. Kurenai had been right. The food was amazing—and due to his position, he had more often than not been given extra servings for free.

Just as they reached a clearing where some traditional Osonian sport would be played, Vegeta's and Midori's scouters began beeping. Simultaneously they pulled them out and answered.

"_The Tik ships are on the move. They're hitting our lines hard from the west. Be ready." _That was all that was said before the link cut off.

Vegeta and Midori glanced at each other. "Excuse us." Midori said, and took to the air. Vegeta blinked. He didn't recall ever seeing Midori fly. Interestingly, he didn't sense her using Ki.

Without wasting much time thinking about that, he took off as well.

The two reached the plateau where their ship had landed. They would not be taking it into space. Although Commander Pion had gone back into space to lead his troops, Vegeta and Midori were to stay on the planet to protect it from anyone who got past the Krimzon line and to prevent any large blasts from hitting the surface.

This plateau just so happened to be the best place to see the sky.

Despite the fact that it was daytime, it seemed as though the sky was littered with brightly colored stars. Those stars, Vegeta knew, were explosions happening in space.

He put on his scouter and tuned in to what was happening in the battle above. He could hear Commander Pion yelling to his troops.

Quite suddenly, he felt his Ki being blocked again. His first instinct was to raise his hand to his neck to feel for the collar, but the sudden whispered curse from Midori made him realize that her magic had just been blocked as well.

Over the scouter, he could hear soldiers yelling that the Meiyochi had been turned on. Commander Pion began yelling for soldiers to use their guns and to fall back into formation.

Vegeta picked up another piece of spicy meat and popped it into his mouth with a frown. If the Meiyochi wasn't destroyed, they would be massacred.

* * *

A/N: Sorry about the long wait. It's been really rough with school lately, and for the duration of the mid-term season (which is lasting for the next few weeks), I will likely only be able to update every two weeks. Again sorry about this. I'll try to get new chapters up as frequently as possible.

Thanks to all of you who have been following the story! I hope you enjoyed the update. And a special thanks to all of you who reviewed as well!

Translation:

Oso- Spanish for "bear"


	16. Honey part 2

Chapter 16- Honey (Part 2)

"Move Trunks!" Goten whined. "I can't see."

"It's not me that's in your way, Goten." Trunks snapped. "It's everyone else. And besides, it's my dad that's there!"

"We need a bigger tv." Krillin complained. "Why didn't we do this at Capsule Corp?"

"Because we can't do target practice at Capsule Corp." Gohan reminded him. The group was crowded into the Kame House sitting room all trying to get a glance at the tv where an intergalactic news channel was airing scenes from the battle on Oso..

"It's not looking good for them." Yamcha commented, staring at the screen.

"_We've just had reports that both the Meiyochi and the Myomoshu have been activated." _The reporter announced._ " Krimzon soldiers have been ordered to fall back and regroup. The festival on Oso is continuing as planned. There is a heightened sense of nervousness, but, the population has not yet begun to panic." _Images of the festivities on Oso, showing furry bear-like people dancing and eating were aired.

"Come on!" Trunks yelled at the screen. "Who cares about the festival? Get back to the fight!"

"Don't worry, Trunks." Krillin said. "Vegeta will be fine."

"Yeah, he's come out of worse situations than this." Yamcha agreed. Trunks relaxed a bit, and cast a glance to Goku. Goku had been quiet since they'd turned on the tv. He appeared to be concentrating on something.

"_Prince Vegeta has begun talking to Commander Pion."_

Trunks turned his attention back to the screen to see his father standing there, talking into a scouter. The woman, Midori was beside him, her arms crossed and staring at Vegeta with a wary expression.

"_Can you tell us what he's saying?" _An off-screen reporter asked.

"_The few Krimzon soldiers who remained on planet Oso won't let us close enough to talk to him, but we believe that he has a way of sensing concentrations of high power levels without using a scouter. It would appear that he and the Commander are trying to figure out which ship the Meiyochi and Myomoshu are on so they can concentrate their attack on that one."_

"_Well I don't understand how that's possible, but I guess we'll leave it to them."_

The reporter laughed._ "Right you are, Unlott. Prince Vegeta at least appears to be quite confident, and that is doing a lot for the morale of the Krimzon soldiers here."_

"_I see he's still eating Osonian festival food." _Unlott laughed.

"_It's the spicy meat, called Epicirou." _The reporter said_. "I had some myself. It's phenomenal. Oh wait…they're going into the ship now."_

"Are they going into space?"

"_I don't know. But I'll find out."

* * *

_

Upon entering the Krimzon ship's control room, Vegeta immediately activated the radar to see the plot of ships. Red dots appeared on the screen. He counted forty Tik ships total. If Kurenai's estimate of 2000 Tik soldiers was correct, there should be 50 soldiers on each ship. But there weren't.

He crossed his arms over his chest, considering the positions of the ships before him, and then sighed in annoyance as Midori stepped up beside him. He hoped that she had enough sense to stay quiet and let him think. Thankfully, Commander Pion was also somewhat quiet, opting to shout orders to his men and not badger Vegeta with ill-timed questions.

The radar showed a line of twenty Tik ships advancing on the Krimzon. If his Ki sense was telling him correctly, then each of those twenty had approximately 50 soldiers—perhaps a few more. The other thirty ships hovered behind the line in five groups of six—each in a triangle formation.

He closed his eyes, pinpointing the positions of ki in the sky above him. He then opened his eyes and compared it to the graph in front of him. His eyes locked onto one abnormality. One of the groups of six—the second one from the left. Five of those six also held around fifty. A normal scouter would only be able to pick up the cluster of ships and not be able to tell the positions of the people inside. Vegeta's Ki sense, however, was much more sensitive. He sensed a hollow space—or far fewer life forms—on one of the ships.

"The second triangle formation to the left. At the back, in the center." He said into his scouter. "There are hardly any soldiers on that one—they clearly weren't planning on landing. The ship with the Meiyochi and Myomoshu are most likely at the back of that triangle formation."

There was a silence. Then finally. "You're probably right. I'll have my men take it out."

Vegeta watched on the radar as some of the Krimzon ships suddenly disengaged from their battles and shot forward. Seven of those Krimzon ships broke through the line of Tik and advanced on the six ships in the triangle formation that Vegeta had indicated. The rest of the Krimzon ships spread out to try to prevent the Tik from descending onto Oso.

"This will have to be fast." Vegeta mumbled, hating the fact that he wasn't even able to see the battle.

He watched on the radar as the Krimzon approached. Some Tik ships from the other formations broke off to provide aid—he'd been right. There was something very valuable in that formation.

Commander Pion shouted to his soldiers to move faster. The seven Krimzon ships hit the triangle formation. Four began engaging in battle, while the other three wrapped around the left side.

Vegeta saw one of the Krimzon ships disappear from the radar, and immediately felt the loss of life. He frowned, but made no other outward sign that he'd noticed it.

The minutes passed, each one looking grimmer than the one before. The other Tik ships were getting closer.

A bead of sweat trickled down his temple. It was odd how he always felt the most anticipation when he was directing a battle, rather than when he was fighting in it. His eyes narrowed. The Krimzon ship had reached their destination.

On the front line, Tik ships were overpowering the line of Krimzon ships. Some were breaking through the line and heading toward Oso's atmosphere. His fingers began tapping a nervous pattern on his bicep.

Then the Tik ship that he'd told Commander Pion to attack disappeared.

Immediately, he felt his Ki rush back to him. Vegeta let out a breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding and grinned. Beside him, Midori gasped. "But…how did you…?"

He smirked mysteriously at her and ran out of the command room. In his ear, Commander Pion was still yelling for his right wing to pull back and block the Tik descent. Vegeta knew they wouldn't make it. "Pion. I've got the ones landing. You take care of the ones still in space." He yelled as he ran.

He emerged from the ship into the bright sunlight to see that the Krimzon soldiers were close to celebrating. Their power was back too. The reporters were in a frenzy, trying to ask uncooperative Krimzon soldiers what had happened.

"You!" Vegeta motioned to the entire squadron of Krimzon soldiers. "Keep shrapnel from falling on the people." They seemed confused by the order, but they would figure it out soon enough. Midori ran out of the ship behind him. He paid her no mind. He was searching the sky.

In his ear, Pion was trying to catch his attention.

He cut him off. "Let them through. Save your men and keep the Tik from firing on the planet itself. I'll take care of the ships that enter the atmosphere."

"What are you talking about? How could you…"

He could feel the rush of battle coming on, and grinned. "Don't underestimate the abilities of the Prince of all Saiyans!"

There. He couldn't see it, but he could feel that a Tik ship was plummeting through the atmosphere a small way off. In a flash, he powered up to super saiyan and rocketed into the air, leaving a stunned Midori, the crowd of Krimzon soldiers, and shocked reporters behind him.

He arrived in front of the Tik ship only moments after he'd taken off. He stuck out his hand, checking the trajectory.

_Good. No Krimzon ships directly behind it._

"Final Flash!" He was momentarily surprised at how long the ship was holding up. Whatever Tik ships were made of, it was very strong. But then, it had never met with the Prince of all Saiyans before. With a yell, he intensified the Ki blast, smirking as the metal began buckling and peeling off. He felt Tik soldiers dying inside it—perhaps from the pressure, perhaps from the heat, perhaps from the blasts that were breaking through the metal.

A minute later, the ship was nothing more than a few burnt scraps of metal.

He wiped his forehead as he stared at his handiwork. Only…forty or so left to go.

He looked back toward the plateau to see that the Krimzon soldiers had finally understood what he meant and were rocketing toward him.

In his ear, he heard a Krimzon technician reporting that the ship that had broken through had disappeared from the radar.

"What?" Pion asked. "What happ…was that you, Vegeta?"

"Of course."

"But…how?"

"I shot a ki blast at it."

"You…but…"

"I destroyed it." Vegeta clarified. "Let a few more through."

* * *

Hours later, Vegeta had destroyed almost twenty Tik ships in the same fashion. Despite a slight fatigue, however, he was mostly bored with his task. It shouldn't have been surprising therefore that after so much time of blasting ships in the air, he allowed one of them to land—much to everyone's consternation of course.

But in his defense, the Commander was taking care of things in space, and between Vegeta, Midori, and the twenty or so Krimzon soldiers who'd been left on Oso, there was nothing that could possibly go wrong.

So Vegeta simply floated in the air watching as the Tik ship hurtled toward the ground before finally dropping down to land behind a line of trees.

He was pretty sure that he'd get an earful from Kurenai when he got back, but he needed some entertainment.

With a smirk of anticipation, he shot off toward where the ship had landed. Fully aware that Midori was hot on his heels, he flew over the trees, gazing at the ground until he finally ran across the clearing where the ship had landed. A moment later, he touched down in front of the ship and folded his arms impatiently.

"Vegeta!" Midori dropped down beside him, her boots crunching loudly on the dried leaves. She was so graceless. He glanced over at her coolly. As he'd expected, she looked just as cross as she had several minutes before, when Vegeta had first told her that he was not going to destroy the ship in the air. "Destroy it now!"

"No."

"There is no sense in letting them run amok among the population just because you got bored. You didn't come here to entertain yourself!" She growled when he didn't move, and striding around before him, stuck her fists on her hips. "Is any of this making it through your thick skull?"

"Oh look, it's opening." Completely ignoring her tirade, he pointed to the door. "Finally." Then, he frowned. "They're sending the cannon fodder out first."

Midori turned her attention toward the ship where some frightened, low powered soldiers were staring in horror at Vegeta. Midori waved a hand, and the first line of soldiers were immediately headless. As the remaining Tik soldiers shrieked and began clambering back into the ship, Midori turned to Vegeta who was blinking in surprise at the suddenly decapitated soldiers.

"Vegeta, this is stupid!" She snapped.

He had to resist the urge to bring his hand defensively to his neck. He didn't particularly like magic. He shook himself, and regained control of the situation. "Ok. We'll make a deal." He said lightly, despite his lingering nervousness at her previous display of power. He hoped that Midori couldn't read people as well as Kurenai could. "You take care of the weak soldiers. I'll handle the elite. They're sending them out now." He saw her hand begin to move again and snatched her wrist.

"DON'T INTERRUPT MY SPELLS!" She shrieked as if he'd just almost killed them both. As far as he knew, that might be the case. But what's done is done.

"Don't kill them yet!" He snapped. "I want to fight them. Go take care of the little ones if you want something to do."

"Fine!" She snapped, and waving her hand again, the six elite soldiers were lifted out of the ship's door and then deposited in a confused, shouting pile at Vegeta's feet. "You better pray that no one gets hurt."

He checked their power levels and snorted. No one was going to get hurt. He wondered if they could fuse. Maybe Midori could fuse them. He looked back up as the soldiers pulled themselves scrambling to their feet. Midori had already disappeared into the ship.

When he turned back to the Tik soldiers, they were all crouched into fighting positions. "Don't worry about being fair." He told them with a smirk. "Why don't you all come at once?"

They elite soldiers glanced at each other, and then as one, lunged toward Vegeta.

He just stood there cockily as they neared him. It wasn't until they were upon him that he finally moved. Grabbing the first soldier's fist just before it could reach his face, Vegeta crushed it. Although he was pleasantly surprised at the amount of force that had been behind the punch, it still wasn't enough to stagger him. He the flung the soldier into two other approaching soldiers. He turned back to the other three just in time to see another one send a kick to his head.

"Too slow." Vegeta said, tauntingly, and grabbing the soldier's foot sent him careening into a nearby cliff face. Vegeta frowned as he felt the soldier's life force disappear. It had been so long since he'd fought, he'd forgotten how much more powerful he was than everyone else. Oh well.

He turned back to the other soldiers. The three that had fallen had pulled themselves back to their feet, and the five remaining soldiers were facing off against him.

Commander Pion was suddenly in his ear. "Another ship broke through, Vegeta. Can you handle it?"

Vegeta frowned, and then shrugged. "Yeah, I've got it."

He motioned for the other soldiers to charge him. Four did, though one lagged behind.

Five seconds later, he was staring in disappointment at the bodies of the four Tik soldiers and wiping his gloves clean. Although they weren't nearly as weak as he'd expected them to be, he'd still easily decapitated all of them with just simple chops to the neck.

He wondered though, if Hui was sending such powerful soldiers on a routine purge, how powerful were his personal guards…and how powerful was Hui? He was suddenly very curious to find out.

With the first four dispatched, he turned his attention to the fifth. The fifth soldier threw a strange blast at him. Vegeta raised his hand to swat it away, but as soon as the blast touched his skin, he felt his body stiffen.

_What the…?_

He couldn't move.

He couldn't speak.

With a smirk, the fifth soldier began striding toward him. Vegeta could only watch defenselessly as the man pulled a pouch out from his belt. Opening the pouch, he withdrew a pinch of what appeared to be sand. He tossed the sand carelessly into the air.

Vegeta stared in confusion, and then slight horror as each and every grain of sand morphed into a strange creature. They were toothy, with bulging eyes, and long spindly limbs. They dropped to the ground and began crawling toward him.

_Magic! _

He'd fought against magical beings before. Once, from Babiti. He'd somehow managed to overcome Babiti's magic. The second time, from Buu, when he—and Kakarott—had been turned into a candy, he hadn't been as successful.

_Alright. So I've just got to break the spell._ He thought, eyeing the creatures that were lumbering toward him._ How hard could it be?_

Focusing all of his willpower, he tried to move. His right arm budged slightly, but a moment later, he was hit with another blast, and he was immobilized again. He suddenly found it hard to breathe.

One of the creatures lunged at him, jumping onto his chest, sinking its claws into his arms and biting down into his shoulder. Its teeth went straight through his shoulder armor.

If he'd been capable, he would have screamed at the sudden pain. But as it was, he couldn't even move enough to make a sound.

_Oh shit._ He tried to force himself to move again. _No! I will not be eaten by a bunch of…of…what the fuck are these things?_

He concentrated all of his effort again, trying to force himself to move, to pull the creature off of him, to fight back the other ones. Another creature latched onto his leg, sinking its teeth deep into his thigh.

Suddenly, the spell on him was broken. All of the energy that he'd been concentrating shot out in a radial blast destroying most of the creatures on contact and sending the soldier-wizard tumbling.

He straightened and took a deep breath, welcoming the hot air as it reached his burning lungs. He looked down at his hands. The right one was already covered in the blood that was seeping from his shoulder. "How did…I…?"

"You have a power level in the billions and you can't break a simple binding spell?"

He blinked, and then sighed, as the sudden realization hit him.

"You can thank me later for keeping you from becoming Yit food."

"Yit?" He cocked his head slightly although he didn't turn to look at her.

Midori stepped around him and motioned to the few strange creatures that were brokenly creeping toward him.

"Hm." He quickly blasted them all away.

"Prince Vegeta!" Commander Pion's voice was frantic. "They're going to take out the planet! You have to destroy the ship! Now!"

_Oh yeah._ He'd forgotten about that.

He looked to the sky. He could just make out the light where the other Tik ship was hovering in the atmosphere. Suddenly that light grew bigger. With a deep roar, a green blast burst through the atmosphere. Vegeta's eyes widened momentarily. He knew that he had no time to waste. He shot off toward the blast.

* * *

"Come on…" Goku mumbled. He was sitting tensely, fidgeting, staring at the tv. Although he may have appeared outwardly calm, he was coiled as tightly as a spring. His ki senses were straining, trying to pick up any inkling of Vegeta's ki somewhere. He knew that Vegeta was fighting, but he had no idea where. And he didn't know when he would raise his power level high enough to be sensed on Earth.

_How far away is he? _He wondered. Goku could reach the Otherworld easily. How could it be so hard to find someone in the same dimension? Especially someone as powerful as Vegeta.

On his knee, his two fingers were ready. The moment he felt Vegeta's ki, he would touch them to his head and be off. No one noticed this, or the fact that every so often, Goku would tense, and the hand would raise about an inch off his thigh before he dropped it back down again.

Well, almost no one.

Unbeknownst to Goku, Trunks was slowly, inconspicuously inching his hand closer, ready to grab onto Goku's gi the moment his hand touched his forehead.

"_That blast is large enough to take out the entire planet. The Krimzon ships have their hands tied with the Tik ships in space." _The announcer was sounding frantic. _"They won't make it in time to stop it from firing."_

"_And what of Prince Vegeta and Midori?" _Unlott asked.

"_They disappeared about twenty minutes ago. One of the Tik ships managed to land, and they went to take care of it."_

Across the room, Piccolo huffed as if he knew that the Tik ship's landing had been no accident.

There was a gasp and a scream on the tv. The camera swiveled around to where a huge green blast had broken through the atmosphere and was descending toward the ground. More people began screaming._ "It fired!" _The announcer yelled. He was clearly horrified, and there was a hint of tears in his voice. _"It fired! Oh Kami! It's huge! I've never seen anything like it." _The announcer trailed off into a string of hysterical shouts of horror.

Although they were off-screen, it was clear that everyone around the announcer was panicking. People were crying, praying, screaming. The blast was hurtling toward the ground, breaking through the clouds and dispersing them. It was a horrifying sight even for those who were not there.

In the small Kame House living room, all was silent. Oolong, Puar, 18, and Marron had come inside at the sound of the commotion. Everyone's faces were grim. 18 was holding Marron protectively as if the small girl might be caught in the blast as well.

Then a shout off-screen caught everyone's attention. _"It's Prince Vegeta!"_

"_What?"_ The announcer reappeared._ "Prince Vegeta?"_ He looked to the camera man who was still shakily filming the blast's descent. _"Zoom in!"_

A golden light was streaking toward the blast. _"It's him! It's him!"_ The people around the announcer were having mixed reactions. Some were cheering as if they were certain that this was their salvation. Others were carrying on with their devastated wailing. Still more had lapsed into silence, probably silently praying that their one last hope would be able to save them.

In the Kame House, there was quite a different reaction.

"Finally!" Yamcha yelled. "Where's he been?"

"He's always had perfect timing." Krillin said, laughing and leaning back on his hands. "I knew he'd show up."

"You didn't know anything." Oolong snorted. "You were already mourning the destruction of that planet."

"Can he really block that blast, Yamcha?" Puar asked.

"Of course he can!" Trunks snapped at him although he didn't seem entirely certain. He glanced back to where Piccolo was leaning against the wall, staring at the tv. "Right, Piccolo?"

His question caused quite a few people to turn their heads toward the tall Namek. "At top form, I'd say he could." Piccolo answered. "But there's no way to know how much energy he's got left."

As if in answer, Vegeta's ki suddenly skyrocketed. The announcer and the crowd gathered with him began exclaiming over the blindingly bright light that had just surrounded the saiyan prince. More importantly, Vegeta's ki had grown so large that everyone in the Kame house was able to feel it.

A small gasp from Goku let Trunks know that this was his moment. His hand shot out to grab onto Goku's gi.

"No!" The familiar, disembodied voice of King Kai suddenly sounded through the Kame House living room. "GOKU!"

But it was too late. The two disappeared.

* * *

Goku reappeared in the middle of blackness, feeling as though he'd just been hit by a truck and thrown backwards. He gasped, but realized that there was no air. He immediately raised a Ki shield. The feeling of a tug on his pant leg caused him to look down and, to his horror, notice the panicked, terrified face of Trunks.

Goku quickly grabbed, him, pulling him close and raising his ki shield higher to warm them.

_What happened?_ Trunks' voice entered his head. _Did…where's my dad?_ Goku could feel the panic in Trunks' thoughts, along with the terrified inkling that if they'd tried to instant transmission to a planet on the brink of exploding and ended up in the middle of space, then there was only conclusion. The planet exploded.

Goku reached out his ki sense. He could still feel Vegeta, but something had blocked them from reaching him. He had no idea what, but it would be foolish to try again.

_We…we have to get out of here! _Goku thought.

He tried to sense the people on earth. They were too far away, and no one's ki was raised. Goku's lungs were starting to burn. He could feel Trunks begin to shake against him.

They were in the middle of space. They had to get somewhere fast.

He closed his eyes concentrating, and then, the moment he locked onto a ki he recognized, the two disappeared.

* * *

Vegeta's aura flared wildly about him. He'd wanted excitement, and now he was getting hit.

He'd only just managed to get in front of the blast, and catch it before it could get to the trees below. One disadvantage of the fact that everyone lived in trees was that he couldn't tell which ones were peoples' homes. He would just have to protect all of them.

His hands were spread wide. His teeth grit together. Sweat was dripping down his face and back, and his bleeding shoulder and arms were throbbing from the pressure.

The blast was stronger than he'd anticipated—yet another surprise from the Tik. Kurenai hadn't been kidding when she said that the Tik were technologically advanced. Machines to block ki, to block magic. Ships that could survive a weaker-level final flash. Sorcerers with strange sand creatures at their disposal. He was afraid that he may have underestimated Hui.

With a yell, he channeled ki into his hands and began pushing the blast back toward the ship.

Something was bothering him, and it had nothing to do with the giant green blast that he was currently trying to deflect.

It had started only moments ago. A sort of panic had flitted through the back of his mind, and he wasn't entirely sure that it was his own emotions that he was feeling.

Then suddenly, the feeling disappeared, leaving an uncomfortably hollow space in his soul itself. He faltered, and the green blast advanced on him a few feet before he began pushing it backwards again.

_What is that?_ He wondered. He could feel panic again, but this time it was clearly his own. _I've felt this before._

Then he realized. It was the bond. The one that he shared with every saiyan alive—to an even greater extent with Trunks, and even Goku after their fusion. Both Goku's and Trunks' bonds had been broken. Even despite the distance that had separated them, the bond had always been there. An unnoticed, but comforting link to all that he cherished. But now it was gone. And that could only mean one thing. Neither Trunks nor Goku were in this dimension anymore.

_They're dead._ He concluded.

Trunks' mischievously grinning face flashed momentarily before his eyes. _No._ He felt a rage building within him. His control was slipping. _No, my son is not dead. Not after all I've done to…Kakarott! Damn you, Kakarott! _

"DAMN YOOOUUU!" He wouldn't know until later that his hair grew down to his mid-back in that moment or that his eyebrows disappeared. All he would remember would be despair and the hatred he felt toward Goku for allowing his son to be killed. That and the sense of hopelessness that pervaded his very being—the feeling that no matter what he did or how hard he tried, it was never enough to keep his loved ones safe.

Vegeta's blast rocketed toward the Tik ship, pushing through the green blast as if it were no more than air. Within moments, the Tik ship was nothing more than bits of shrapnel.

But Vegeta wouldn't stop there. It was the Tik's fault that all of this had happened. If it weren't for them, the home that he had so recently come to cherish would never have been disturbed. He would have never been discovered and subjected to all of those trials and humiliation. The earth would still be safe, and his son would still be alive.

Raising a ki shield with a few minutes worth of air around him, he blasted off toward space where the remaining Tik ships were still in a heated battle with Commander Pion's fleet.

* * *

Goku and Trunks tumbled to the soft, grassy ground gasping and choking. The two lay there for a few moments just savoring the taste of the air and the warmth of the planet they were on.

"Goku!" The familiar voice made him grin. He looked over to see that Trunks was still sprawled on his back drinking in deep lungfuls of air. Satisfied that Trunks would be ok, Goku propped himself up and turned toward the person who'd called him.

"Hi, King Kai."

"Goku, what were you thinking?" King Kai asked.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Goku, no one can use any instantaneous movement technique to, from, or around any planet allied with the Krimzon. Or the Tik for that matter" King Kai said. "Didn't anyone tell you that?"

"Uhh. No."

"Where's my dad?" Trunks interrupted, sounding rather hoarse. He had propped himself up and was looking around.

"Vegeta will be fine as long as he doesn't kill himself in his own rage." King Kai said impatiently before turning back to Goku.

"Say what?" Goku asked. "What's happened?"

"That's not important. Goku, you need to be careful with your instant transmission. The Tik screened planet Yardrat nearly eight years ago, and forced the surviving Yardrats to teach the instant transmission technique to any Tik soldier who was capable of learning it." King Kai answered.

"What?" Goku gasped. "Yardrat was screened? That's awful!"

"What's Yardrat?" Trunks asked coming up beside the two. "And where are we?"

"You're in otherworld." King Kai answered.

Trunks gasped and immediately began feeling above his head for a halo.

"You're still alive." Goku said. "I used instant transmission to get us here. And…Yardrat was a planet that I visited several years before you were born. It was the Yardrats who taught me instant transmission." Goku frowned as he thought back to the kind aliens who had nursed him back to health.

Trunks nodded in understanding and then came to stand before King Kai. He looked him over with an unimpressed expression. "So you're a Kai?"

"Yes, Trunks. This is King Kai." Goku explained. "He trained me in martial arts for a while. He also helped us during the final battle with Buu."

"Hm." Trunks cocked his head. "So you're the one that can talk to people no matter where they are?"

"Yes." King Kai snorted an embarrassed chuckle.

"So you can let me talk to my dad then?" King Kai immediately stopped giggling.

"Great idea, Trunks!" Goku said excitedly. "Hey, better yet, we can go to Supreme Kai. Surely his instantaneous movement can get through Krimzon technology."

"Yes. He would be capable of that." King Kai agreed.

A new voice caused Goku to turn. "But you do remember what happened last time you asked the Supreme Kais for help with your little issue right?"

"Oh yeah." Goku frowned before greeting the newcomer. "Hey, Pikkon."

"The battle's over, anyway." King Kai informed them with a far-off look in his eyes. "Vegeta went super saiyan 3 and annihilated the rest of the Tik ships in space."

"What?" Goku and Trunks both gasped. "Vegeta went super saiyan 3?" Goku looked as though he didn't know whether to be excited for his friend or upset that Vegeta was catching up with him. Finally, he settled on the latter. "Oh no! If this keeps up, he'll keep getting stronger while I just sit around on Earth." He turned to King Kai. "Hey, do you think I could stay here and train until the other Tik soldiers reach Earth?"

"No, Goku. Otherworld is for the dead. Not the living."

Trunks' impatient voice cut in before Goku could start arguing. "Can we talk to my dad now?"

"Fine." King Kai conceded. Mumbling about impatience and how the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, he closed his eyes and concentrated. "Just put your hand on my shoulder."

Goku moved closer as well, intent on talking to his friend as well.

"Who is this kid?" Pikkon asked as he followed Goku closer to King Kai.

"You remember Vegeta, right?" Goku asked. "That's his son."

Pikkon considered Trunks for a moment. Trunks just glared back before putting his hand on King Kai's shoulder. "It shows." Pikkon concluded.

* * *

Vegeta was sitting on a rock, breathing heavily. He was drenched in sweat, and his limbs simply felt too heavy to move anymore. His shoulder and thigh were throbbing painfully, as were his hands from where he'd made contact with the blast.

Instead of the sense of victory he should have been feeling for almost single-handedly saving an entire planet, he felt only loss and confusion. He would have to wait until he got back to Iro to call the Earth and find out what had happened to Trunks and Goku. He could still feel the faint bonds with Gohan and Goten's, so he knew that the Earth was not destroyed. That didn't tell him much though.

"_Vegeta."_ Vegeta's head shot up, and he looked around. He recognized the voice, but he couldn't exactly remember from where. _"It's King Kai."_

_That's it!_ He realized, and then looked toward the sky. He hesitated for a moment, trying to think of how to broach his question, but at that moment another voice spoke.

"_Wow, Vegeta. You look terrible." _

"Kakarott!" Vegeta snapped. He would have jumped to his feet, but he was simply too tired. "What have you done now?"

"_Can he hear me too?"_ He heard Trunks' voice ask.

Vegeta knew that his face went pale, and he swallowed. "Yes, Trunks. I can hear you. What…" He hesitated. "What happened?"

Goku chuckled nervously while Trunks began to explain. _"Well Goku was going to instant transmission to you, but apparently the planet you're on has some kind of shield around it that stops people from…from…"_

"_It blocks all instantaneous movement and repels anyone who is trying to teleport onto the planet to approximately half-way between their point of origin and their original destination." _King Kai explained._ "In that way, it protects the planet from a sudden invasion and often, kills whoever was trying to attack."_

"So that's…what happened to you. What a stupid way to die!"

"_What? We're not dead."_ Goku said with a chuckle. _"I just instant transmitted us to otherworld because King Kai's ki was the easiest one to find."_  
"Why didn't you say that in the first place?" Vegeta yelled.

"Who are you talking to?"

Vegeta nearly growled in frustration at the sound of Midori's voice. "My son and the idiot that masquerades as one third of the pureblooded saiyan race!" He snapped.

Midori cocked an eyebrow and then came forward hesitantly. He noticed her hand straying to the ki collar. "Vegeta, you're hallucinating."  
"I am not hallucinating, and don't you dare put that collar on me!" He finally scrambled to his feet and stumbled backwards.

"Vegeta, now that I've seen how powerful you are, I can't have you running around if you're not in your right mind."

"Damn it, Midori!" He knew that he couldn't tell her the truth—that he was having a conversation with a dead Kai and his son who was in the realm of the dead. He would just have to bend the truth a little. "As I am the saiyan Prince, I have a mental bond with all living saiyans and can talk to them telepathically using that bond." That was all pretty much true, he supposed.

"Oh." Midori said. "Hm." Her hand dropped to her side, and she narrowed her eyes.

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "But if I do start attacking at random, by all means, collar me." He said sarcastically, and then giving one last glance to Midori turned his eyes back to the sky. "Ok, I'll make this quick. First off, Trunks, you are not to leave the Earth again for any reason, without mine or your mother's express permission. Am I clear?"

A dejected "_Yes, father"_ followed the order.

"And Kakarott," He paused. "Let this experience be a warning to you. If you dare to try to jump into the middle of one of my battles again, you'll find yourself in otherworld permanently."

Goku chuckled. _"Oh come on, Vegeta."_

"I have to go now." Vegeta said glaring at Midori.

"_Hmm. Ok then, Vegeta. It was nice talking to you." _Goku said.

"_Bye dad." _Trunks said, somewhat sadly.

"_Oh and Vegeta."_

"What, Kakarott?" He asked in irritation.

"_Congratulations on reaching super saiyan 3."_

Vegeta just blinked. "What?" But the link had been cut. _What did he mean by that?_ He glanced to Midori, who was still looking at him warily. She hadn't been wary around him before even though he'd been a super saiyan.

Vegeta looked down at his hands wondering if Goku was just playing a mean trick on him. There was no way to know now.

He swayed a bit, feeling suddenly very, very tired.

Midori apparently noticed. "Come on." She said wrinkling her nose. "You're bleeding everywhere." She lifted off the ground and nodded with her head back toward the Prime Minister's palace.

Feeling as though he were drawing on strength that he didn't really have, Vegeta levitated and followed her.

* * *

Even hours after the final battle, the universe was abuzz with the news of Prince Vegeta's massive power and his astonishing role in the defeat of the Tik fleet.

As Vegeta lay in a luxuriously-furnished bedroom in the Prime Minister's palace, sleeping oblivious to the commotion that he had just unleashed in the universe, on every planet connected to intergalactic news, people were watching clips of the battle and reveling at the newfound hero who would save the Krimzon from the Tik threat.

"_He stopped it."_ A witness was saying, his voice shaking. _"Prince Vegeta stopped the blast. He was flying! He had a huge golden aura! He just grabbed it with his hands and pushed it back. It was incredible!"_

The news channel kept replaying images from the battle—images of Vegeta rocketing toward the giant green blast as it descended toward the planet, of his hair growing longer and his aura flaring out, of him unleashing an enormous blast that destroyed not only the green blast that was threatening the planet but also the Tik ship that had shot it.

"I can't believe that no one told me that there was a battle going on!" Bulma said crossly for what must have been the tenth time. She had only heard of the battle an hour ago after calling Trunks' phone to tell him that it was past his curfew. By then, the battle was already long over. "Especially since you knew since yesterday that it would happen. I would have liked to see it."

"Well…heh heh." Krillin raised his hands in defense. "Sorry, Bulma. We just didn't think…" Most of the Z gang had retreated outside to continue their target practice—and to escape Bulma's wrath. She'd cornered Goku, Krillin, and Trunks however.

"And you!" She rounded on Goku. "How _dare_ you take my son to Otherworld?"

"That was an accident, Bulma. I hadn't intended to go to Otherworld, and Trunks wasn't supposed to come with me at all."

She crossed her arms and scowled, frustrated both with the situation and the fact that they didn't think to tell her about something so important.

"Sorry mom." Trunks said, hanging his head.

"Yeah. Sorry, Bulma." Krillin and Goku agreed.

Suddenly, loud cheering could be heard from the television, catching the attention of those still gathered inside. "What's going on?" Bulma asked.

As if in answer to her question, the announcer began speaking. "_And now we go to Planet Iro, where Empress Kurenai is addressing the people."_

On the screen, the small, wrinkled form of Empress Kurenai was standing on a balcony speaking into various microphones. _"…my gift to the Planet Oso and her people. I hope that your festivities were not much disturbed. To the people of the Krimzon Empire, I ask you to have faith and to see this event as the turning point that it is. This war has been long and grueling, but know that the Krimzon Empire will go to any lengths to protect those who are our allies and that in the end, we will prevail. Now, I am certain that most of you are curious about my new right hand, Prince Vegeta. As many of you know, I have ways of looking into a person's heart and judging his soul. While I have long known that Prince Vegeta is of noble character, for the solidarity of the empire I saw it fit to have him prove that to you himself. His actions today speak louder than my words ever could, and I hope that you will all consider them and trust when I say that he could possibly be the greatest ally that the Krimzon has ever known." She paused. "Finally, to Emperor Hui," Her lips curved maliciously. "I hope this little set back hasn't upset you too much, but do know that if you try to attack a planet allied with the Krimzon empire again, your troops will meet the same fate…"_ The sound dwindled out, and the announcer began talking again, analyzing Kurenai's speech.

Suddenly, the announcer's hand shot to his ear. _"This just in. Prince Vegeta and Midori have returned to the festival" _

On the tv appeared the image of a banquet. It was nighttime on planet Oso, and lanterns were casting the area in bright colorful light. Ribbons seemed to be tied everywhere and were wafting around in the breeze. Osonians were dancing gracefully, the ribbons tied to the women's' fur billowing around and the bells shining and glittering.

At a high table watching the festivities sat a large bear-looking man flanked by various other dignitaries and nobles. Directly to his right were Vegeta and then Midori. To the Prime Minister's left was Commander Pion.

Although Vegeta was clean and wearing a new set of armor, he was looking somewhat tired. White bandages was visible wrapped around his right shoulder and upper arms. He was rather contentedly munching on everything within reach, while Midori carried on a conversation with the Prime Minister.

A young Osonian woman ran up to the high table and seeming to fidget nervously for a moment said something to Vegeta.

Vegeta immediately seemed to grow nervous, and raising his hands shook his head. The Prime Minister, with a laugh, gave Vegeta a rough clap on the back and motioned to the dancers before them.

"Oh Kami, she's asked him to dance." Bulma concluded.

Goku immediately started laughing.

"This can't end well." Krillin agreed, watching in amusement as Vegeta tried to decline without offending anyone.

A brief, subtle glance at Midori made it clear to those watching from the Kame House that he doubted that he would be successful.

"Oh no. I hope these aren't the kind of people that take a personal insult as an insult to the nation." Bulma dropped her face into her hand. "Just suck it up and dance, Vegeta."

Luckily for Vegeta, Midori came to his rescue. Although those in the Kame House couldn't hear what she was saying, they saw her motion to the bandages on his shoulder and his leg before clapping a hand to his shoulder. His face clearly registered pain for a brief moment. Midori just squeezed harder.

The girl and the Prime Minister apparently got the point for a moment later, the girl left, hopefully to find another dance partner, and the Prime Minister gave Vegeta a grateful and comforting pat on the back.

Vegeta was left glaring at Midori. She grinned at him, and rolling his eyes, he returned it with a grateful smirk.

Bulma shook her head. "Well at least he's enjoying himself."

* * *

A/N: Hope you enjoyed it. Thanks to all of you who reviewed. Your input is always appreciated!


	17. Deadly Dreams

Chapter 17- Deadly Dreams

A collective groan rang out through the dim, underground pub. Vegeta glanced up from his drink to see that on the large tv above the counter, a team was congratulating one of its members on making a goal. Vegeta didn't know the rules of the sport, although he had seen it played often enough since he'd been a boy. It was one of the more popular games in the universe.

As Pop's patrons grumbled about the general lack of performance of the team they appeared to all support, Vegeta turned back to his glass and drained it.

It had been a trying day to say the least. Since he'd returned from Oso, he'd been greeted—much to his surprise—as a hero. However, he was a hero that people still feared. He'd gone back to his normal duties, filling in for Kurenai's apparently worthless strategists and protecting Kurenai from whatever she imagined threatened her. He was now being hounded even more by the media. Once, a reporter even dared to come to his door—Vegeta had dealt swiftly with that issue and ensured that the man would tell all of his friends to not try something so foolish again.

He glanced down the bar to where Pop was chatting with a group of sports fans, but found himself to be too drained to yell for Pop to come and refill his drink immediately.

The reason for his state was the flip side of the reaction to his surprising defeat of the Tik forces on Oso. Such an incredible display of power had absolutely terrified a good number of Krimzon leaders, and in a show of good faith, Kurenai had reinstated Vegeta's daily psychological check-up. Today's doctor had poked and prodded his mind, asking any number of personal and uncomfortable questions for hours, and making Vegeta relive and recount horrible sights and experiences. During the past few excruciating sessions, Vegeta's only odd, sort of sick pleasure had been the times when the doctors would hurriedly excuse themselves. But then, they'd always come back smelling of vomit.

By the end of today's session, Vegeta had wanted nothing more than to rip the man's head off and throw it out the window. The effort of containing that urge had left him in such a state that the only thing he could think to do after leaving was to head to Pop's for a hot meal and a few drinks.

"A few more of those, and I'll be sweeping you off the floor come closing."

Vegeta's head shot up. He hadn't heard Pop approach. "What?"

"That's a strong drink. You've already had three."

Ignoring Pop's comment, Vegeta handed the glass to him and dug into his pocket for his money card. "Fill me up again, would you?"

"How about something less strong?" Pop said, and without waiting for Vegeta's protest, he waddled away.

Vegeta stared after him with a frown, but again oddly did not start yelling. Something about Pop had a calming effect on Vegeta. Maybe it was because the man cooked so damn good. It could have been that Pop knew stories about Vegetasei. However, there was a small voice at the back of Vegeta's head that told him that Pop was possibly the closest thing that Vegeta had at the moment to a friend.

Damn those earthlings and their contagious sentimentality.

Vegeta ran a hand over his face and then blinked when Pop slid a bottle of something toward him.

"Rough day?" He asked, leaning his bulky frame onto the counter.

Vegeta grunted and took a swig of his drink. It was bitter, but smooth, and after a moment, he decided that he approved of Pop's choice.

"Care to talk about it?"

"No."

Pop nodded in disappointed understanding and with practiced ease quickly served two customers before coming back to Vegeta. "Y'know I've seen a number of young me come through here." Pop said, beginning to wipe a glass. The glass already looked clean, and Vegeta suspected that he really only wanted something to do with his hands. "They've sat in that very spot. I've heard stories of loss and joy. I've seen men celebrating getting hitched and listened to others' lady troubles." He gave Vegeta a significant look at that last one as if wondering if he'd guessed right.

"I don't need a psychiatrist, Pop." Vegeta grumbled. "I have enough of them already." He blinked after his admission and sent a scathing look at his drink as if that, on only that, could have been the reason for what he'd said.

"I've also seen overworked men." Pop said, suddenly straightening and looking somewhere behind Vegeta. It was only then that Vegeta realized that, besides the sound of the tv, the pub had gone quiet.

He turned curiously just in time to see Midori appear beside him. She put something on the counter in front of him with a loud clunk. No greetings were exchanged, and Midori gave no indication that she even noticed Pop. "Sober up." She ordered, gazing around at the bar's other patrons with a slightly hostile look. Vegeta turned back to his drink with the apparent intention of ignoring her.

Midori was having none of it. With a twitch of her finger, his drink flew out of his hand and slid down the counter just out of his reach. "And turn on your communicator. We've been trying to find you for over an hour."

Vegeta glowered at the small phial of potion and then turned his glare to her. "What do you want?"

"It's Kurenai that requests your presence. Not me." She informed him. "Now hurry up." When he made no move to follow her orders, she leaned close and whispered in his ear. "There's a problem off-planet. She needs you to fight."

That got his attention. He sat for a moment considering, but knew that inevitably he would have to heed Kurenai's call. The idea of a battle and the added bonus of a few days away from Kurenai and her psychologists were enough to get him to down the potion and stand. Grabbing his jacket, he turned to Pop. "Just put it on my tab. I'll have to settle later."

Pop nodded, and casting a curious glance between Vegeta's and Midori's serious faces, walked away.

He had no trouble keeping up with Midori as she strode out of the pub, heels clacking on the stone. They caught the train and a few minutes later, he found himself standing in Kurenai's office.

Kurenai wasted no time with pleasantries. The door had hardly closed before she began laying out the situation. "Vegeta, we are having trouble on one of our perimeter planets. It's called Krich. Perhaps you've heard of it." He had, but before he could say so, Kurenai continued. "The Tik have sent Xiee to the planet and they're disrupting our troops there."

Vegeta nearly flinched back. "Xiee?" He asked, hoping that he'd heard her wrong.

"Yes. Now Prime Minister Pulngh is a very loyal ally to the Krimzon and we can't afford to lose his support. Incidentally Krich is also a main source of fuel. You see how it is important."

"So…what exactly—"

"I'm glad you ask." Kurenai cut him off. "You are to take the Veet pod I've prepared for you and get to Krich immediately."

"But that will take weeks. Your troops will be nothing by then."

"Vegeta, where have you been? I said a Veet pod. It will take 3 days. Now get going."

He straightened. "I don't—" He cut himself off, wondering what exactly he'd been about to say. He hadn't been about to admit that he was afraid of the legendary Xiee, certainly. Until a few moments ago, he hadn't known for certain that they'd really existed. And then, even with the horrible stories he'd heard about the mind-raping race that could turn a man's worst fears against him rendering him completely helpless, and then sucking out his soul, he wasn't afraid. Of course not.

Kurenai gave him a look that approached sympathy. "Now, Vegeta, I know that this is asking a lot, but given your history, we've decided that you would be much more suited than our other soldiers to handling this." She crossed back to her desk and began flipping through a stack of papers. "According to your psychologists, you have seen and overcome more horrible things than most people could even imagine. Do you see where I'm going with this?"

He just crossed his arms. "Do your shrinks tell you everything that I say?" He asked angrily.

"Yes. Just about."

He growled low in his throat, although he'd figured as much long ago.

"Now I understand that you're afraid—"

"I most certainly am not!"

Kurenai sat down in her throne and, leaning one elbow on the arm and propping her cheek in her hand, fixed him with a skeptical look.

He glared back, suddenly realizing that her stupid floor would have shown her his fear. Suppressing the urge to growl again, he asked. "Is the pod ready?"

"Yes. Dock 12."

With a nod and one last glare, he spun on his heel and strode out.

* * *

"Trunks, have you heard from your father recently?"

Trunks jumped and quickly hid his video game beneath his textbook. He hadn't sensed his mother's approach, nor had he heard his bedroom door open. Trying to manifest the air of someone who had been toiling over math problems, he turned to her. "Since when?"

She waved a hand vaguely and cast a quick glance around the rather untidy room. "The past few days."

"Uhhh…" He thought for a moment. To be honest, for the last few weeks, he'd spent more time at school and on Kame Island than he had at Capsule Corp. And judging from his mother's appearance, she'd spent more time in the labs than in the living quarters as well. "No. Why?" He suddenly got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. He'd often suspected that his parents had some sort of emotional bond that allowed them to feel the other's emotions. At least, he knew that his mother had felt his father die two years ago. She'd told Vegeta as much, although Vegeta himself had seemed somewhat skeptical of the possibility of her statement. If something had happened to his dad, would his mom feel it? "Is something wrong?"

"No." She said hurriedly, already retreating from the room.

He blinked and called after her. "Mom?"

"Yes?" Despite her disarming smile, Trunks could see the tension and worry in her features.

"You don't…you haven't felt anything right? Like…like during Buu?"

She blinked in surprise. "How did…" She shook her head. "I'm just worried. That's all. He hasn't been answering my calls. I was just wondering if you knew why."

He shook his head. "I have no idea." He said. "I haven't felt his ki since the last time…so I know he hasn't been in any big fights." He hesitated before adding. "Or at least none without a Meiyochi."

Bulma's face went a little paler, but she just gave Trunks a shakily reassuring smile. "Don't stay up too late playing video games." She said, smiling a bit more at her son's stunned and guilty expression. "It's a school night."

With that, she slipped out and shut the door. Trunks couldn't see her anxious expression as she walked away, but if he had, he might have guessed that there was something more bothering her than just his father's whereabouts.

* * *

Three days after he'd left planet Iro, Vegeta stepped out onto the rocky soil of Krich. The very air appeared to be green and sickly, and a fog was obscuring much of the landscape. He shuddered, hoping that the appearance of the planet wasn't some kind of foreshadowing. Why on earth would Kurenai send him on such a mission? He was no psychic. He had no way to block the Xiee's power.

A moment later, he spotted a group of people approaching on hover-boards. He crouched into a fighting stance, but as they drew nearer, he realized that they were Krimzon soldiers. Far in the distance, he thought he could see a few lights shining through the fog. It must have been a city.

"Prince Vegeta." The soldiers landed, and one quickly came toward him. "It's a relief to see you. My name is Tor. I'm the commander of the troops here." Vegeta nodded in greeting and continued to survey what little landscape he could see through the fog. "What would you have us do?" Tor asked, clearly trying to keep his eyes from darting around in fear.

Vegeta, with a look of extreme calm and composure, turned and stared at him for a second. "How many Xiee are there?" He asked, sounding as if taking on a whole army of them would have been but a trifle. His confident attitude succeeded in getting Tor and the other soldiers to relax slightly.

"There are five now. We managed to kill one, but…but we lost six of our fighters in the process. We can't get near them…sir." He seemed to not know exactly how he should be addressing Vegeta. "Their powers are…well they are just as the legends say."

Vegeta was quite familiar with the legend, but from his childhood, he'd thought it was only that. Just whispers of a terrible race, with the extraordinary power to make their opponents delusional and paralyzed with horror. Few were rumored to have ever overcome the terror enough to defend themselves, much less kill one. And if the legends were correct, their mere touch could kill.

Vegeta was quite impressed that the Krimzon forces had managed to do away with one.

"How did you kill it?"

"Sniper. But…" Kon hesitated. "They move instantaneously. They killed not only the sniper, but his entire troop before the Xiee's body hit the ground."

"I see." Moves instantaneously? That was a bit of a problem. But he'd sparred enough with Kakarott to possibly be able to handle it. He wondered though… "Does their number amplify the effect they have?"

"Uhh…what?"

Vegeta shifted impatiently. "Is the horrible feeling you get more debilitating if there are more Xiee around than just one? Or is it the same no matter how many there are?"

"I…I honestly don't know. Just one's enough to drive you mad."

Yes, that's what he'd heard. _Kurenai, what's wrong with you? Why did you send me here?_

"What exactly do you see?"

"See?"

"When they are near. Are they horrific memories? Thing you've already seen? Or are they images created by the Xiee?"

"I…I believe that they're created by the Xiee. Supposedly they have the ability to tap into your greatest fears and use them against you."

Interesting. What was Vegeta's greatest fear? He wasn't sure. But he had a feeling…

He smirked.

"Ok then." He said. "How do I get them all to come out here?"

"All?" Tor seemed surprised. "Here? Right here?"

"Yes."

"I…uhh…" He thought. "They seek out high power levels."

Vegeta nodded. Simple enough. "You said a single shot killed one. What's it take? A shot to the head?"

"Yes, the head definitely. Chest possibly."

"Ok then. You take your soldiers and get back to the capital."

Tor stared in surprise at Vegeta, and didn't move.

Vegeta looked impatiently at him. "Kurenai sent me here to handle this, but I need to see what they're capable of for myself before I can do anything." He explained, feeling his patience already wearing thin.

"I…" The soldier looked back to the few others who'd accompanied him, but after a moment, he nodded. "Alright."

Vegeta waited where he stood, watching the figures of the Krimzon soldiers disappear into the foggy green sky. When they were far enough away, he began raising his power.

He didn't have to wait long. After a few minutes, a creeping dread began sneaking up on him. He could feel his heart begin to pound, could feel a cold sweat break out on his back. He shuddered.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps behind him.

Vegeta steeled himself. He felt positively icy now, and a cold drop of sweat trailed down his temple.

He turned, and as he did so his surroundings morphed. The rocky ground turned into sleek white walls and rounded port windows. A lone figure was standing behind him in all its glory. This was not a person that he was unfamiliar with. He felt his muscles stiffen, and his brain cloud over as the familiar panic threatened to immobilize him. He fought against it.

This was his greatest fear?

Vegeta outwardly smirked, but on the inside, he was fighting the strange urge to either flee or curl into a ball. Either of those options would have been terribly degrading however. "So you think that changing the landscape will frighten me?" He heard himself ask over the pounding of his heart. Even he was unsure of how he'd managed to force all of his pride and bravado to take over his motions. "I've seen it done, and I must tell you that as awful as this place was, I lived there for so long that it no longer scares me that much. You'll have to do better." He paused as a shudder racked his body, but then quickly recovered. "Should I just call you Frieza, or will you give me your real name."

The Frieza look-alike let out a high pitched snarl.

"Can't you talk?" Vegeta was actually somewhat surprised at how easily he maintained his confident attitude and kept his inner terror out of his voice. Though his knuckles were white and his hands shaking, he'd lived enough with this fear to be able to function despite it.

The Xiee didn't speak but only slowly walked closer. Vegeta fought the urge to flee. He suddenly realized that if these creatures frightened away every other race in the universe, they might not have ever picked up on galactic standard language. However, they were working for Hui, so they must communicate somehow. But that lead to another question.

"Why are you working for the Taurans? What is Hui doing for you?"

The creature let out a high pitched shriek that was so loud that it caused Vegeta to have to cover his ears.

The creature morphed.

"Oh? What now?"

Vegeta suddenly had an idea. He called to mind a person who undoubtedly frightened him a bit. To his glee, the creature morphed into it.

Interesting. Although the creature still seemed to be inducing some level of dread and anxiety in him, the sheer terror had drained away, and Vegeta noticed suddenly with relief that he could breathe easily again.

If anyone else had been around to see, he would certainly not have reacted in the same manner. But as he was entirely alone, Vegeta allowed himself to succumb to peels of laughter. "Who would have thought I'd find my mother-in-law on this planet? Do you plan to talk me to death?"

The Xiee was suddenly confused. Realizing its error, it quickly began forming back into Frieza. Vegeta wouldn't allow it however. With a quick motion, he sent a ki bolt through the Xiee's forehead. Instantly the creature dropped, and Vegeta knew that he killed it. The creature morphed as it fell to the ground and Vegeta could see its white robes trailing after it. As he gazed upon the true form of the Xiee, however, Vegeta knew that something was wrong.

A bead of sweat dripped between his shoulder blades.

With an increasing sense of anxiety, he slowly turned around.

Hovering in the foggy green sky behind him were five long, lean, white-clad figures. Their shredded robes were billowing in the wind. They were getting closer, and, to his horror, he saw his vision narrowing and going black.

He suddenly felt very sorry for provoking the Xiee. He stumbled a step backwards, slipping slightly on the loose gravel. His terror was growing as the creatures approached, making it harder and harder to function. His heart felt as though it would pound right out of his chest. He could hear it thudding deafeningly in his ears. His chest tightened, forcing him to breathe in hitching gasps.

He tried to fight against the fear, but it was becoming increasingly difficult.

Without realizing it, he found himself running, stumbling over the gravel and sharp rocks. In his terror, he didn't think to fly. The darkened area seemed almost cave-like, as if the greenish fog were closing in on him. Vegeta wasn't sure if it was only the Xiee's power that was making him see everything that he was seeing. He saw what seemed to be a patch of shriveled trees, nothing but shadows and shapes at this point. His basic animal instinct recognized the trees to be shelter, and he darted toward them.

Suddenly, the ground turned red beneath his feet. He reached the tree-line and ducked behind it, only to come face to face with someone.

With a startled gasp, Vegeta stumbled backwards before coming to a stop. Staring at the man before him, he furrowed his eyebrows.

"F…father?"

His father was one of his greatest fears?

"You've disappointed me, Vegeta." His father said, raising a hand. The blood drained instantly from Vegeta's face. It seemed so real that he had no time to question why this one could talk while the other had apparently not been able to.

A ki ball began glowing on the King's hand. "You disappointed all of us. You let us die. It's your fau—"

With a savage cry, Vegeta threw his own ki blast, decapitating the creature that dared impersonate his father. The creature's body morphed into the pristine, white form that was natural to it, but the surroundings did not return to normal.

The landscape twisted and heaved, and melted. Vegeta stumbled backwards but couldn't keep his footing. He made his way away from the dead Xiee with great difficulty. His senses were telling him that the ground was moving. It was rippling, rolling. Yet, when he walked, it felt as though it actually wasn't. Before he knew it, he found himself sprawled face-down on the ground.

"Oh Vegeta," A familiar voice said to him He could swear his heart stopped. "Why do you always hurt yourself like this?"

Familiar shoes slowly made their way into his vision.

"Look. You're bleeding."

Vegeta rolled to a squat and darted away, before the creature could come near enough to touch him. His graceless maneuver, however, sent him landing sprawled on his backside.

The creature chuckled, but the familiar voice, the familiar face, it was almost enough to convince him that it was real.

How was this a fear? Was it because he would never kill her? He would never kill Bulma.

The creature, in the spitting image of Bulma smiled sweetly down at him. "Don't worry, we'll fix you right up." She looked over his shoulder. "Goku, honey," Vegeta's blood ran cold. "do you have a senzu bean?"

"Sure." To Vegeta's horror, Goku appeared from behind him and walked over to Bulma. "Hi 'Geta. Long time no see." He said as he passed.

"Kakarott?" Vegeta mouthed. He looked around, and found that he was sitting on the ground outside of Capsule Corp.

The two figures came closer and Vegeta scrambled backwards away from them. Half of him knew that this wasn't real, but another part of him—the part that was hearing and seeing it all, told him that it was. And for some reason, he was terrified of…not of them…but of something definitely. Something that he dreaded.

"Dad!" Another familiar voice called. Vegeta looked to his right to find that Trunks was standing there.

"Trunks?"

"Hey dad!" Trunks jumped into the air and flew at breakneck speed…right past Vegeta and into Goku's arms. "Dad, let's play a game."

Vegeta's chest hurt, and he found that he couldn't breathe.

"Sure kiddo." Goku said. "What do you wanna play?" Vegeta didn't even realize that the three figures were motionlessly drifting closer to him.

He looked in horror between the three people standing before him.

"I'm sorry Vegeta," Bulma said before noticing his gaze. "but you're just not there. I need a man who's here. And well…we all know that Goku's better than you."

Trunks nodded in agreement. "Yeah. He's way more fun."

"But…we can still be friends." Bulma said. "Though…it might be awkward for Trunks if you stayed on Earth. I think you should find another place to live."

He couldn't move. He felt numb as he watched Bulma wrap an arm around a grinning Goku.

"Don't worry 'Geta." Goku said, smiling in a friendly fashion. "I'll take good care of them." He held a hand out for Vegeta to take it.

"No." Vegeta shook himself. "It's not real. It's not." The smell. He couldn't smell Bulma. He buried his face in his hands. He didn't want to see what he was about to do.

The creatures were coming closer, but he didn't notice it. He waited moment, trying to collect himself. He took a deep breath…

…And let energy blasts fly. In every direction, as if he were a firecracker that had just exploded. With an anguished scream, he clenched his fists in his hair, pulled his knees to his chest, and intensified the blasts.

He had no idea how long he stayed that way, but eventually, he wore himself out.

He sat gasping on the ground, covered in sweat, shaking, his hair clenched in his fists. To his surprise, he found that he was sobbing.

Slowly, he lowered his hands and looked up. The landscape was in ruins. More than one tree was smoldering. Three people were lying on the ground. Vegeta was horrified to see that they were still in the forms of Bulma, Trunks, and Goku.

"No." He whispered, stumbling toward Bulma. "I…I'm sorry. I…I thought." A terrible dread clenched his stomach.

The Bulma reached up a hand, but before he could take it, he turned away and vomited. Shaking and dry heaving, he looked back toward Bulma. Instead of Bulma, however, he found a white-robed creature.

Relief flooded through him.

He looked over to the other two to find another creature in the place of Trunks. The Goku-creature flickered, and twitched before going limp and transforming into a third Xiee.

Vegeta stood, stumbled away from his vomit, and then sank shakily back to the ground.

He took a moment to compose himself and to wipe the tears from his face before pulling his scouter out of his pocket.

"Tor." He said, without the slightest hint of a tremble in his voice.

"_Yes? Are you alright? What's happened?"  
_ "I've killed five Xiee. Are you sure that there were only five left?"

"_You what?" _Tor was clearly incredulous. _"You killed all five?"_

"Yes." Vegeta said testily. "Was that all of them?"

"_Yes."_

"Good. Radio in to Kurenai. Ask her if I'm to return immediately." He would be glad to get off this planet. The sooner, the better. He didn't care about meeting the Prime Minister, or tasting the planet's food, or resting after his experience. He wanted to leave.

"_Y…yes sir! Right away."_

The scouter crackled and went dead.

Vegeta ran a shaky hand over his face and surveyed the three Xiee. As long as he lived, he doubted he would ever forget the image of Bulma laying wounded and dying. Dying by his own hand. He was suddenly very cold.

The scouter beeped and he immediately turned it on.

"_Vegeta?"_

"Yes?"

"_She says to return immediately."_

"Ok." Vegeta shakily stood. "Tell her I'll be back in three days."

"_Oh…Vegeta…sir?"_

"Yeah?" His eye twitched.

"_It was…it was nice meeting you."_ Tor said hesitantly. _"And thank you…from all of us."_

Vegeta's face was stony. He knew he should be moved by the thanks, but he was too drained to feel anything. Still, he felt the need to respond. "No problem."

As he took of into the sky, he felt the satire of his statement. With all the horrors that he had seen in his life, this shouldn't have marked him. That was undoubtedly what Kurenai had been thinking when she sent him to this planet. However, he knew that it was something that he would never forget. Not that he'd admit it.

* * *

After a week with no word, it was with relief that Bulma heard the beeping that signaled an incoming call. But the relief drained away when she answered. She knew the minute she saw his face that something was wrong. "Vegeta?" Oh how she wished she could touch his face. "Vegeta, what's happened?"

He seemed surprised at the question, and shook himself slightly. She could see his barriers sliding into place. But he wouldn't get off that easily.

"Don't even try to deny it, Mr." She said. "I can see it in your eyes that something is wrong. Where have you been? I've been trying to call for days. Are you ok? Are you hurt?" She leaned closer as if by doing so she might see him better.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm fine." He said unconvincingly.

She cocked a disbelieving eyebrow.

He shifted uncomfortably and looked away. "I'm fine." He repeated. "I was sent on a mission to another planet. I just got back. I'm tired, that's all." He looked back at her and before she could call him out on withholding information he asked. "How are you?"

She blinked at the unfamiliar question but then shrugged. "I'm fine. Trunks is fine. He's at school now…" She sighed. She could tell that something was bothering him and it wasn't her health. "He misses you, though." She fixed his gaze with her own. "I miss you too."

He dropped his gaze guiltily.

She was surprised at that. "Oh Vegeta." She sighed.

"Does it bother you?" He asked suddenly, and before he could lose his nerve, added. He couldn't bring himself to look at her. "That I'm not there."

She seemed confused. "Well yes, of course."

He fell silent, seemingly debating something. He was pale and…shaking? Bulma closed her eyes trying to feel his presence. Suddenly she felt it. He said nothing further, but somehow she knew. She knew what was bothering him. A feeling of despair, of rejection, fear that he was about to lose everything that he had, everything that he was fighting for—she felt it.

"Hold on." Bulma said suddenly, and stood. As she crossed the room, she wiped away the wetness that had suddenly sprung to her eyes. She hated seeing him like this…so uncertain. What on earth had happened to her poor Vegeta to make him act so strangely?

Now she knew what was bothering him at least. She just had to find a way to reassure him that there was nothing to worry about. The time it took her to lock all the doors and windows was enough to allow her genius mind to find the right solution.

She plopped back into her chair.

"Vegeta, look at me." He glanced her way quickly, before looking away, but then did a double take at the look of fury that had marred her features. He seemed unsure of what the look might mean, but he warily kept her gaze. "Now you listen, and you listen good, because I'm only going to say this once. And I don't want to ever hear of it again." After she was sure that she had his attention, she took a breath. "You are my husband. You and only you. It took me years to find you and I'm not going to let you go. And you can tell that to that little blue floozy that hangs around with you."

His lip twitched a bit.

"Now I know already that you'd give your life for me. You've done it before, and you're doing it now. What I don't think you realize is that both Trunks and I would do the same for you. And that doesn't mean just a fight to the death. It means waiting and missing you, and loving you from a distance. We do miss you and we want you to come home. We know that you can't right now," She choked and looked away for a moment before starting again. "And we understand that." She smiled a little weakly. "We could never replace you, Vegeta."

At the relieved look on his face, she smiled more earnestly. "I love you, Vegeta."

"I…" He swallowed. "I love you too, Bulma." He mumbled blushing.

She positively beamed at him. He twitched an embarrassed smirk. She savored the moment, wishing more than ever that he was there, that she could hold him—just once—and erase all his doubts.

After a minute had passed, she asked. "Do you want to tell me what happened?"

He deflated, and she felt somewhat sorry for bringing it up. "No."

She sighed. "Vegeta I'm worried about you." She admitted. "I don't like the idea that you're in danger, and unhappy. And alone. When you clam up like this, it just makes me think that you're hurting, and that you just don't want to tell me."

He didn't say anything.

"Please. Please talk to me." She pleaded. "Something is still bothering you. You don't have to hide anything from me."

He shook his head again glancing away, and she sighed. Suddenly though, he straightened. "Wait. What…the Tik forces en route to Earth…?"

It was Bulma's turn to glance away, and she could not hide the look of fear on her face.

"They're still on course?" He concluded.

Bulma nodded. "Given their trajectory, they'll land tomorrow night." She said with as little emotion as possible.

Vegeta just stared for a moment as the hard truth of that statement sank in. "And…you're prepared…?" He asked hesitantly.

"As we'll ever be." She answered.

"You need to get out of the city." He said, but she was already shaking her head.

"I need my lab."

"Pack it up. Put it in a capsule…hell, use Dr. Gero's lab in the mountains…or did someone destroy that?" He thought for a moment as if trying to remember what had become of it.

Bulma seemed to be considering his suggestion.

"At least pack emergency supplies." He continued. "They're going to get to West City eventually."

"I've already packed several capsule houses and clothes, and food and keepsakes." He rolled his eyes at the last one, but nodded in approval at the rest.

Seeing his reaction as a way out of this terribly tense conversation, she smirked. "Now, Vegeta, you know you would be upset if we lost all of my mom's good china." She joked and then with an over-dramatic gasp as if at the very idea. "And Trunks' baby pictures."

He seemed somewhat relieved at the change in topic as well. "I can honestly say that I would _not_ be since I would have never looked at them to begin with."

"Well I for one never want to lose all the pictures of you in that pink shirt."

He straightened at that. "Pictures?"

She grinned cheekily and laughed at his expression.

"You have pictures of that?"

"Of course."

"Get rid of them this instant!"

"No can do." She said with a chuckle. "I rather like them. Pink is a lovely color on you."

He grumbled something that she couldn't hear, and she smiled.

As the two continued their banter, the tension that had settled into Vegeta's shoulders slowly melted away. Bulma's laughter soon alerted Trunks to the call going on, and he joined his parents excitedly. The threat of the Tik's invasion of Earth suddenly seemed a long way away.

They talked for hours, Bulma and Trunks laughing and Vegeta smirking and shaking his head at their antics.

It wasn't until Bulma mentioned the pink shirt again, and Trunks began demanding that he see the pictures that Vegeta hurriedly found an excuse to cut the call short.

* * *

A/N – Hope you enjoyed! Since every epic story has to have the creatures that paralyze its victims with fear, I felt that I couldn't very well leave them out of mine. And by the way, white is the color of death in many Asian countries. And of course, Vegeta's little adventure has a purpose in the long run.

It's been a really hectic few weeks, so I haven't been able to update as often as I intended to. But hopefully things will be winding down a bit and I'll get back on track.

And as always, your input is very much appreciated. Like? Didn't like? Anything you want to see? Let me know.

Translations:

The Veet pod comes from the French word 'vite' meaning fast or quickly.

Xiee comes from the Chinese word meaning 'evil'


	18. The Recruiter's Game

Chapter 18- The Recruiter's Game 

"I don't think I'll ever be able to understand it." Yamcha joked. "I don't think I could eat right now if I tried."

"Yeah." Krillin agreed. "I'm way too nervous."

"It's probably for the better." Master Roshi said, imagining the rather hefty bill he would incur the next time anyone went grocery shopping. "Otherwise we'd run out of food entirely."

"I don't know…" Goku paused to practically inhale a bowl full of noodles. "…how you could _not_ eat." He ripped into a chicken leg. "Aren't you worried about being weak from hunger?"

"Eh heh." Yamcha and Krillin shared a look and wordlessly agreed to drop the subject.

"So how is this going to go down exactly?" Krillin asked.

"What do you mean?" Yamcha asked.

"I mean…are we fighting with the Earth's normal forces?"

Huddled in the corner of the couch with a rather suspicious magazine, Oolong snorted. Aside from Puar, no one seemed to notice.

"Uhhh. I guess so." Goku answered. "We're on the same side." He looked around for a spot to put his empty bowl, but realizing that there was not a single empty space on the table, leaned over and put it on the floor.

A new voice entered the conversation, but no one seemed surprised at his sudden appearance. "The Earth's normal forces have their own strategy worked out. I'm not sure we'd fit into it." Ignoring the other fighters' greetings, he continued. "They have stationed soldiers at every city. They can handle the small-fries, but it will be up to the androids to handle the elites until the space-bound forces can destroy the ship carrying the Meiyochi."

"How'd you know all that?" "The Earth has space-bound forces?" Yamcha and Krillin asked simultaneously.

Ignoring Krillin's question, Piccolo answered. "I hear things."

"But…the space…bound…"

"I suggest you talk to Bulma about that. I only know the basics of the situation." Piccolo paused, and then seeing that they were clearly waiting for him to elaborate, he continued. "Capsule Corp and several other corporations have been working with the Krimzon to develop fighter jets with space capabilities. The jets are equipped with weapons strong enough to put the Tik ships out of commission."

"Huh." Goku said scanning the table in search of any food item he'd missed. "Who knew?"

The four fighters suddenly paused and looked up.

"What…what's happening?" Puar asked, noticing the sudden tension in the room.

"The ships have reached Earth's orbit." Piccolo answered, but his hairless brows furrowed. "They're stopping."

* * *

Vegeta stared broodingly out of the large windows of Kurenai's throne room. He did not want to be there. He knew that the Earth was going to be invaded soon—if it hadn't happened already—and he could barely contain his anxiety at the situation. He thought it odd that hardly more than a decade ago, he had been the one to threaten the planet, and now he was practically fretting over its safety. How things had changed.

"Nii-san!" The sudden voice pulled him out of his reverie before he could pursue that train of thought any further. Vegeta straightened, blinked, and then cast a hesitant look over his shoulder.

Sure enough.

"Tarble?" He blinked again in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Hm?" It was Tarble's turn to look confused. "You asked me to come."

"Uhh…no?" Vegeta cocked his head studying his younger brother as he crossed the darkened room. Something was off. When the younger man finally came to stand beside him, Vegeta realized what the difference was. "You've grown." He concluded.

Tarble glanced out of the window at the colorful lights of the city and smiled a little whimsically before turning back to Vegeta. "Yeah." Tarble nodded. "Kurenai gave me some…umm…potions or something. She's ordered me to drink one a day."

Vegeta nearly fell over. "Wha…?"

"I can explain." A voice from behind them called. Vegeta turned to see that Kurenai had finally entered. From the smug look on the old woman's face, he could tell that she had something to do with this. "Your brother's growth has been stunted by his lifestyle. Peaceful living, a lack of activity, and a near vegetarian diet didn't allow his body to mature as it should have. Haven't you noticed that his face is that of a teenager?"

Honestly he never _had_ noticed. He just raised his nose and turned away. "So why did you call my brother here Kurenai." Oh yes, he'd caught here there.

She chuckled, not the least bit impressed that he'd figured it out. "So that you could train him." Vegeta spun around in surprise and then took a step back to examine his brother again. Taking in Tarble's still-scrawny appearance—made all the more lanky by the fact that he was now taller—Vegeta cocked an eyebrow. "A seemingly pointless exercise." He commented. "Why go to the effort?"

"If one saiyan can throw the Tik empire into chaos, imagine what two could do." Kurenai smiled. She looked from one prince to the other, and then with an amused expression said. "Has anyone ever told you that you two could be twins?"

"No one would be so stupid." Vegeta snapped. For some reason that he couldn't quite put his finger on, he was offended by the comment. He realized belatedly, when Kurenai glanced toward his feet, that she had noticed as well.

Kurenai's eyes narrowed with a vicious glint. To her credit, she attempted to hide her smirk. "Be good boys and stand shoulder to shoulder, would you?" She asked, apparently taking great joy in Vegeta's flustered expression.

Vegeta scoffed and refused to move, but Tarble, much more impressed by Kurenai's power moved to stand beside him.

Vegeta frowned down at his little brother who was much closer to his height now that he'd hit his belated growth spurt. His face too had matured, and Vegeta found that he looked much more like his father—or at least how he thought he remembered his father to look—than he had before. He glanced at Kurenai to find that her eyes had become vulture-like. The gaze almost startled him for a minute.

He occasionally caught her staring at him in a similar way, almost sizing him up. She was planning something, he figured. Something that would involve him, and now his brother as well. But did she really expect him to make a warrior out of Tarble?

Vegeta glanced toward his younger brother. He supposed it was in his blood. Maybe…just maybe it was possible.

As two brothers stood shoulder to shoulder under the empress's intense gaze, Vegeta felt the inklings of pride stir within him. He'd always been ashamed of his brother, of his weakness, and his inability to fight. When Tarble had arrived on Earth, looking for all the world like a child, Vegeta had been even more inclined to reject him. But then to hear that somehow he had managed to deal with two fighters the strength of Frieza and had lived long enough to seek his aid had—to an extent—impressed him. Sure Frieza was no longer "powerful" by the Earthling warrior's standards, but Vegeta would never forget the years that he had spent terrorized under his rule. Though Tarble had the calm, gentle nature that Vegeta had come to expect in Nameks and Earthlings, there may just be a little Saiyan in him. Vegeta knew that it was possible that he was just looking for reasons to not reject him. He didn't want to be the only Saiyan left in the universe. Kakarott was one thing, but having real family…That discovery had somehow healed something within him.

In all honesty, after Tarble's reappearance, it had taken Vegeta quite a while to get over the bitterness incurred by the fact that his little brother had been spirited away to a safe planet while Vegeta had been placed into the hands of a tyrant to suffer for years. It had taken even longer to come to terms with Tarble's attitude, his un-saiyan nature, his disinclination to fight or spar. Vegeta had actually begun to wonder if it was actually Kakarott and Tarble who acted like real saiyans, and if Vegeta had actually become what Freiza wanted him to be.

The real watershed moment had been when Tarble had given him his parting gift. It was a box intricately carved with the royal crest of Vegetasei. Vegeta had been reluctant to open it at first, but Bulma had convinced him. In the box was a disk, two books, and something akin to a scouter. The disk contained images of Vegetasei, music, even videos of traditional Saiyan festivals. The books were a history of the Saiyan race (written in Saiyago) and a book of traditional legends and stories. They were things that until that point had only been vague blurs of memory, clipped and mixed, fused together and reshaped by a lifetime of experiences. To see his home planet again, to hear the stories his parents and Nappa had told him as a child, and to hear music in his native tongue had been…

It had been difficult.

Even more bitter had been the realization that all of the objects had been sent with Tarble as a reminder of his saiyan heritage. And Vegeta himself had been given away as a slave with nothing more than the clothes on his back.

He'd holed himself up in the gravity chamber for days, just needing time to come to terms with the resurfaced memories and the pain of seeing evidence of all that had been destroyed.

Bulma had understood. She'd given him his time, knowing that whatever was in the box was something that was hard for him to see. She hadn't pried, and she'd kept Trunks from pestering him to open up about it.

It had taken an entire three months for Vegeta to pick up the scouter, an invitation to Vegeta to keep in contact with his younger brother, and use it. Even then the only thing he had managed was a stuttered "thank you."

Finally, four months after Tarble had left, Vegeta showed the box and its contents to Trunks. He actually recalled his anxiety that Trunks would reject it all, reject his heritage. On the contrary, to Vegeta's great pride, Trunks had been ecstatic to see it all. He'd made Vegeta read the stories to him, and then later to Goten as well. He'd spent hours listening to the music, picking his favorite songs and then copying them to CDs. The video of a traditional Saiyan sport had incited much begging from both boys to learn. Vegeta had refused, on the grounds that there weren't enough people to play. In reality, Vegeta himself didn't know the rules.

Now, with Tarble standing beside him, he was feeling much of the same pride that he felt towards his son. His brother was a survivor. His life had certainly not been anywhere near as rough as Vegeta's. His kind innocent nature was proof of that. But he was all that was left.

"Tarble, cross your arms." Vegeta looked up to Kurenai who was still staring between them, and the irritation rushed back to him.

Tarble hesitated but then obeyed.

"Now glare at me."

Vegeta rolled his eyes.

"Now roll your eyes."

Vegeta snapped a glare to the woman who was chuckling slightly at what she must have considered a joke. Daringly, she walked up to Vegeta, took a lock of hair from the middle of his forehead and then pulled it down, whispering something that resembled a spell. She released it a minute later, and to Vegeta's great annoyance, the lock of hair stayed, leaving him with a hairstyle that was the exact replica of Tarble's. "Now hold that pose, both of you. Midori, come see this."

The young woman came from across the room and stood to look at the two brothers. She gasped.

"Which one is Vegeta?" Kurenai challenged.

Midori stared between the two, looking closely at the identical scowls, identical dark eyes, identical uniforms.

Finally, she walked up closer to the two and taking her hand, measured their height difference. Finally, she looked back at Kurenai pointing to Vegeta. "This one."

Kurenai nodded.

"It's amazing. I knew that all saiyan's looked alike to begin with," Vegeta actually gasped in offense. "But, _they_ look so much alike, that it's incredible." Midori said. "Who is the other one, again?"

"This is Vegeta's younger brother, Tarble." Kurenai introduced.

"Enough of this!" Vegeta suddenly yelled. "I know that we undoubtedly share some features, but this is going too far."

Kurenai looked back at him and with a swish of her wrist, a large mirror appeared before the two.

A momentary glance confirmed that the two brothers looked surprisingly much more similar than Vegeta had realized. A moment later, though the effect was lost. Tarble's scowl, which he had worked so hard to keep on, was replaced by an awed, wide-eyed stare. Vegeta's eyes widened momentarily too, before he settled back into his customary scowl.

"Kurenai what is the point of this?"

The mirror disappeared. "Nothing really." She said easily. "Vegeta you are dismissed."

"What?" He yelled. "Just like that? You bring me all the way here, dress me up and submit me to all this nonsense and then you just…dismiss me?"

"Yes, that's what I said."

Vegeta growled. "Fine!" Turning on his heel, he stomped toward the door. He reached the door and turned back. Why on earth was Tarble staying?

"Oh and Vegeta?" Kurenai called. "Your training sessions with Tarble will start today at15-H."

Not deigning to respond, Vegeta just growled and slammed the door behind him.

* * *

If it had been during school hours, he might have responded differently. If he'd been at home, his mother might have stopped him. As it happened, however, the attack came while he was flying home from school. He supposed that flying wasn't the right word. Since the Tik ships had been hovering over the atmosphere since the night before, it had been deemed unsafe to fly—if their Ki suddenly disappeared mid-flight, even a half saiyan could plummet to a nasty death. Trunks had flown to school on his hoverboard, and when his Ki had suddenly disappeared that morning, he had hardly reacted. He was used to the sensation by now.

He'd spent the rest of the day completely distracted from his classes. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out why school hadn't been cancelled. But as his teacher said, wars happened everyday.

While that may be true, planetary invasions certainly didn't happen every day—at least not on Earth.

Trunks could feel the Kis of the Tik soldiers still in space. They were presumably just circling the planet. He had no way to tell if it was just that the Earth's normal forces were fighting with them in space or if they were just biding their time.

He'd become antsy, fidgeting, gazing out of the window as if he might be able to see something that would give him some idea of what was going on. The other students didn't seem to be nearly as concerned as he was.

It was with great relief that the final bell rang and he was allowed to leave.

It wasn't until he had left school and was half way to Capsule Corp that one of the Tik ships began plummeting toward Earth.

Trunks slowed on his hoverboard, feeling the Ki of the Tik soldiers. They were landing close to West City. In a moment, his decision was made.

He took off toward the ship.

* * *

"Hey dad." Gohan said as he and Videl landing their hoverboards onto the hill beside his father and friends. A round of greetings were exchanged between them.

One of the Tik ships was expected to land there, and the largest fleet had been sent out to meet them. The Z fighters, figuring that they had no other idea of where the Tik might land, went along as well.

Gohan looked down at the line of earthling troops below him and instantly felt nervous. Their numbers were impressive, but he had never had much faith in earthling soldiers. Although earth's normal forces were fine to fight amongst themselves, they had never been effective in any high-powered situations. And from the looks of them, they were so afraid of the mere thought of extra-terrestrials that they would probably be too terrified during the battle to be much use. "Uhh…Where are 17 and 18?"

"They'll be coming." Krillin said looking up from where he was fiddling with the scope on his weapon.

Gohan sighed in relief and turned to his father. "I sent Goten home." He said.

Goku nodded. "Good." Until he was sure of what he was up against, he preferred to take Vegeta's advice and keep the boys off the battlefield.

Suddenly, two people dropped out of the sky.

"Hey 18, hey 17."

The two androids nodded to the others. "We just talked to Commander Chairo. She confirmed that only two ships are landing." 18 informed them. "The second ship is heading for the Americas."

"Should one of you go and help them?"

The androids shared a glance. "I'll go." 18 conceded and then suddenly glanced down at the troops at the bottom of the hill. A moment later, she turned toward some steep mountains in the distance. "The largest city in the area is just beyond those mountains. The Tik will probably be attacking there first. Many of the lower-powered soldiers will be on foot, but according to Chairo, there are some that will have hovercraft."

Piccolo nodded in understanding. "We will take up positions in the mountains then and shoot them down."

18 nodded and then levitated a bit. She locked eyes with Krillin for a moment, and then shot off into the sky.

Just after she was out of earshot, Goku suddenly gasped. "Oh no!"

"What?" Krillin asked in alarm.

"I forgot to give 18 a senzu bean."

"Oh." Krillin thought for a moment. "It will probably be ok. I doubt she'll come up against any real opposition."

"Yeah." Yamcha agreed. "And even if she's hurt badly, most of her major organs are cybernetic anyway."

17's eyes shot over to glare at him momentarily before he looked away.

"But not all of them." Krillin informed him.

"I could take her one." 17 offered without looking over.

"Good idea." Goku said pulling two beans out of his bag. "And keep one for yourself too."

17 took the beans without a word of thanks and then shot off after his sister.

The rest of them stared after him for a moment before Gohan suddenly spoke. "I guess we should head to the mountains then."

* * *

"Come on, Tarble!" Vegeta shouted as Tarble was sent crashing into the wall. The elite training room that they were using had long been evacuated. All of the other soldiers had taken one look at the two Saiyans upon their arrival and had stopped their own exercises to watch the show.

After a few minutes, they had all unanimously decided that it would be much safer for them to continue watching behind the reinforced glass of the training room.

There was now a crowd gathered in the hallway outside. Vegeta recognized all of them as Kurenai's and Kuro Kon's personal warriors—the elite of the elite, the most loyal and most powerful. Few other people were allowed into the elite training area—both for reasons of safety and of secrecy.

Vegeta didn't particularly care, but he suspected that Tarble was somewhat embarrassed to be publicly throttled by his older brother.

Tarble slumped down onto the floor, the last hit leaving him dizzy and feeling slightly sick.

"If you can't overpower me, then at least use your head!" Vegeta snapped.

Tarble rubbed his head and looked up at Vegeta. "Vegeta, you're just too much stronger than I am! It's not fair!"

"Who said anything about fairness?" Vegeta said, striding over to his brother, grabbing him by the collar, and hoisting him to his feet. "I assume that if Kurenai wants you trained, she's intending to have you fight in some capacity. No opponent is going to go easy on you just because you are weaker than him." He shoved him lightly and without waiting to see if Tarble regained his footing, turned and stalked a few steps away. Vegeta turned back and crouched into a fighting stance.

"Watch your left side. You're leaving it completely open. Use your size to an advantage. I've got a longer reach than you do, so take that into account. You're a small target. Learn to dodge." Vegeta paused for a moment. "Now, come at me again."

Tarble crouched down and flung a small Ki blast at his brother. While Vegeta busied himself with swatting it away, Tarble attacked, trying to find a hole in his brother's defenses.

"Good!" Vegeta said, before dodging out of the way and sending Tarble flying into the wall. "But not good enough."

* * *

The ship had touched down almost exactly where they had predicted.

The sun shone brightly, but the air was still brisk. It was a perfect day for battle.

There had been no exchange of either greetings or insults. The Tik soldiers had simply charged off of their ship, teeth bared, and weapons drawn. The battle began with bloodshed.

The Earth's normal forces were shocked and terrified at the sight of actual aliens. Some of them, even after months of preparation for the event, were still in disbelief that an alien race existed. They were initially pushed back easily by the advancing line of soldiers despite the fact that the Earth forces outnumbered them.

However, the tides did not remain in the favor of the Tik for long. Fighter jets soon swooped in, dropping bombs on the Tik and eliminating at least a dozen.

As if at seeing proof that the aliens could indeed be killed, the Earth forces were emboldened by this, and soon began to hold their lines.

However, this did not last for long. Almost the moment after the Earth forces began to hold, Tik elites joined the fray.

The first one appeared in the doorway of the ship, and after surveying the battle before him for a moment, let loose a large energy beam that killed dozens of Earth soldiers and the few Tik soldiers that had happened to be in the blast's trajectory.

The Earth's forces were thrown into chaos, and the fight began to look less and less like a coordinated battle, and more like a violent free-for-all.

The Tik elite merely laughed, and, saying something to the others behind him levitated into the sky.

The six elites split into groups of two and, ignoring the battle going on below them, took off apparently in search of cities.

One of the pairs flew straight toward the mountains where the Z fighters were stationed. They were stopped half-way when 17 suddenly appeared before them.

From their position in the mountains, the Z fighters could see the exchange. Though they could not hear what was being said, they could tell from the momentary pause, that a small, likely hostile discussion was taking place.

After a moment, one of the Tik lunged at 17. 17 dodged easily, but as he took up the fight against the one Tik elite, the second slipped away and continued toward the city behind the mountains.

"Oh no you don't." Goku said, seeing the elite nearing them. He crouched down and took aim. A moment later, his large gun fired. The blast headed straight toward the soldier, but at the last minute, the soldier caught sight of it and swerved. The blast continued harmlessly on its trajectory before fizzling out.

The Tik soldier stopped in mid-air, his eyes and scouter apparently scanning the mountains for the source of the attack.

The Z fighters remained still, suppressing their already diminished Kis no nearly non-existence.

It was no use, however. After a moment, he elite smirked and dropped down right in the middle of the Z fighters.

The Z fighters all took a step back. They could feel his power level, and they all knew that, if it came to a hand-to-hand fight, they would all be killed in short order.

The Tik soldier calmly gazed around at the six representatives of the Earth's special forces, and his lips curled into a smirk.

"What is a Namek doing on this forsaken mud ball?" He wondered aloud, and did not seem to notice when Piccolo provided no answer. His gaze continued, passing over Krillin and Videl. When he saw Gohan, however, he paused. His eyes narrowed. Videl moved slightly closer to Gohan as if to protect him.

Gohan tensed, but made no movement.

The Tik elite's black boots crunched loudly on the rocks as he took a step toward him. "Is that a Saiyan that I see?" The alien grinned, looking over at Gohan. Goku and Yamcha both jumped to action and placed themselves in front of him.

"Oh ho ho! A whole little swarm of Saiyans." He stuck his hands on his hips cockily. "Aren't we lucky? You'll make great additions to the Emperor's army."

"We'd never fight for that monster!" Goku declared. His knuckles were white from clutching his weapon, but not wishing to provoke the elite, he did not raise it.

"Confident about that, are you?" The alien chuckled. "Unfortunately, for you the emperor has means of persuading ignorant whelps to do his bidding."

"I'd rather die."

"What use would you be _then_?" The alien asked, and then after pausing for a moment, chuckled raucously as if having just realized something. "Or do you not want to fight against your prince? Still loyal to him? I wouldn't worry about him for long. Hui will deal with him in short order. Although…" He cocked his head in a relaxed and amused manner. "It would be funny if one of you killed him." He leaned toward Goku. "You up to the task? Take his place as ruler of…of…" He laughed again. "Well, anyway. I'm sure the Emperor would reward you quite handsomely if you brought him your prince's head."

"We would never do that, no matter what your emperor offered us. Your emperor is a threat to this planet." Goku said. "We will fight to defend it. To the death if we have to."

"Need I remind you that your own planet was destroyed about forty years ago?"

"This is our home now."

"Aww how sweet. Well I can see that I won't get through to you." He leveled his gun between Goku's eyes and fired.

The gathered Z fighters only had enough time to gasp. The blast seemed to travel toward Goku in slow motion, and yet it was too fast to dodge.

Goku would be dead if a figure hadn't deflected it just in time.

"Heh heh." Yamcha chuckled. "Perfect timing, 17."

"You again?" The Tik elite said in annoyance, although a hint of fear was evident in his eyes.

17 ignored the soldier and turned to the other Z fighters. "Get back to those cliffs." He ordered them, pointing to an area that would afford them shelter from aerial attacks and would keep them relatively hidden from approaching Tik soldiers. "I'll take care of this one."

"Right." Goku said, with a nod. "And, uhh…thanks."

* * *

"What's this then?"

Trunks ceased his examination of an Earth forces tank that had apparently been hit with an energy beam. Or maybe it was the rubble from the building that had apparently collapsed on top of it that had done the tank in. Trunks couldn't really tell.

He spun around and crouched down into a fighting stance. The flickering Kis of Earthling soldiers inside the tank would likely snuff out soon. There was not much left that Trunks could do for them.

And he had his own problems to worry about at the moment. A large Tik soldier was hovering in the air behind him.

Trunks took a cautious step backwards, and the strange creature—it had a brown exoskeleton, but didn't look like any insect Trunks had ever seen—suddenly dropped to the ground.

"Are you going to fight me little boy?" The Tik soldier asked in amusement. Somewhere nearby, a building collapsed, sending soot and ash billowing into the air. The smoke was burning Trunks' eyes, and the sounds of distant screams, explosions, and collapsing buildings were deafening. "How did you manage to avoid the explosions?"

The soldier's eyes suddenly alighted upon the hoverboard strapped to Trunks' back. His eyes narrowed.

"A Krimzon hover board?" He asked taking a step forward. "Now, where did you get that, I wonder?"

Trunks would have done better to remain silent, but his anger and bravado were flaring within him, and before he could stop himself, he had blurt out, "The Krimzon soldiers gave it to me."

"And why would they do that?" The creature narrowed its eyes at Trunks suspiciously. "Or perhaps you killed a Krimzon soldier for it? That would make you quite the skilled fighter."

Trunks smirked, momentarily forgetting that he had nothing with which to back up his gloats. "I'm one of the best fighters this planet has got."

"Are you now?" The creature smirked. "Then prove it." He lunged at Trunks.

Trunks saw the attack coming, but he suddenly found that without his Ki, he was too slow to dodge it. He tried to jump out of the way, but the soldier's fist still clipped the side of his head. Trunks spun with the momentum of the hit, but was met a moment later with the alien's foot in his abdomen.

A loud cry and a substantial amount of blood escaped from his mouth and he flew backwards to crash into a pile of rubble. Just those two hits had knocked the wind out of him, and caused his vision to swim.

He lay still for a moment as his vision came back into focus, and then with a wretched cough pulled himself shakily back to his feet.

The Tik soldier seemed both surprised and impressed at the fact that Trunks had righted himself so soon. "You weren't kidding." He said, appraising the young demi-saiyan. "You are pretty tough. That kick had enough force behind it to kill a grown man."

The soldier smirked and crouched down. "Alright, now. Let's see your moves."

Trunks spat a bit of blood onto the ground and appraised the man before him. A vision of his father, proud and strong sprang into his head, and he straightened himself. Thinking back to the hundreds of sparring sessions he'd had with his father—who clearly far outclassed this poor excuse for a fighter—he searched the man's stance for any weakness, and then spotting one possibility, he lunged.

The Tik soldier smirked as Trunks swung a fist at his torso, preparing to swat Trunks away. Trunks, however nimbly flipped over the man's hand and then sent a chop to his neck.

The alien soldier actually choked and stumbled backwards. Trunks carried on his assault, not allowing the man to recover. He delivered a kick to the man's temple, and then landed back in a crouch, gasping for breath and wondering how much blood in his mouth was too much.

The Tik soldier straightened and wiped his forehead. His hand came away bloody.

Instead of being impressed with himself for drawing blood, Trunks was horrified at how little he'd actually injured the man. Sure he'd managed to put a small crack in the exoskeleton of the man's head, but Trunks had intended for that kick to kill.

He didn't have much time to contemplate that, however, for the man's eyes narrowed. A moment later, he sprung at him.

Trunks found himself being pummeled, overpowered, and rapidly slowing. He tried to block the soldier's furious punches and kicks, but he was far too weak to do so. He was too slow to dodge. It wasn't long before he found himself being thrown through the air. He smacked hard into an upright slab of cement, and then fell down face-first to the ground.

This time, he couldn't get up.

The sound of heavy footsteps made their way toward him.

All Trunks could do was try to draw some air into the bloody mess that used to be his lungs, and try to keep his eyes open.

The Tik soldier laughed and rolled Trunks over with his foot. "A spunky one, aren't you? You've got potential. I may just let you live…as a member of our army of course."

"He's not interested."

Trunks cracked a bruised and swollen eye open at the sound of that cold voice. It had come from somewhere nearby.

The large soldier straightened and turned toward the source of the voice. He didn't remove his foot from Trunks' chest. "And how would you know? You his daddy?"

"And what if I am?" Trunks could hear footsteps calmly stepping over the crushed gravel. He cracked an eye open and coughed. Weakly, he tried to turn his head toward his savior.

The soldier laughed again. "Then you should be proud to have him serve the noble Emperor Hui."

"Spare me your speeches, and let him go." The soldier's only response was to increase the pressure on Trunks' chest.

With a loud sigh of annoyance, his savior spoke again. "I'll make you a deal. I'll fight you for him." Trunks coughed, but couldn't find his voice to protest at the indignity of the situation. He didn't have time to ponder that however. "If you win, you can have him. If I win…well, he stays with me."

"And why would I care about that? I could just kill him right here. He means nothing to me."

"You drive a hard bargain." Trunks' would-be savior said sarcastically. "How's this, if you win, you can have my sister as well?"

That apparently got the alien's attention. "What's this sister of yours look like?" Trunks could feel the pressure ease off of his chest, and the man's lust took over his brain.

"Blond hair, blue eyes. Curves in all the right places."

With a lecherous chuckle, the man removed his foot from Trunks' chest. A moment later, there was a wet splatter, and Trunks could feel something warm dropping onto his face.

He cracked his eyes open again, and tried to focus on the blurry shapes beside him. The alien was dropping to the ground, and a smaller figure was crouching beside him.

"Hey kid." His savior propped him up slightly. "Here. A senzu bean."

He felt the hard bean being shoved into his mouth, and he chewed it despite the pain he was in. He swallowed with difficulty, but then was gratified at the instant results it produced. He took a deep breath, glad to be able to breathe again.

With is vision now clear, he found himself looking up into the icy blue eyes of android 17. His blood ran cold.

"I…"

"Save it." 17 said. "You are to get on your hoverboard and get to Goku and the others." He turned and gestured to the west. "They're in the cliffs that way." He fixed Trunks with a stare that almost rivaled his father's in its harshness. "I won't save you again. Remember that."

With that, 17 took off into the sky.

* * *

A/N: I hope you enjoyed that. Hopefully, now I can get back on track with weekly updates. Fingers crossed!

Thanks to all of you who reviewed. I'm really glad to hear that you're enjoying the story. Your input is always appreciated!


	19. Children of War

Chapter 19—Children of War

A blast hit the cliffs above them, causing several large stones to dislodge and fall down.

Someone shouted, and all of the Z fighters dodged out of the way. The stones crashed to the ground missing them, but leaving them all covered in a fine layer of dust. Another blast hit the cliff face again, still far too high hit them. More, smaller rocks rained down.

"What the heck are they shooting at?" Krillin wondered aloud.

Suddenly a small figure dropped into the crevice in front of them. Instantly every weapon was trained on him.

"Uhh…" He raised his hands in surprise. "It's just me."

"Trunks?" Gohan shouted in surprise.

"Trunks!" Goku's shout was less confused, and was laced with an anger that few ever heard—or at least heard and lived to tell about. The large saiyan made his way through the gathered Z fighters, and Trunks was hard-pressed to think of a time when he had seen him this angry. Perhaps that one time during the whole Buu ordeal when Trunks had paused briefly during his flight to Capsule Corp…

"What are you doing here?" Goku yelled—whether it was through anger or just to be heard over the explosions in the background, Trunks couldn't tell. He suspected the former.

The ground shook and pebbles rained down again. Trunks could feel them hitting his head, but he made no move to wipe them off. He felt like any sudden movement would make the situation a lot worse, and so he just hung his head and tried to reign in his shaking.

Goku grabbed his arm and half-dragged him back farther into the crevice. By a wordless agreement, the others moved back toward the edge of the precipice to continue raining fire down below and to give the two their space.

They too were surprised at the fire in Goku's eyes, and none of them wanted to be on the receiving end of it. Still, they could hear every word that was said behind them.

Trunks darted a glance toward Gohan and Piccolo, hoping that one of them might step in for him, but they had all turned back to the battle below.

He didn't have time to think about that, however, because Goku began yelling. "What were you thinking?"

Trunks felt his lip quiver slightly, but then he steeled himself. He was a Saiyan. A prince too! There would be no crying, and no apologizing. Eyes flashing he looked up at Goku. "It's not fair!" He yelled back. "I want to fight too!"

"You're too _young_, Trunks!"

"No I'm not! My dad has been fighting since before he was my age! He told me so!"

"Your dad didn't have a choice!" Goku snapped, causing Trunks to recoil in surprise. "Vegeta never had anyone to protect him or to fight for him. He was thrown into a war and forced to fight to survive. He doesn't want that for you. That's why he wants you to stay out of all this." Goku's glare was harsh and he waved a hand toward the dust clouds below them. "Why can't you wrap your head around it?" Goku suddenly paused, and then blinked. "Please tell me you didn't being Goten along with you."

"No." Trunks said defensively as if that should have been obvious.

That seemed to relieve Goku somewhat. He glanced back toward where the others were firing. "I don't have time to continue this conversation now, but just know that it's not over. Give me your hoverboard." He held out a hand for it, and Trunks grudgingly handed it over. "Stay back here and watch out for falling debris."

Trunks just nodded, and looked away dejectedly.

Goku turned away, but before leaving paused. "One more thing…" He said without looking at Trunks. "Just so you know, they're capturing people to fight in their army. If you get caught, you'll be forced to fight against your father." With that, Goku walked back to the edge, leaving Trunks to stare after him.

* * *

When Vegeta returned to his apartment, after having broken a light sweat during his training with Tarble, the vid chat was beeping. Vegeta had momentarily forgotten about the Earth's situation, but when he heard the beeping, his heart dropped into his stomach.

Swiftly, he crossed the room and answered the call.

"Vegeta, are you there?" The sight of Bulma had a strange effect on him—a certain warming relief was the best way he could explain it. The sight of her worried, flustered face however, had his heart clenching. "Something wrong?"

She sighed in exasperation. "Yes!"

His eyebrows rose, and in response to his unasked question, she answered.

"It's Trunks."

He could swear that his heart skipped a beat. "What about him?"

Suddenly she looked worried. "He's not here." She said quietly. "A Tik ship landed on Earth. Trunks was supposed to be home hours ago, but…he never came."

Vegeta could see how that would be a cause for worry, especially knowing his son as well as he did. Still there was one thing that was evading him. "So what do you want me to do about it?"

She deflated, apparently trying to think of something that he _could_ do, but then a moment later, her distress turned to anger.

"Oh!" She huffed. "We both know where he is!" She declared. "Honestly, the boy is so pigheaded. I don't know where he gets it!"

Vegeta could think of two very likely places. "Have you tried his phone?"

"He won't answer. It's off apparently." She buried her face in her hands for a moment before settling on just grabbing fistfuls of her hair. "This has been going on for weeks. Since you left, he hasn't been the same. He misses you, and he doesn't think it's fair that you…had to leave."

Vegeta found himself growing uncomfortable with the conversation. "What do you mean? What's he done? Other than this?" Tangible things were much easier for him to handle than emotional ones.

"He almost got himself killed! That's what he's done!" Bulma nearly shrieked.

"What? How?"

"He's gotten it into his head that once the Earth is safe, you'll be able to come home. Or maybe…I don't know! I've just been so busy lately that I…" She dropped her face into her hands again.

Vegeta sighed. It _would_ have to be because of him that his son was putting his life in danger, wouldn't it?

"As soon as there's trouble, he's right in the middle of it. Last time, when you were fighting on that planet, he grabbed on to Goku while he was instant transmissioning. The two almost died in the middle of space! He thinks that as long as he is confident enough and has good intentions, he can do anything. Because he's seen you take down Tik soldiers even without your power." Vegeta wanted to remind her that the guy he had defeated with a sword had likely not been anywhere near the power level of the ones on Earth now, and that he hadn't actually fought anyone on Oso without his Ki, but at that moment Bulma choked back a sob. "Vegeta, I can't handle him anymore. I always thought that it would be much easier to handle a child who wasn't super-powered, but it's not! Now all I do is worry!" She dropped her face back into her hands.

Vegeta sat staring at her for a while. He'd rarely seen her behave this way, and he wasn't entirely sure what to do about it. He supposed that he should be trying to think of solutions. "What about your father? Won't he listen to him?" If it was a male figure that Trunks needed, then perhaps there could be a substitute.

"No, Vegeta. He won't listen to dad, or Goku, or Krillin, or Chichi, or 17, or Gohan, or Yamcha. Not even Piccolo. He won't listen to anyone. I don't know what to do anymore."

"Send him here." He said. He'd said it without really thinking, but now the more he reflected on it, the better that idea sounded.

"What?"

"You heard me. Send him here if you think he's going to get himself killed."

"Uhh…couldn't you just talk to him?"

"What would that help? I've told him before to not put himself in danger. He's an 11 year old boy, and he's got it in his head that he needs to join this fight on my account. There's no one to fight here. Everything's peaceful. Maybe if he spends a while with me, he'll get over it."

"But…" Bulma couldn't comprehend the idea of sending her only little boy into space. Even if it was to be with his father.

"Look, I know that earthling women find it hard to part with their children, but it's not like he'll be alone. I'm here most of the time, and when I'm not here, I have…acquaintances that always seem to be here." Mentioning his acquaintances seemed to annoy him. "And Tarble's here now. Even when he's not, his planet isn't that far away. He'll come by from time to time."

"Tarble visits you?" She seemed to light up. She had been so happy for him to learn that he had family, and apparently the fact that he and his brother were now in regular contact made her ecstatic.

"Yes." He said, narrowing his eyes in warning to her to not get sentimental. "Occasionally. Now about Trunks?"

She frowned. "I don't know Vegeta. I don't like the idea of sending Trunks away for so long."

Vegeta frowned as well.

Bulma saw his look. "But I do agree that it might be the best thing for his safety. Are there kids his age there? What about school?"

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "The planet has a population of about 10 billion. I'm sure there's someone around his age."

Bulma scowled at his sarcasm, and in return, he smirked at her. "And yes. Earth isn't the only planet that has an education system. There is a school for officers' children. He may well enjoy it. I'd imagine that he'd 'fit in' a bit more here than on Earth. There are so many different races of beings on this planet that he wouldn't have to hide his power or anything."

Bulma frowned again, not at what he was telling her, but at the fact that she was seriously considering his solution. "I…I'll have to think on it. It would be so hard to part with him. And then…" Her eyes watered up a bit. "You're not here either. I'd be all alone, wouldn't I?" She knew she was being selfish. On Earth at least she had all of her friends.

"It would only be temporary. Though if Trunks got blown up by a Tik soldier, you would be alone as well."

She sighed. "Give me some time to think about it." She said.

"Alright." He nodded in reluctant understanding. "Just so you know, I will supposedly be unavailable tomorrow."

"Supposedly?" She asked, at his odd wording.

With a somewhat flustered expression, he dug into his pocket and produced a small vial. "I gift from Kurenai via Midori." He explained. At her blank expression, he continued. "I am supposed to drink it and expect to not be able to get out of bed for a day."

She blinked. "That sounds dangerous." She concluded worriedly. "What's it supposed to do?"

"They wouldn't tell me." He scowled at the vial as if he could somehow transfer his disdain to the two sorceresses who had given it to him and then placed it down on the table out of Bulma's sight. "But I suspect it will regrow my tail."

Her eyes widened. "Really?"

"Just a guess." He said vaguely, waving the question away.

"So you're going to do it?"

"Didn't I just tell you that it could grow my tail back?" He said, somewhat testily.

"I…I didn't know you wanted it back. I could have…" He waved her concern away with a negligent gesture.

"It's a moot point now. I can't disobey Kurenai's orders anyway." He paused and then reluctantly added. "I'll be deployed again in a few days."

"Deployed?" Bulma asked. "Since when? Where?"

"Kurenai told me just a half hour ago. I'll be leaving as soon as I'm physically able."

"But where…"

"I'm not allowed to say. Don't worry though. I'll be bringing a scouter with me. I'll be able to keep in contact from time to time."

Bulma frowned but nodded. "I guess…" She sighed. "I guess I should go find Trunks."

Vegeta shook his head. "Leave him where he is. If you go after him, you'll just put yourself in danger."

"Well what am I supposed to do?"

He shrugged. "You could start repairing that old space pod."

* * *

"What are those things?" Videl yelled in horror at the strange spindly creatures that were climbing steadily up the rocks toward them. Similar creatures were attacking the earth's normal forces on the ground, sinking their long teeth and claws into any unprotected flesh they could find.

"I don't know!" Gohan shouted. "I don't even know where they came from! They appeared out of thin air." He continued firing at them, but it seemed as though the creatures were endless.

"No." Piccolo looked beyond the swarm of creatures into the dusty landscape below. "It's magic."

"So…there's some sort of wizard around?"

"That would be the most likely explanation."

Behind the group of warriors, Trunks straightened at the mention of a wizard and craned his head up to try to get a glimpse. He couldn't see anything from his position though, so he just slumped back in dejection.

A large explosion suddenly shook the ground.

"What was that?" Goku shouted, whirling toward the noise and the large smoke cloud that was rapidly advancing on them.

Before anyone could find an answer, a jet flew overhead. However, before it could bring the Earth's troops any aid, its engines silenced and it plummeted to the ground.

"It's going to crash!" Krillin yelled.

"What's happening?"

The plane hit the ground and exploded. The pilot only narrowly escaped.

Piccolo narrowed his eyes. "The Tik are somehow causing the planes to malfunction."

Two more jets raced toward the ship, but they too suddenly started free-falling toward the ground. The pilots ejected, moments before twin explosions shook the ground again.

Black spots in the distance—new planes arriving to the area—suddenly turned around in retreat.

"They've neutralized our air support." Yamcha said in astonishment.

Goku stared at the crater-filled, land beneath them with a stony face. "It's up to us then."

"They're coming up the other way!" Krillin shouted over the din.

"What?" Yamcha glanced to his side to look where Krillin was pointing.

"There!" Krillin indicated a small valley between two mountains where a rather large contingent of strange creatures were making their way.

"We've got to stop them!" Goku said. "Krillin, Yamcha, come with me. Try not to use the hoverboards and beware of enemy fire."

The two nodded.

Goku glanced back toward Gohan. "We'll meet back up with you later." With a nimble jump, he leapt off the cliff. Krillin and Yamcha followed, both spryly hopping from one rock to another to reach the distant crevice.

* * *

Tarble could find his own way to the apartment and the guest room. Vegeta wasn't concerned about him. A late night training session on his own would do the younger Saiyan some good, and there was no point in Vegeta being there the whole time to hold his hand along the way.

Freshly showered, he padded his way toward his bed. He wanted to know what was happening on Earth, but Bulma had no more information than he did, and talking to her only made him feel all the more useless. The stress at the situation was mounting, and he wanted to be rid of it. It would have been nice if he could have directed the battles on Earth as he'd done countless other times for those other planets. However, as Kurenai had reminded him, the Earth's forces were not subject to commands from Iro. And Vegeta knew all too well how idiotic the Earthling population could be when given orders by someone they didn't know.

He lifted the vial off of the bedside table and stared nervously at it for a moment. He didn't like magic—except maybe the dragonballs. Those were ok—except when they were causing war and general chaos.

With a deep sigh, he downed the small potion and flopped onto his bed. The effects were almost instant.

A layer of sweat broke out on his skin. His body was growing hot. For a moment, he thought he'd made a huge mistake. But, then his head grew foggy, and his vision began turning black. He didn't have much time to think about anything else before he slipped into a fitful sleep.

* * *

Before they had even arrived at the crevice, the strange creatures had seen them coming. One of them sprang at Goku. Goku ducked to the side and then grabbing it by the scruff of the neck kicked it away. The creature sailed downward before landing with a crack and a splatter. It didn't move again.

Goku didn't waste time watching it. Instead he continued raining fire.

After nearly ten minutes, it didn't seem as though they were making much progress. As soon as they would blow a creature away, a new one would appear.

"This isn't working you guys!" He yelled to Krillin and Yamcha.

"Yeah, but what can we do?"

Goku frowned and looked down over the steadily advancing creatures. "Where are they coming from?" He mumbled. They were clearly coming from somewhere near the ship, but he couldn't tell the exact location. "Alright, think! Think damn it!" He closed his eyes and concentrated. _Piccolo said that these things were magical. That they came from a wizard. So I just need to find the wizard. _He opened his eyes again looking for anything that resembled Babbiti. Nothing. No one even resembling Goku's conception of a wizard was anywhere near the battlefield. No robes, no pointy hats. Not even a green witch with a hooked nose. _Maybe they're not on the battlefield. The figured. Or maybe…maybe they just look normal. That would be a better explanation._

"Goku!"

Goku snapped his attention back to the creatures advancing on him just in time to keep one from sinking its claws into his face.

"Waaah!" He swung at it. His fist connected, sending it sailing down the mountain again.

_Alright. Ok. So. No expectations. Maybe the wizard looks normal. Maybe…maybe it's even invisible. Ergh! That would be tricky. Let's hope not. Though…if wizards use magic, would I be able to sense the magic. Hmmm… _He closed his eyes again trying to sense any abnormal Ki. _They all feel weird! They're aliens! Why is this so frustrating? Ok ok calm down! Feel him out…_

He could feel the earthlings with their small ki, but their burning passion and fear. He could feel the few remaining Tik soldiers—most of whom had Ki higher than their earthling counterparts. The elites were gone. 17 had already taken care of most of them, and he was hunting down the rest.

And then there was…two…something….

_Hmm…_ He turned his eyes toward where he felt the strange Ki. _He's inside the ship. Of course!_

He grinned. "Ok guys, you take care of things here!" He began leaping down the cliff.

Krillin's jaw dropped. "What?"

"Where are you going?" Yamcha yelled.

"I'll be back later!" Goku called back with a wave.

Krillin and Yamcha shared a stupefied glance.

"What the hell, man?" Yamcha mumbled after a second. "He could at least tell us where he's going."

Krillin shot a few more creatures and frowned. "Oh you know Goku. He probably just figured out a way to defeat Hui and end this whole war."

Yamcha laughed. "Man, I wish!"

* * *

Goku made his way through the advancing creatures, chopping some down, blasting some away, and simply hopping over others. He didn't have time to worry about them now. If he was correct, then he would be getting rid of them all soon anyway.

He reached the battlefield where the earth's normal forces were clashing against the Tik warriors. Although the earthlings far outnumbered the Tik, the Tik soldiers appeared to be holding their own. Hopefully at least, the Tik were distracted enough to allow Goku to slip through to the ship.

He weaved his way through the heaving, chaotic mass of warriors, hopping over fallen bodies, and shoving by others.

A hand on his collar stopped him just before he'd broken through to the ship. "Where do you think you're going?" A deep voice asked.

Goku didn't even take the time to look at his opponent. He jerked himself out of the Tik warrior's hold, and spinning, sent a kick toward his abdomen.

"Oh a tough guy, are you?" The Tik soldier laughed dodging around the kick.

Goku finally took a moment to size up his opponent. His Ki was easily twice what Goku was able to access at the moment. The soldier had tough, scaly-looking gray skin, large bulbous eyes, and well-muscled arms and legs. The alien crouched down into a fighting stance. Goku smirked at him. A perfect opponent!

The Tik lunged first. Goku ducked his swing and sent a fist into the other fighter's abdomen. The alien choked, and Goku followed with an elbow to the back. The fighter slipped away, and stumbled back a few steps.

"Impressive." The alien said, wiping a bid of blood from his chin with a smirk. "You're more skilled than the rest of these grunts."

"Of course." Goku answered cockily, he feinted left, and then leapt the other way and grabbed the alien in a choke hold. "I'm a saiyan." He leaned closer and whispered in the alien's ear. "And if you want to know a secret, I'll be the one to kill your emperor." _If Vegeta doesn't get to him first._ Goku brushed that disturbing thought aside.

To Goku's surprise, the Tik soldier laughed—a loud, hearty laugh. "If you could assure me of that, I would be inclined to let you live. But since you'll probably be killed here today anyway, sadly I'll have to do you in myself."

Goku blinked, suddenly feeling the smallest bit of guilt in his stomach. "You mean…you're not loyal to Hui?" His hold loosened momentarily. The Tik soldier pulled an arm loose and drove an elbow into Goku's abdomen before dancing away.

"Loyalty is a difficult term." He waved his hand negligently. "Not worth getting into now."

"But wait! I could…if you…" He choked and rubbed his stomach once before straightening up again.

"Let me explain something to you, saiyan." The gray man flew toward him again, and the two began exchanging a flurry of punches and kicks. "People like me do not have a choice about who we fight for. Whoever conquers my planet and holds my family for ransom is the person I pledge my loyalty to." A punch landed square in Goku's face and he flailed backwards for a moment before catching his footing and jumping back into the fight. "It's a crappy situation," The alien continued as though nothing had happened. "But there you have it. Surely you can understand such a thing. Weren't you one of Frieza's boys at one time?"  
"No." Goku said, landing a kick in the alien's side. "I never worked for Frieza."

"Really." The Tik soldier looked genuinely surprised, and that allowed Goku to land a punch to the side of his face. The soldier landed sprawled on his backside, but when Goku didn't immediately lunge toward him to continue the fight, the alien cautiously lifted himself from the ground again. "And how did you get out of that? I thought Frieza made a point of having the remaining saiyans either killed or forced into his army."

"I…I'm not sure…" Goku admitted, dropping his guard. They had somehow moved away from the battlefield, and Goku didn't have to worry about anyone else attacking him from behind.

"Were you the one that was hidden?" The Tik soldier asked. The fight had apparently taken a momentary hiatus.

"Hidden?"

"The brother of that third class. Prince Vegeta's trial was broadcast throughout the universe, you know. We all saw it."

Goku swallowed. "Yes…that's me."

"And you escaped Frieza's clutches did you. Lucky you, to have had such a brother."

"Yeah…lucky me." Goku's stomach churned uncomfortably. "Look I…I really don't want to have to kill you."

The Tik soldier laughed raucously. "Don't want to…boy, do you know where you are? You're a saiyan in a battlefield, and you're getting sentimental. This is too rich!"

"What happens if you die?" Goku asked suddenly. "To your family, I mean."

The alien sobered, and cocked his head. Then with a small, indulgent smile, he answered. "If I die in the line of duty, my family will be provided for until my sons come of age to fight."

"And if I let you live?"

"Let me live will you?" The soldier looked a little patronizingly at him. "I will continue to fight for Hui."

Goku frowned. "And after Hui is gone?"

The Tik soldier blinked. "You're serious about killing him aren't you?" He said in surprise. His eyes narrowed. "What exactly makes you think that you're capable of that?"

A small smirk formed on Goku's face. "You know that saiyan that defeated Frieza on planet Namek…"

The man's bulbous eyes widened. "That was you…"

Goku nodded and crouched down. "Now fight me. If I win, you have to promise me that once Hui is defeated, you will never kill any innocent people ever again."

The Tik soldier smirked. "Alright then, saiyan. If that's what it will take to make you shut up and fight, so be it." The Tik soldier flew at him again, fist outstretched.

Goku caught it, the man's greater strength sending him sliding back. His feet left marks on the ground from where his heels dug in. After a momentary struggle, Goku stopped his backwards trajectory. Still holding the man's fist clenched in his hand, he jumped up and sent a round house kick to his face.

It was a distinctly different experience to fight without ki blasts, but it was a style that he could have easily reverting back to. He'd lived the first few years of his life with no mastery of ki after all.

The fight could have almost been fair, if the Tik soldier hadn't thrown a blast at Goku. With no ki to protect himself, Goku was forced to lunge to the side. Almost on instinct, he reached for the weapon slung across his back and fired it at the soldier. The blast hit the soldier head-on.

The alien screamed a loud earsplitting scream, and it was only then that Goku realized what he'd done. He lowered his weapon and watched as the alien collapsed onto the ground. Slowly, he walked toward the figure. He was still alive—bloody, gasping, and shivering, but still alive.

"Finish me." The alien whispered.

"No." Goku said, staring down at him. Something about the situation brought back a hint of an old memory—a memory of a man who had been forced to fight against his will, and who had lain bleeding at his feet.

"You're a fool."

Goku's mouth twitched upward in a small smile. "You made me a promise." He said.

"Yeah…" He coughed. "But I didn't mean it." He nodded toward the weapon dangling at Goku's side. "Finish me."

"You have a family."

"Do it."

Goku dropped the weapon to the ground. "No." He stared almost harshly at the man on the ground before him.

"You'd be doing me a favor, you sentimental buffoon!" The man choked. "Nothing could be worse than living like this."

"You will be free one day." Goku said.

"If you wish me to be free, then allow me this one choice."

Goku hesitated. "No." He lifted his weapon and then turned away. "You remind me of a friend." Goku said. "And if only because of that, I can't grant you your request. If at some time in the future you would like revenge for the situation I've put you in, you know where to find me."

Without looking again at the bloodied Tik soldier, he turned to head toward the ship.

No other soldier stood in his way. It appeared that the earthling soldiers had turned the tides on the Tik. Blasting away the strange pointy-toothed creatures that he passed, he made his way up the gang plank. His ki-sense told him exactly where the wizard would be.

He had no way to fight against a magical creature. If he was turned into a piece of candy now, his entire venture would be for naught. He stopped outside of the door to the room where he knew the wizard to be.

He took a deep breath and steadied himself for what he was about to do. It was unfortunate, but it was necessary. A wizard was something that the earth couldn't handle right now.

He closed his eyes for a moment. The door slid open and some more of the strange creatures walked out. Goku spun into the room, leveled his weapon, and fired. He hit dead-on.

All he heard was a high-pitched gasp and then a thump as a small body hit the floor. His eyes locked onto the person, and his face grew pale.

With hesitating steps, he ventured further into the room, staring the entire time at the tiny body. Red, curly, tentacle-like hair framed a small dark brown face. Wide, black eyes stared at him in fright. The body shuddered, and purple blood poured out of the child's mouth.

A little girl. She appeared to be no older than eight years old.

Goku grabbed the bag of senzu beans and pulled one out. No child should have to die in this war.

"I'm going to help you." He told the girl. "I'm not an enemy. I'll heal you and then I'll take you somewhere safe, ok?"

The wide, frightened eyes only stared at him.

"Eat this." He pushed the bean into her mouth. "It will make you better."

Hesitantly, the girl chewed on the bean, and then her face became less pained as the bean's magic took effect.

"There, now." Goku said, once the little girl was healed again.

She jumped to her feet raising her hand, fingers spread, toward him. Her other hand strayed to a black belt containing a number of small pouches which was slung loosely around her waist. "Get back." She ordered. "Or I'll burn you slowly from the inside."

Goku's eyebrows rose. "That wouldn't be a very nice thing to do to the person who just saved your life."

A moment of doubt registered in the girl's eyes.

Goku shifted.

"Get back!" She ordered again, stumbling backward a step. "I know what you want! You want to kill me!"

"Why would I save your life just to kill you?" Goku asked.

She bit her lip in confusion.

Suddenly, there was a commotion in the hallway of the space-ship.

Goku stood up and pushed the little girl behind him protectively just as the door to the ship opened.

"Oh it's you." The third Krimzon officer, the younger woman, said staring at him. "You're that saiyan, right?"

He heard a small gasp from behind him at the utterance of the word.

"Aaand you're hiding something." The Krimzon officer concluded casually.

"Momo." Goku greeted. "It's been a long time."

"Mmhm." She stepped closer toward him and tried to peer around his large frame to the person he was shielding. Goku stepped carefully to avoid that happening.

Momo leaned back and rolled her eyes. "Come on. Who have you got behind you?"

Goku was momentarily grateful that Chairo hadn't been in charge of this operation. She would have been much more difficult to deal with.

"It's just a little girl."

"The Tik sorceress is a little girl?" Momo asked.

"How did…"

Momo rolled her eyes. "Only magical folk can create Yits."

"Yits?"

"Those ugly crawly things." Momo finally danced around him and looked down at the child he was shielding.

"Aren't you cute?" She said with a bright smile, leaning closer. The girl grabbed onto Goku's Gi and held it tightly. "And what pretty…hair?" Momo guessed. She moved as if to reach for a strand, and a moment later, the sound of a lock settling into place filled the room.

The little girl gasped again and reached for her neck where a collar was now resting.

"Hey!" Goku protested. "That wasn't very nice."

Momo just grinned brightly at him. "Well we can't let her run around throwing curses at people now can we? When she gets to Iro, there will be plenty of magical folk to look after her, but while she's here, she has to remain collared." She looked down at the girl. "You understand that, right?"

"You can't take me to Iro." She said, looking panicked.

"Of course we can." Momo said and then raised a hand to forestall further argument. "Now I know that you probably have a…situation. A mom or something held in custody, but look; no one will know that you survived today. You will have died a noble death in the name of Hui's cause and your family will be rewarded accordingly. Meanwhile, you will be given shelter by the Krimzon. I don't really see a reason to argue." She dismissed the girl and turned to Goku. "The battle's over. I believe your friends are waiting for you outside. Don't worry about her. She's in good hands. We actually do this a lot."

Goku stared down at the little red-headed girl in her black spandex suit and ripped silver tunic. Her wide black eyes stared up at him in a mixture of fear and pleading. Goku didn't know when he had become her protector, but somehow he had. "Don't worry." He told her. "Momo is really nice. She'll take care of you."

The girl was far too trusting to be a soldier—though that was one Goku's flaws as well. It was probably partially due to that that the little girl had been left inside the ship. Possibly also so that she could to create the monsters but not see the damage she was causing.

Slowly, her small fingers unlatched from Goku's Gi.

Goku smiled reassuringly down at the girl one last time before heading out of the ship. As he expected, he was greeted with cheers and pats on the back from the rest of the Z fighters.

"Everyone made it out ok?" Goku asked.

"We're all here and accounted for." Krillin answered. "Though 17 headed off to help 18 with the other ship."

Goku surveyed all the cheerful faces, and his eyes landed on Trunks. The scowling boy averted his gaze. A moment later, though, Goku saw his eyes widen. Goku glanced over his shoulder to see that Momo was escorting the little sorceress out of the ship. The scene had apparently caught the attention of the rest of the Z fighters as well.

"Who's that?" Yamcha asked.

"That…was the wizard." Goku answered, and then looked toward Trunks. When the boy glanced toward him, Goku locked eyes with him. "Young isn't she?"

* * *

Several hours later, Bulma's jet landed in the Son front yard. A thoroughly chastised Trunks stood on the doorstep of the Son house, with a stern-looking Chichi to his left. Goku, with a look that surprisingly resembled Chichi's was to Trunks' right. Goku's hand, resting firmly on Trunks' shoulder seemed to be more to keep him from darting away than to lend him support under Bulma's wrath. Goten was standing to the side looking nervous.

"That's _it_, young man!" She yelled, the minute she set her foot onto the grass. She strode across the lawn angrily. "I've had it. You can say goodbye to the Sons and Goten now, because you won't be seeing them for a long time. We're going straight back home, and then you're going to pack your bags!"

Trunks blinked in confusion at of his mother. "What?" He had expected to get yelled at, but all this talk about packing his bags was a surprise to him.

"You apparently can't keep yourself out of trouble on Earth, so you're going live with your father."

Trunks' eyes widened as he processed the news. On one level, he was happy at the idea of seeing his father, but then, obviously, this was intended to be a punishment. He doubted that staying with his father would be a walk in the park. And what about the Earth? He couldn't just leave his mom on her own. Who would protect her?

He looked back up to his mother only to realize that she was talking to Goku and Chichi.

"…Vegeta himself suggested it." Bulma was explaining. "Earlier today when we thought that Trunks had just run off to join the fight. After hearing the situation that 17 pulled him out of though, I think that this is for the best. I've indulged him too much before, letting him run around on his own. It's too dangerous for that now. I couldn't handle it if something…happened."

"But don't you think that it might be dangerous?" Chichi asked.

"The only thing I'm worried about right now is him traveling there alone. And getting off of Earth without getting shot down or something. The Tik ships are circling the planet though. It would be easy for us to slip a space pod through—I installed a device to keep it from being tracked." Bulma said. "The planet Vegeta's on is one of the safest ones in the universe right now. It's the headquarters of the Krimzon Empire. Very high security. The Tik army can't penetrate that far."

Goku nodded thoughtfully but didn't say anything.

"What about school?" Goten asked Bulma, hoping that if Bulma were anything like his mom, she would reconsider as soon as she realized that Trunks would be missing school by going into space.

"Vegeta's going to enroll Trunks in a school there. He'll start immediately." Bulma glanced down at Trunks with narrowed eyes. The warning was clearly evident.

"Can I go too mom?" Goten asked, pulling on Chichi's shirt. "Please?"

"No Goten. Out of the question." Chichi answered.

Goten just groaned and he and Trunks shared a look clearly ridden with despair.

Bulma nudged Trunks. "Time to go, young man. Come on. Say goodbye."

* * *

Vegeta jerked awake. His body was heavy and achy. He was covered in sweat, and a sharp pain was shooting up his entire back.

He couldn't remember why he would be in such pain. Everything was a blur. He only vaguely recognized his surroundings—the dark furniture, and the curtains drawn shut blocking out most of the natural light. Had a vague inkling that something important was happening. He couldn't place what.

Something cool was on his forehead. Raising a shaky hand, he picked it up and stared groggily at it. It was a damp towel.

Odd.

He dropped the towel back onto his forehead, relishing the small amount of relief it brought him. Glancing to the side he found a glass of water on the bedside table. He couldn't remember putting it there, but he suddenly realized that his throat was parched. Propping himself up on an elbow, he grabbed the glass and drained it.

Feeling slightly better, but still bone tired, he turned onto his stomach and flopped back onto his bed. His tail flicked once before curling gently at his side. In only minutes, he was asleep again.

* * *

A/N: Finally Goku got a fight and Vegeta got his tail back!

I hope you enjoyed! A big thank you to all of you who have been following this story and especially to all of you who reviewed! Your input is always appreciated!


	20. Of Chaos and Kings Part 1

Chapter 20- Of Chaos and Kings (Part 1)

If it hadn't been for the four hostile alien ships orbiting the Earth, Krillin would have called the day peaceful. As it was, the sun was shining, waves were gently lapping the beach, and his good friends Goku and Yamcha were laughing at his table.

Krillin had zoned out of their conversation. His attention had turned to where Marron and Goten were ankle deep in the surf, splashing about in search of seashells. Without Trunks around, the two youngsters were getting along quite well. It seemed that Goten had found a new friend in the young girl—one that he'd missed before. Somehow, before Trunks had been sent away, the two boys had always run off to get into some kind of mischief and had left poor Marron behind. Trunks and Goten had been inseparable, and Marron hadn't fit in.

But with the pair broken up, it was a whole different story. Goten was less ambitious than Trunks, less eager to be one of the adults. He had always been easy-going and cheerful—just like Goku. That being said, he seemed perfectly content to play at the beach despite the ever-present threat.

"…eh Krillin?" Krillin's head jerked back toward his grinning friends.

"Huh?"

"We should have a party." Yamcha said. Apparently, he'd said it once before. "Once we get rid of these Tik."

Krillin's face lit up. "Great idea!"

"We'll have to tell Bulma or Chichi. One of them can organize it." Yamcha said thoughtfully. Clearly it had never occurred to him that he could organize a party himself.

Krillin nodded in agreement. "It's probably best to ask Chichi. Bulma's stretched kinda thin lately."

"Oh yeah." Yamcha had a knowing look.

Goku leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms. "She's not taking it well then?"

Yamcha shook his head. "Not at all. But then it's only been a few days since she sent Trunks away."

"She's tracking the ship though right?" Krillin asked. "She knows that he's ok."

Yamcha shrugged. "Yeah, but I think she just misses him. Or maybe she's realized what a huge mistake she made. I mean, can you imagine having to live alone with Vegeta?"

Goku choked out a laugh. "I don't think it would be that bad. He's a little rough around the edges, but he really cares for Trunks. You can't deny that."

Krillin nodded. After all, he had seen Vegeta self-destruct in an attempt to save his family several years before.

"But about this party…" Goku cocked his head. "Has anyone seen Tien and Chaotzu?"

The two other men thought for a minute.

"I haven't seen them in years." Yamcha concluded with some surprise in his voice. "They're always so isolated…I wonder if they even know what's going on."

"I'm sure they know." Goku said, and from his voice, it was clear that there was no doubt in his mind. "I wish we knew where they were though. We could sure use the help."

The three men looked skyward, and fell into silence.

"I wonder what they're doing up there." Yamcha said finally.

"Who knows?" Krillin mumbled. "Bulma said that they've just been circling. Only the ships that use Krimzon-style technology can get close to them, but the first few they sent got shot down. We can't build them fast enough to replace the ones they'd destroy if we tried an assault."

"So it's the waiting game then." Goku said, leaning his cheek into his fist. "I hope someone does something soon."

* * *

"I'm cancelling Vegeta's trip to the front and sending him with Midori. Yes, it's that important, Kuro. They will get there in just under four days."

Vegeta stared in boredom at Kurenai as she spoke into what appeared to be a crystal ball. He'd seen her use them before, of course, but never for communication. Usually she just used scouters and telescreens like everyone else. Apparently, though Kuro Kon was visiting a planet inhabited by some magical race, and their genre of magic interfered with scouters. The business that Kurenai had scheduled Vegeta for had suddenly become more serious, and she felt it necessary to consult with Kuro before proceeding with her plans.

That's not to say that anything Kuro Kon might have said would have swayed her. Kurenai had her ways of pulling the large police chief's strings. Still, though, she had to maintain the semblance of an equal partnership, or the Galaxy Police might pull out of the alliance altogether.

Vegeta turned to stare out of Kurenai's large windows, and fidgeted momentarily with the goggles that Kurenai had given him earlier. Apparently, they would block an oozaru transformation if worn during a full moon. Vegeta couldn't honestly say that he believed that load of rubbish, but he wore them anyway.

It was just breaking dawn, and the sky was lighting up a bright orange. Lights still shone from the windows of buildings across the city, and he could see trains popping out of the ground and zigzagging between the skyscrapers before disappearing back below ground again. It truly was a beautiful city, in his opinion. Unlike on Earth, the city was void of the blaring car horns, the blindingly white buildings and sidewalks, and the eccentric and rigid social practices.

Well, admittedly, this city had its own downsides—the underground neighborhoods known for their shifty inhabitants were a prime example. But, as an economic and cultural hub, it also had a mix of colorful characters and traditions—many of which he didn't quite understand. But then he wasn't the only person who didn't understand them. It was the diversity of the place that made him feel comfortable. He wasn't the only outsider.

But still there was something missing. Something that this planet lacked.

A beep signaled that Kurenai had ended her call.

"So I still don't get it." Vegeta said, picking right back up on their earlier conversation as if the call to Kuro hadn't happened at all. He turned away from Kurenai's window. "Are they or are they not in alliance with the Krimzon Empire?"

Kurenai rolled her eyes. "Vegeta I have been explaining this for the last twenty minutes."

In his defense, he had only been half listening at the time. His mind was preoccupied lately by the situation on Earth, and more and more, he was finding himself staring into the distance wondering what was happening there, whether Trunks' space pod was as secure as Bulma had boasted it to be, and how he could somehow help the Earth's defense forces. He was starting to doubt that his strategy had been a sound one. At least if he hadn't gotten into this mess with the Krimzon he could have been on Earth to help fight off the invading Tik forces.

"We don't have time for this." Kurenai said. "Your ship is leaving in a half an hour." She handed him the small crystal ball.

"What's this for?"

"So that you can see what I'm going to explain to you…again." She said crisply. "Come along."

Vegeta shared a glance with Midori. From her flustered and annoyed expression, he could tell that the situation was already clear to her and that he was wasting time by having Kurenai explain it again.

The two women headed toward the doors, and Vegeta grudgingly followed them. "The planet you will be visiting is not fully allied with the Krimzon. The inhabitants are collectively called the Loups, but they are far from a single, harmonious society. For the past hundred years—since the last great king died—the various tribal nations have warred against each other. You and Midori will be trying to negotiate a peace settlement between the tribes, and convince them to join the Krimzon Empire. In the event of any…trouble…Vegeta, you may have to…take care of it as well."

As they passed through the sleek hallways, Vegeta ignored the images that the ball was showing him and began boredly tossing the ball from one hand to the other. He caught sight of a man staring at him and glared. The next morning, four Iro newspapers would feature a rather striking picture of him glaring directly at the camera with the ball hovering in mid air between his hands. However the crystal ball would have been digitally altered to become a galaxy.

Vegeta wouldn't see the newspapers. Around the time that they hit the stands, he was hurtling through space toward the planet Luva.

* * *

"Is Vegeta in the news again?" Bulma asked, pouring herself a cup of coffee. She hadn't been able to sleep well since she'd sent Trunks away, and the fatigue was wearing her down. Shiro, sipping his strange green smoothie was wearing the same slightly guilty look that she had learned to associate with a news story about her husband. "What is it this time? Another scoop on his love life?"

"Umm…no." Shiro said, his eyes skimming the article briefly. To her surprise, he actually handed her the small handheld computer on which he read the news. Usually, he did his best to avoid showing her any potentially compromising articles.

Blinking, Bulma placed her coffee cup on the counter and took the object from him. A small blush crept onto her face as she looked at the article—or more particularly at the photo—in question.

_Vegeta is so damn sexy._ She thought longingly. There he stood, in his uniform, a long cape or cloak of some sort draped over his shoulders. A pair of sunglasses—or maybe goggles—were sitting atop his head. He was glaring dangerously. Between his hands hovered…a galaxy. There was something very poignant about the picture. Very fitting of a man who had both destroyed and saved planets, and who was currently the right-hand man of the leader of one of the two most powerful empires in the universe.

How she wanted him back.

She looked at the title of the article and again blinked in surprise. "_Will Vegeta replace Kurenai_?" It read.

Her mouth dropped open slightly, and she glanced briefly at Shiro—he just shrugged and sipped at his drink—before delving into the article.

"_Is the Saiyan Prince being groomed to succeed Kurenai Kali as emperor of the Krimzon Empire? Some would suggest that this is so. Prince Vegeta has proven his genius, talent and skill when commanding troops into battle. His power is the stuff of legends, and many have rumored that he is more powerful that Empress Kurenai herself. _

_It is no secret that Empress Kurenai hand-picked Prince Vegeta as her right hand and went through no small effort to have his prison sentence postponed. New evidence suggests that she is considering having his sentence renegotiated to make a position within the Krimzon Empire permanent."_

Bulma swallowed convulsively, but read on.

"_It is also no secret that due to powerful dark magic, Empress Kurenai and the Tauran Emperor Hui cannot be within a certain vicinity of each other (Please note that Kurenai has never officially confirmed this, and the actual size of this vicinity has been carefully kept a secret from the public). This prevents the two chiefs-of-empire from confronting each other directly._

Bulma skimmed down a little farther.

"_In both word and action, Kurenai Kali has made it clear that the peace and prosperity of the empire is her chief interest. So the question remains: is Prince Vegeta the future of the Krimzon Empire? Will Kurenai step down as Krimzon Empress and allow Prince Vegeta to take her place? When asked this, Empress Kurenai neither confirmed nor denied._

"_So the universe is left to question. _

"_Prince Vegeta is currently en route to planet Luva, where he and Midori are expected to conduct negotiations between the warring Loup nations, and convince them to finally join the Krimzon Empire. For many, this suggests that Prince Vegeta's role as Kurenai's aide goes farther than just a fighter, protector, and strategist. But is this a lesson in being the next Emperor? Only time will tell."_

Bulma blinked. Then blinked again.

Vegeta as the emperor of half of the universe?

It wasn't that far-fetched, but…

She was startled out of her thoughts by the sounds of Shiro's scouter and her own phone simultaneously going off. She glanced at Shiro who was frantically digging through his pockets before flipping her own cell phone open.

"Bulma Briefs speaking."

"_Ms. Briefs, I'm calling from the Pentagon."_

"From…where?" She asked hesitantly. Shiro had suddenly jumped to his feet.

The man on the other end of the line didn't take the time to answer that. _"Capsule Corp is currently being targeted from space. According to our estimates, in ten minutes, your entire compound will be no more than a crater. It is imperative Ms. Briefs that you salvage what technology you can, evacuate your personnel, and flee from West City."_ The line cut with a short beep.

"We have to get out of here!" Shiro said frantically, already running for the door. Apparently, he had just received the same message.

"You go to the lab." Bulma ordered, halting him in his tracks. Her mind was racing, but she was already heading out of the kitchen. "Grab whatever you can and meet me out front in five minutes." She didn't have time to hear Shiro's reply as she ran for the stairs, punching numbers into her cell phone.

The phone rang twice before someone answered. _"Bulma Briefs' office. Ms. Briefs is not in right now—"_

"No time for that." Bulma snapped.

"_Ms. Bri—"_

"This is a code black. Sound the alarms. Everyone needs to evacuate now!"

Immediately, she heard the alarms blaring, and red lights began blinking. The auditory message played in repetition. _"Code Black. Mandatory evacuation. This is not a drill. All personnel please direct yourselves to the nearest exit."_

"_Ms. Briefs, what's going on?"_

"There's no time." Bulma flung open the door to her bedroom and made a beeline through the dark for her bedside table. She didn't have time to look longingly at the untouched side of the bed where Vegeta usually slept or to muse at how she had reverted back to her messy habits since he left. She was a woman on a mission. "Just get out. Get away…as far as you can!" She hung up the phone before dialing again.

This call was answered immediately. _"Bulma, dear, what's this talk of an emergency?"_

"No time, dad. Get mom and meet me out front _now_. The whole compound is about to explode!" She flipped the phone shut and flung open the drawer of the bedside table, cursing herself for not bringing her capsule case with her that morning. Luckily though, she had followed Vegeta's advice—and her own instinct—and packed a survival kit and all of her most cherished belongings into capsules already.

She opened the case, pulled out a capsule jet, and slipped the case into her lab coat pocket. She only paused to grab the family picture off the bedside table before running back out of the room.

She emerged at a run from the front doors of Capsule Corp, looking around wildly for Shiro and her parents. Around her, it was chaos. The evacuation of Capsule Corp was not the orderly, practiced event that she had anticipated. Both employees and civilians were running, apparently fleeing something. Men and women were emerging from nearby homes carrying their children and what few possessions they had managed to grab, before quickly disappearing into their cars and speeding away. The still air was shattered by the cry of Capsule Corp's sirens, screams of frightened people, and the sound of engines as people fled the danger zone. Bulma noticed several of the fleeing people looking at the sky.

She spotted her parents after a few moments. They were coming toward her flocked by a half dozen of their pets. "Mom! Dad! This is an emergency! Why are you bringing your pets?"

"Now, Bulma, we can't very well leave them to be obliterated, you know."

She gave up arguing before she even began. There was no time for it after all. With a sigh, she popped open her capsule jet. It was a small one, but enough to fit her parents and Shiro. "Just get in the back seat." She ordered before turning to look at the sky again. In the early morning cloud-filled sky, a bright light was growing.

"_Capsule Corp is currently being targeted from space." _The warning rang through her head again.

"The cowards!" She growled, but through her anger, she could feel the fear twisting her stomach.

"I'm here!" Shiro appeared beside her suddenly, his arms and pockets clearly filled with capsules.

"Get in!" Bulma indicated the jet, and glanced once more at the sky before hopping in.

Shiro glanced upward, following her gaze. He squeaked in fear and then dove into the passenger seat.

Bulma gunned the jet forward speeding away from the compound as fast as she could. Her heart was beating wildly, and she was momentarily relieved that Trunks was safely off the planet.

Then, she forced herself to refocus on the issue at hand. She dodged around a few of the taller buildings before finally rising above the city and into the sky. Her instinct was telling her that getting away from Capsule Corp wouldn't be enough. She had to get out of West City.

Three simultaneous gasps alerted her the moment that the Tik fired. She didn't stop to glance behind her, but kept her eyes focused intently forward. Only when she heard the sound of an explosion and felt the jet shake from the wind did she glance into the rear-view mirror to see the large green beam of light breaking through the clouds and stretching down to where Capsule Corp used to be.

She felt a momentary pang of loss for all of the hard work and research that had just been destroyed, for her home and all the memories she had made there, and for her coworkers and neighbors who hadn't gotten out in time. She felt bad for fleeing when she wasn't sure if the others were safe. As the captain, she should have gone down with her ship. But without her mind, the Earth would be lost. Not to mention that, if she died, Vegeta may not mind tearing the universe apart. She had a duty to the Earth and to him to stay alive.

The jet shook wildly again as another strong gust hit it. Her knuckles were white, and her fingers clenched on the steering wheel. Finally she passed outside of the city limits. She allowed herself to relax slightly.

When she reached a wooded area up in the mountains above the city, she landed the jet. The area afforded an excellent view of the city below. She finally allowed herself to look at the devastation below.

The light beam had disappeared but the damage had already been done.

She could hear her parents in the back seat, both sniffling quietly. As promised, the area where Capsule Corp once stood was now only a large crater. Several nearby buildings were burning.

While she had a terrible feeling in her stomach at the fact that most of her research on the Meiyochi reversing device had been lost, she was also quite annoyed with the fact that her parents were crying over their pets. Did they not realize that that research was the only way to save the Earth?

She looked over at the light green alien beside her. Shiro was pale and shaking beside her, but thankfully, he wasn't causing much of a fuss. She swallowed nervously before opening her mouth to speak.

Before she cold say anything, however, with a slight swish, a person dropped down beside the car. Bulma screamed and dove onto Shiro. Shiro, on his part, shrieked also and began scrambling around for the door handle. Bulma stared wide-eyed out the window only to realize a moment later that that person was 17. 17 blinked awkwardly, undoubtedly unsure of whether he should apologize for frightening them. The moment was lost, however for a second later, 18 dropped down beside him.

"Are you alright?" 18 asked, pulling the door open.

"Yes." Bulma answered. "Yes I think so." She pulled herself out of Shiro's lap with a tinge of embarrassment.

"We came as soon as we could." 18 explained. "But even if we'd been here sooner…there was no way we could have stopped…_that_." She nodded with her head to where the ship was presumably floating.

Bulma nodded and tried to swallow. Her mouth was suddenly dry. "It's alright. We managed to salvage some of our work." She glanced to Shiro for confirmation, and he nodded wide-eyed.

"Do you need a place to stay?"

Bulma had honestly not thought of that yet. "I have…I have a capsule house." Bulma said, reaching into her pocket and removing her capsule case. Flipping the case open, she studied the capsules inside it. "Two actually. I could set them up near Son-kun's house."

"Oh no honey, we couldn't impose on you." Her mother suddenly called from the back seat.

It took Bulma a moment to register the comment. Their home had just been destroyed, and they were looking for a place to spend the night and potentially seek refuge in case someone was looking to hunt them down…and her mother was worried about imposing on her? "Mom, dad. It's not imposing." She argued. "I packed the second capsule house in my emergency kit because I thought something like this might happen."

"No don't worry about us. We'll just go find a hotel somewhere."

18 cocked her head while 17 shoved his hands in his pockets, apparently already tired of the conversation.

"Mom, no!" Bulma was tired, flustered, and now frustrated. "They're attacking cities. Going to a hotel would just put you in danger again."

"Well, we'll find a little cottage in the wilderness somewhere."

18's eyes suddenly seemed to sparkle with mischief. "Well in that case, you can stay with 17. He's got room." She smirked. "And he would love the company."

"Really?" Mrs. Briefs seemed excited at the idea. She leaned out the window the get a better look at 17. "My, and what a handsome young man too. To think that someone so gorgeous could be so generous."

17's eyes were comically wide. Bulma had never seen him in any state other than cool, collected, and bored. This was interesting. She momentarily locked eyes with 18, and could tell that the other woman really wanted this.

"Well it's settled then." Bulma said with a weak smile. "I'll take my capsule house and stay near Goku. Mom and dad, you'll crash with 17 for a while."

"Good." 18 walked around the car and climbed into the passenger's seat, squeezing Shiro in the middle. "Get in, 17." She called. "We're going to escort them to your place so they don't get killed before they get there."

17 opened his mouth—likely to argue—but then apparently thought better of it and shut it again. He reluctantly squeezed into the backseat beside Mrs. Briefs. He was looking anything other than excited.

Mrs. Briefs on the other hand was chattering away. "Now don't worry. You won't even notice we're there."

17 doubted that, given that the older couple had at least six pets in the back seat with them.

"Do you like waffles?"

"Huh?"

"Or do you prefer pancakes? Muffins maybe? I have a great recipe for strawberry muffins."

"Oh. Uhh…"

Bulma glanced over to 18. The woman was looking positively smug as Bulma revved the engine and sped away.

* * *

Hours later, Bulma's jet touched down in the lawn of the Son family. She had hardly stepped out of the jet before the door burst open, and twin streaks of orange darted out. Gohan and Chichi followed quickly after.

"Bulma!" Goku suddenly had her by the upper arms. Whether it was because he was glad to see her or because he had seen that her knees had started to give out the moment she fully descended from the jet, she didn't know. "What on Earth happened?" He looked between Bulma's pale face, and those of Shiro and 18 expectantly.

Neither of them provided much help. Shiro had reverted to his nervous, timid demeanor and was apparently torn between inching away from 18 and shrinking behind her to distance himself from the large saiyan. 18 just crossed her arms and looked away.

"Antie Bulma! You're alive!" Goten latched onto her leg.

Bulma suddenly felt bad. She'd spent so much time trying to get in touch with her researchers to see who had survived that she had forgotten to call the Sons and let them know that she was okay.

Suddenly, ChiChi was beside her, knocking Goku away and wrapping Bulma in a hug. "It was all over the news! We thought they'd got you. How did you get out?"

"Krillin told us that 17 and 18 had no idea about anything until after the laser had been fired." Gohan explained from beside his father. "He said there was no way that they could make it in time to get you out. We all thought we'd lost you."

Bulma opened her mouth and then shut it again. Suddenly it was all too much. Her husband was drafted into some crazy war, her son was no longer on the planet, her home was destroyed, and so much of her research and technology had been lost.

She collapsed into Chichi's arms sobbing uncontrollably.

"There there." Chichi said, wrapping the sobbing woman into a warm embrace. "Come on inside, all of you. Yes, you too, 18. Gohan, go put a kettle on."

As Chichi led her into the cozy home, Bulma wondered how things had gotten so bad. Only a year ago, she had had it all. Her family was healthy and together. She had a home, a career, and friends. Her world had been peaceful.

And now it was in ruins.

* * *

The first thing he felt when his pod opened was the cold. It was positively freezing. Apparently he'd landed during a blizzard. Standing on the opened door of the pod beside him, Midori was still shaking off the dregs of hyper-sleep and looking just as miserable as he felt. She had wrapped her cloak tightly around herself and was rapidly whispering spells.

He momentarily wished that she would throw a warming charm his way, but he would be damned before he'd ask for it. He stepped out of the pod and sank almost knee deep in snow. With a mumbled curse, he levitated above the snow and raised his Ki for warmth. A gust of wind whipped his cloak back, and he drew it closed again. He fixed his goggles and looked around. Two moons shone full and bright in the sky. He averted his eyes quickly, not fully trusting the goggles to keep him from turning into an oozaru. He could feel the moons' effect on him, but to his surprise, he was not changing.

He suddenly sensed a Ki behind him and spun around. Midori apparently noticed his movement, and turned, squinting to see what he had felt. Through the heavy, nearly horizontal snow, several white blurs were moving swiftly toward him.

It wasn't until they were several feet away from him that Vegeta could make out what they were. Three Loups—creatures that greatly resembled snow-foxes—drew themselves onto their hind legs.

"We saw your pods arrive." One said to him without an introduction. "Terrible weather for a landing. You won't mind if we get out of the storm before doing the introductions? The Council is already waiting for you."

Vegeta glanced to Midori and nodded. He would like nothing more than to be out of the weather.

"Good. Follow us." The three foxes dropped back onto all fours, and padding easily over the snow, led them away from the pods.

Vegeta, not wanting to bother trying to tread through the snow simply flew behind them. After struggling for a few minutes, Midori followed his lead. He recognized that they were leading him to a higher elevation, but he could see no sign of habitation anywhere. Perhaps it was that the snow was simply obscuring everything from his vision.

In short order, they arrived at the edge of a cliff. Hardly visible in the rock face was a silver door.

"Through here." The door slid open for him, revealing stairs heading downward.

Vegeta followed silently, staring at the odd mixture of stone and technology. He ignored the quiet conversation between Midori and the Loups.

Stone floors, walls, and ceilings stretched along the long, twisting corridors. However, the doors, and various odd contraptions on the walls—either televisions or telescreens he guessed—were all state of the art. A small robot whizzed by, and he stared after it in bemusement as it whipped around a corner.

They reached a section where the corridor crossed another and stopped. Three other Loups were waiting in the intersection.

"Prince Vegeta." One of the Loups began. "This is Prince Trintrin. He will escort you to the viewers' balcony."

Vegeta blinked and then nodded to the other prince in greeting. Prince Trintrin appeared to be quite young, and was dressed in what looked suspiciously like pastel silks. Vegeta turned narrowed eyes on Midori wondering what kind of joke this was, but saw that Midori had begun to walk away with the other Loups. "Wait." Vegeta ordered in surprise. "Where are you going?"

Midori glanced at the other Loups before coming closer to him and hissing. "We've been over this before. I am here to try to negotiate a peace settlement between the Loup tribes, and to get a unanimous accord between this entire planet and the Krimzon Empire. You are here as a maintainer of the peace, a defender, and a strategist. You will accompany Prince Trintrin until you are called upon to fight or some-such. And you will be perfectly cordial to Prince Trintrin. Understand?" Without waiting for a reply, she waved a hand in dismissal and continued on her path.

He blinked and then looked at the young Loup who would apparently be his guide. The young man smiled toothily at him. Vegeta glared at Midori's back, but then decided that he had no desire to be part of the negotiating party anyway. And he certainly had no desire to go back into the blizzard. Perhaps the viewers' gallery had refreshments.

Vegeta was led upward, through a maze of stairways and twisting corridors, past silver doors, telescreens, and whizzing robots. Finally he was led through an ornately carved, silver doorway into what appeared to be a semi-circular balcony. The balcony looked out over a large circular chamber. Its tall, vaulted stone ceilings were shrouded in darkness. Glowing sconces containing something that was not quite fire, hung from tall stone columns and illuminated the room. There were balconies all around the chamber, though not all as nice as the one where he was in. Below him was an empty circular area. Loups wearing vastly different fashions sat at tables ringing the circle.

"The viewers' gallery." Prince Trintrin told him quietly as he led Vegeta to his seat. The section where they sat was apparently reserved for people of rank. In fact, they were the only two people in it.

After taking his seat—the seat consisted of a rather comfy, overstuffed pillow—Vegeta looked down onto the floor below. Midori was already there, sitting on a pillow near a rather ancient-looking Loup. There was apparently a debate being held. He gathered from the different fashions and the hostile way that certain Loups regarded others, that this was a meeting of the various tribes that Kurenai had told him about.

A group of younger Loups were arguing heatedly with what appeared to be a council of tribal elders. The young Loups appeared to be a rather pan-tribal group, while the elders were clearly at odds with each other. Vegeta briefly wished that he had taken Midori's advice and brushed up on the political situation of the planet before he visited it.

From what Vegeta understood of the little he heard, the young Loups seemed much more open to the idea of a planet united under one authority than their elders were. However, the youth were ready to take up arms to defend their planet from both the Tik and the Krimzon Empires.

Vegeta frowned. The young Loups sorely underestimated the power of the two empires.

"Don't whiten your fur yet, girl." One of elder Loups suddenly spoke loudly. His deep voice rang loud and clear throughout the chamber. A muffled laughter rang quickly followed it, and the younger Loups suddenly looked embarrassed and angry. Vegeta didn't quite understand what was so funny. Nor did he understand why the young female Loup who appeared to be the leader of the group had drawn her shoulders up defensively.

Luckily Trintrin noticed his confusion and leaned closer to him again. "That's an old saying." Trintrin informed him. "It's a warning against being hasty." Vegeta glanced back to where the younger Loups were arguing in quieter voices with the elders. He saw that some of them were casting suspicious glances toward Midori.

Despite their disagreement, the younger ones were apparently maintaining a proper amount of respect for their elders.

Vegeta couldn't hear what was being said, and to make matters worse, Trintrin continued with his explanation. "The story says that hundreds of years ago, there was a young man, named Arctica, who was in love with a beautiful princess—this was back during the time when most of Luva's countries were monarchies. Anyway, to impress the princess, he decided to slaughter a silver suka. They were much bigger during those days, easily ten times the size of any Loup, and their tail feathers are priceless. Any woman would have killed to have a cloak of silver suka feathers." Vegeta sent him a sidelong glance, hoping that his annoyance would somehow bleed through his expression and make the young Loup shut up. It didn't, and Trintrin continued.

Trintrin shifted excitedly on his pillow, leaning toward Vegeta eagerly. Vegeta glanced down below where the quiet debate between the young Loups and the elders was apparently still going on. Trintrin continued to babble on.

"But silver sukas can only be found during the winter. So Arctica waited for the first snowfall, and turned his fur white in preparation of the hunt. We Loups can only change our fur color twice a year. Our white fur is made for winter—it's much thicker than our summer coats. Anyway…Arctica set out on his hunt."

Vegeta tried to lean away from Trintrin in hopes that he might hear what was being said down below. It was pointless.

"He walked for days trying to find a silver suka, but as he walked, the air grew warmer and the snow began to melt. By the fifth day, the snow was all gone, and Arctica's winter coat was too thick. The original story says that he died of the heat and dehydration before he could find the silver suka…though when we're kids, they tell us that he only fainted and that someone found him and shaved off all his fur to save him…and that when the princess saw him, she laughed." Trintrin smiled up at Vegeta as if his story were supposed to have enlightened him in some important way.

Vegeta just blinked. "That's very interesting." He said sarcastically, and turned back to watch the argument. Midori had just taken the floor. Vegeta leaned forward again. He had never seen Midori lead negotiations, and he reluctantly had to admit that the woman carried quite a lot of presence. She appeared to be strong and confident, and not at all nervous about the hostile looks she was still receiving. "The strength and spirit of the youth is not to be underestimated." She started, addressing the council, before turning toward the younger Loups. "But it is better when tempered by wisdom and experience."

Vegeta shifted on his seat to get more comfortable.

"Your home planet is under a great threat, and only a united front will save it." Midori continued.

"And who, pray tell, is our enemy?" A Loup with a strange vest spoke up. "The Taurans?" It wasn't lost on Vegeta that the Loups did not use the derogatory name for Tauran Empire common among enemies of the Tik.

Midori didn't respond immediately, and her hesitation allowed the Loup the opportunity to continue.

"The Tauran Empire can bring us increased productivity, improved technology, better medicine."

"But at what price?" Midori asked. "Your sons and daughters? Would you allow the Taurans to steal them from you? They take the strongest and the fittest and kill off the rest."

"If that's what it takes for our species to survive then so be it!" Another Loup yelled.

Vegeta's mouth opened slightly in surprise, and leaned forward in anticipation of Midori's response.

"Is it true that during the full moon, saiyans turn into giant apes?"

"What?" Vegeta snapped, surprised at the sudden question, and whipped his head toward Trintrin in annoyance.

Trintrin repeated the question.

With a low growl Vegeta snapped out a "yes." He turned back to look at the 'negotiations.'

"The Loup race has relied on technology for the past four hundred years," The same Loup with the odd vest was saying. "But _some_ tribes have so greatly misused it that it has destroyed our planet. Did you not see the weather outside? We have been forced underground during the winter and summer because the climate has become too extreme. The Taurans have promised us improved technology, and a new planet if we prove our loyalty and ability."

"A planet that would be stolen from a slaughtered race!" Midori argued.

"Does it hurt?" Trintrin asked.

Vegeta momentarily considered knocking the young Loup out, but then reasoned that that would likely not be considered cordial behavior. "No."

"Kohol," One of the oldest Loups stood up, addressing the oddly vested one. "We must take other factors into consideration. It is our race who has destroyed our environment, and therefore it is our race that should heal it. It is an unfortunate burden to bear, but it is ours and ours alone. What the Taurans are suggesting would only bring future burdens on our children and to others around the universe."

"He's right." Another Loup stood up. This one was thin, and was wearing something that resembled a sweater. "We cannot sell our children into slavery. We can not stand by and allow our race—our families—to be screened. I am sure that the Krimzon Empire can offer us any technology that the Taurans can, without so hefty a price." He looked at Midori. "Am I right?"

"Yes." She was quick to say. "The Krimzon Empire can help you to establish eco projects to counteract the deterioration of your environment and climate. We can also build greenhouse domes to allow you to grow plants and live above ground…"

"Does that make saiyans changelings?" Vegeta's eyes narrowed and he again turned to glare at Trintrin.

"No. Do you always talk so much when important meetings are under way?"

"Oh…no. No I don't. It's just…I never got to meet someone as cool as you."

Vegeta blinked in surprise. He suddenly felt awkward.

"But at what price?" The loud question drew Vegeta's attention back to what was happening on the floor.

"You would have to sever all ties with the Tauran Empire." Midori said. "An actual agreement would be worked out at a later date depending on what you want from the Krimzon and what you are willing to offer us."

"Will you take our children away to fight?" A female Loup asked from the ranks of spectators.

Midori turned, searching for the woman in the crowd. "With one notable exception, the Krimzon Empire's army is composed entirely of men and women who joined of their own free will. Before you ask, the exception, Prince Vegeta, is sitting right there. His case is quite unusual."

Vegeta thought that that statement was slightly untrue. Tarble had been drafted after all—back when Kurenai had mistaken him for Vegeta. And if Kurenai was as crafty with other prized fighters as she was with him, he suspected that there were quite a few soldiers who hadn't been completely willing to join her army.

"It should also be noted that any person who wishes to join the Krimzon army must provide proof that he or she is a legal adult by their home planet's standards."

There where mumbles and whispers from the group of young Loups still standing on the floor.

Suddenly the doors to the floor flew open. "They're here!" A young Loup ran in yelling. "The Taurans are here!"

Midori locked eyes with Vegeta in surprise, and she backed a few steps away from the door as an entire troop of Tik walked in. Vegeta raised himself slightly, but Midori hurriedly shook her head. Grudgingly, Vegeta sat back down. He still had full use of his Ki, so he wasn't worried just yet.

To his great annoyance, he felt his scouter suddenly begin buzzing in his pocket. Trintrin was distracted by what was going on below. Hurriedly, Vegeta slipped out of the balcony. As he opened his scouter, he noticed that he had several missed calls from Bulma. He would have to call her back later. He quickly answered the incoming call. "Kurenai, what—?"

"The Tik have arrived, correct?" She asked.

"Yes, how did you—"

"We've been monitoring them for weeks now."

"You planned this." He accused.

"I did not send Tik to Luva." Kurenai said, feigning innocence.

"You know what I meant." He said, glancing down the hallway to make sure that no one was nearby. "You wanted Midori and me to be here when the Tik arrived."

"Yes." She admitted. He could hear that strange hungry tone in her voice. "Now Vegeta, I need you to behave yourself. Let them throw the first punch. We have to come off as the good guys."

"If we were the good guys, I wonder that we have to go through so much staging."

"Now don't be coy." Kurenai said playfully. "Listen. The Loup are sitting on a huge supply of a Minassium, a very rare and very important mineral. Both the Loups and the Tik use it for a power source." Vegeta momentarily thought back to the odd fire in the large chamber. "My troops took the Tik's largest supply of it several weeks ago, and so the Tik are getting desperate. You have to protect that mineral, Vegeta. Let it be known that the Krimzon will only accept resources if they are given willingly as a gift, and that we will ensure that these same resources are not taken by force."

He rolled his eyes. The old bag was sly. "I get you." He said. Kurenai sends them as ambassadors, and they leave as heroes.

"Good. Now remember to behave yourself. And one more thing. The Loup respect power. Feel free to show off a bit." With that the line went dead.

* * *

AN: So I know it's been quite a while since I updated. Sorry about that. I had a family issue, and so I didn't have much time to write lately. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Thanks to all of you who reviewed. Your comments are always appreciated!

Translations:

Loup- (French) wolf.


	21. Of Chaos and Kings Part 2

Chapter 21- Of Chaos and Kings (Part 2)

By Earth's standards, a prince should be skilled in the art of diplomacy. He should be knowledgeable in politics, eloquent in speech, and above all up to date with current affairs.

Vegeta could manage fairly well in several of these areas, but he had to admit that he was glad that he wasn't the one negotiating. Vegeta could practically smell Midori's anxiety, and for a moment, he was thankful to have been sent to the viewers' balcony, far removed from the actual proceedings. His position high above the negotiations also gave him an excellent view of the Tik soldiers who'd just walked in.

There were twelve Tik soldiers in the room. In the flickering light coming from the strange fire-like substance in the wall-sconces, Vegeta could just make out the Tik soldiers' ranks.

Three of them were elites. The leader was standing nose to nose with Midori saying something very low and evidently very hostile. Midori's lips were pressed tightly together, but she kept her head held high and didn't respond.

Vegeta glanced askance at Prince Trintrin. The young Loup was staring wide-eyed at the Tik soldiers below. Vegeta was glad that, for once, the young prince was being silent.

Finally, the Tik leader turned away from Midori and addressed the council. "It appears that we arrived just in time." His voice was clearly audible throughout the chamber. It was slightly mocking, as if he knew that his battle was already won.

"Yes, you did." Midori said, and from the decibel of her voice, it was clear that she intended for the entire assembly to hear her. "We had just begun talking." She surveyed the Tik soldiers behind him with a critical eye. "And I see you brought an army with you. That doesn't seem very fitting for a peaceful negotiation, though, does it?"

The Tik commander frowned, and when he didn't immediately reply, Midori continued. "Although it would be fitting if you planned to subdue the planet and make off with its Minassium. That's what you came for isn't it?" She cocked her head. "You and I both know that The Tauran Empire lost its main source of Minassium when it lost planet Bonul."

"It is no secret that the Tauran Empire wishes to make use of our Minassium." Kohol, the oddly-vested Loup, that Vegeta had pinned as the main supporter of the Tik among the council, said again. "They have promised us technology in return for our resources."

"Did they now?" Midori cocked an eye at the Tauran commander. "That was nice of them. Usually, they just take what they want. Though that's not out of the question yet either."

The oldest Loup, who had earlier been leaning toward alliance with the Krimzon finally spoke up. "You seem to be certain that the Taurans have come to use force to make us part with our resources." He said eying Midori.

Midori laced her fingers subserviently and turned fully toward the elder Loup. "The presence of a military squadron rather than corps of diplomats seems to suggest that this is the case."

The old Loup nodded. "But are you not accompanied by the Saiyan Prince, Vegeta." The Tik commander's eyes widened at the mention of Vegeta's name and his head whipped toward the balcony where he sat. Vegeta locked eyes with the man, and for a moment he saw something that reached beyond fear and annoyance. The old Loup did not notice the exchange between the commander and Vegeta, and continued. "We have not forgotten his past deeds. How can we know that you did not come here for the same purpose?"

"The Krimzon Empire does not want your Minassium." Midori stated flatly. "We understand that the Loup nations need it more than we do, and will not ask you to part with it." She stopped and looked around at the entire council of Loups. "Many of the Loup nations are in alliance with the Krimzon Empire, but we have seen the devastating effect that a split alliance can have on a planet. Luva has already lost too many children to fighting between nations loyal to the Taurans and those loyal to the Krimzon. I was sent here to try to negotiate an accord between the Loup nations. It was our hope that by the end of these negotiations, you leaders of the Loup nations will have reached a peace agreement among yourselves. Empress Kurenai believes that it is time for Vegeta to learn the subtle art of negotiating, and so she has sent him along to watch and take note."

"Is that so?" Council member Kohol asked skeptically.

If Midori heard the disbelief in his voice, she gave no indication. "It is. We had no idea that the Taurans were sending an army here." She smirked at the Tauran commander. "But perhaps this turn of events is lucky. We can all talk this out amongst ourselves."

The elder Loup turned his eyes to the Tik commander. "And what have you to say to this?"

"I believe that I am in agreement with Miss. Midori." He said, though his voice seemed somewhat forced and agitated. "We in the Tauran Empire do not wish to cause undue hardship on the Loup people, and it pains us to see Loups killed when fighting each other. We also wish for the Loup people to form one, united front before the rest of the universe."

The Loup council members were already whispering to each other by the end of the Tik commander's statement.

The Elder Loup stood after several minutes of whispering. "I believe that the majority of the nations here are in agreement that the Loup nations should come to a consensus on how to respond to the war that is being waged in the universe. However, before we can do that, we must bring an end to the wars we are waging in our homeland. I believe that these peace agreements are some that the Loup people should find on its own."

Midori bowed. "Of course."

"Someone will show you to your rooms for tonight, and we will fetch you when we have come to an agreement."

Midori bowed lowly, and turned to head toward the doors. The Tik commander and his squadron were right on her heels.

"I guess it's time for us to go too." Trintrin said, leaning toward Vegeta.

Vegeta was still staring in confusion at the council floor, and didn't reply. _That's it? We come all this way to negotiate, and they tell us that they want to do it without us? What have they been doing for these past hundred years? You'd think that if they could figure this out on their own, they would have done it by now._

"It's almost dinner time. Maybe I can show you to a place to eat."

That finally caught Vegeta's attention, and his head whipped toward Trintrin. "Yeah." His stomach growled loudly. "That would be good."

* * *

Through the groggy haze of sleep, 17 could feel a weight on his chest. He shifted slightly, and the weight shifted as well. He groaned, and suddenly, the four paws of some rather heavy animal were walking up his chest. A moment later, a small, cold nose pressed itself to his face. It was soon followed by a playful paw.

His eyes fluttered open, and he was immediately met with the sight of a rather fat gray cat. The cat made a curious purring sound, turned around, and curled back up on 17's chest.

17 blinked blearily at the animal wondering where it had come from. A moment later, the events of the past few days came rushing back to him. He sat up quickly, and the fat cat made a loud yelp as it rolled gracelessly off of him.

17 jumped out of his bed, crossed the room and jerked the door open. The smell of a hot breakfast greeted him, and he felt his mouth water. Quietly, he crept out of his room and toward the kitchen. His two house guests had made themselves right at home during the past few days despite their promises that 17 wouldn't notice that they were there.

New flower beds had suddenly appeared around the cabin and on the windowsills, and the attic had apparently been turned into a makeshift laboratory. Something that looked suspiciously like a vegetable garden now covered a rather large portion of his woodland clearing. A small fluffy dog had appropriated his favorite armchair as well. 17 had not seen the dog anywhere other than the chair since his guests had arrived.

The first morning after their arrival, 17 had woken up to discover that Mrs. Briefs had removed all of his curtains and took them outside to wash them. The next morning, all of his clothes were missing, and he'd wandered around in confusion wearing nothing but pajama pants until he discovered them hanging outside on a clothes line. How the clothes line had gotten there, he had no idea, and the idea that Mrs. Briefs had snuck into his room while he'd been asleep to collect his dirty laundry made his blood run cold.

The third day, he'd been awoken by the sound of a small explosion in his attic. He'd raced up the stairs to find Dr. Briefs covered in soot and mumbling about crossed wires and needing new glasses. He'd quietly slunk back out of the attic without offering assistance before Dr. Briefs had spotted him.

It was true enough that he hadn't seen them much despite how small the house was. The doctor generally remained holed up in the attic, and aside from that one incident 17 had seen neither hide nor hair of him. Mrs. Briefs usually flitted around outside in the mornings and evenings and disappeared to who-knows-where when the bright noon sun made being outside unbearable.

For his part, 17 remained in his room until late morning, and then usually found some excuse to leave—usually hunting—until after nightfall. The day before, he had killed a rather impressive wild pig, and if his suspicions were correct, that delicious smell that was drawing him trance-like toward the kitchen was bacon.

"Good morning!" Two cheerful voices greeted him as soon as he made it to the doorway. He didn't dare take a step further into the kitchen. Some part of him wasn't entirely sure that this _was_ his kitchen. It was clean…spotless. Immaculate. A large breakfast was set out on the table.

The room that had always seemed so dark and cluttered was now bright and cheerful.

A small monkey suddenly appeared at his feet, babbled something angry, and scooted by him looking disgruntled.

"Don't mind him." Dr. Briefs said. Dr. Briefs had somehow procured a newspaper—17 had no idea how—and was busily reading it while sipping coffee. "He's just eager to get outside. It's been a long time since he's been able to play in a real forest."

17 stared after the monkey for a moment before deciding that weirder things had happened.

"Come sit down, dear." Mrs. Briefs said, taking him by the arm and leading him to the table. Wide-eyed, he just obeyed.

"There's nothing better than a lie-in and a big, hot breakfast, don't you agree." Dr. Briefs said amiably, smiling at 17 over the top of his newspaper.

"You poor dear. With all this nasty business and those long hunts, you must have been tuckered out." Mrs. Briefs added, grabbing a plate and literally piling things onto it. 17's mouth was watering. She placed the plate in front of him.

17 glanced at the clock. It was only 10am. That was still pretty early in his opinion. Still, he didn't feel like explaining that to the two Briefs, and so he just mumbled a "thanks" and dug in to his breakfast.

This situation might not be so bad.

* * *

Why Chichi Son chose to wash dishes by hand when she had three saiyans to feed, Bulma couldn't figure out. Even with the two of them and Videl, it was taking forever. She felt obligated to at least help with the dishes, since Chichi was nice enough to cook for her and Shiro. But at times like these, she wondered if it would be better to use what little material she had left to build Chichi a dishwasher.

"Videl, honey, what does your father think about this?" Chichi was saying, scrubbing angrily at an invisible speck on one of the plates. Bulma had been keeping out of the conversation. Chichi's temper was nothing to mess with, and Gohan's education was a very hot topic. "He can't be okay with it."

"No, he _is_ okay with it." Videl argued, and from her voice, Bulma could tell that she was far beyond annoyed with Chichi's questions. "And it's not like I'm completely dropping out. I'm just taking a break until it's safe to be in West City again."

"But…Videl…"

"It makes sense, don't you think? I mean, what good is an education if I get blown up before I can get a job?"

"But you could just transfer to another school instead of—"

Videl cut her off. "I told you. I'm not dropping out. I'm taking a semester or two off until this whole thing blows over."

"And if it doesn't blow over?" Chichi argued.

"Then a degree would be useless anyway."

Chichi exhaled sharply. "Well if you think that Gohan—"

"I didn't say anything about Gohan." Videl snapped. "And anyway, he's a grown man and can make his own decisions without either of us."

"He is _not_ a grown man!" The dish that Chichi had been furiously scrubbing dropped back into the sink with a clang, as the older woman rounded on Videl.

"Now Chichi." Bulma tried, bringing herself to stand between the two. "Videl has the right to take a semester off if she wants to, and if she says that she didn't pressure Gohan to do the same, then we have to take her word for it."

"But Gohan will quit school too, I know he will!" Chichi lamented, tears forming in the corner of her eyes. "And West City University is such a good school! It's all because of her. Gohan said that he will leave if she does, and she's leaving." She hitched a sob. "She wants Gohan to leave school so that he will spend more time with her!"

Bulma sighed. Chichi's arguments weren't entirely logical, but Chichi was a good friend. Videl, too, was a nice girl. Bulma sent an awkward glance to Videl. The younger woman was standing, fists clenched, and glaring at Chichi. "Well…Chichi…" Bulma continued cautiously. "The way this is going, there might not be a university left to go to. And you wouldn't want to put Gohan in danger by sending him to a city that the Tik might target, right? And besides—" The sound of the scouter beeping in her pocket caused her to cut herself off mid sentence. Without an explanation to the two women, she whipped out the scouter and answered it. "Vegeta?"

"_Yeah."_

"Where have you been?" She nearly yelled. Chichi and Videl had stopped arguing, although they were still giving each other dirty looks.

"_Huh?"_ From the way that his voice sounded far away, she could tell that he had pulled the phone away from his ear at her scream. _"I'm on planet Luva. I told you that I was being sent out."_

"That was days ago, Vegeta, why haven't you been answering?" She considered leaving the kitchen to continue the call, but Goku and Gohan, who had apparently been listening outside the doorway, had just walked in. Goku began miming with exaggerated movements that he wanted to talk to Vegeta.

Bulma waved him away. _"Well, it took almost four days to get here. I was probably asleep."_

"Asleep?" She swatted Goku away again.

"_Hypersleep…You know all this. Onna is something wrong with your head?"_

Goku tried to reach for the phone, and Bulma slapped his hand. "Goku, back off!" She snapped. He didn't back off. Instead, he just quickly snatched the phone out of her hand.

"Hi, Vegeta. I just need to talk to you real quick and then I'll hand the phone back to Bulma, so don't start yelling yet."

"_Kakarott…"_ Vegeta didn't really know what was going on. "_You have three minutes."_

"Have you been filled in on our situation?"

"_You mean that the Tik are attacking? Yes."_

"No, I mean that Capsule Corp and all of Earth's other major technology and weapons manufacturing places have been destroyed."

Vegeta didn't answer straight away. _"No…no. I hadn't heard that. What's happened? Are they screening yet? How many Tik soldiers are there? What are the Earth's forces doing about it? Is…how many were killed?"_

Goku read clearly between the lines. "Oh…well, heh. Bulma's alright. Mr. and Mrs. Briefs are fine. The entire compound is gone along with about three fourths of Bulma's research and technology and stuff. There was a pretty high death toll the day they attacked Capsule Corp. Bulma's staying in a capsule house here—near my house I mean—but we don't have a lab anymore. The Tik haven't started screening yet. We managed to get rid of two ships, but there are still four more in space. They've just been attacking from space. Earths' space ships can't get near them. All we've got left is the Androids. Is there any chance you can ask Kurenai to send us some more stuff…like…a space ship? And have you figured out where Hui is yet? Ouch, Bulma! That really hurt! Why'd you pinch me?"

"Because you're not going into space, Goku!" Bulma snapped, grabbing the phone back from Goku.

"Hey! I wasn't done yet. I still had two more minutes!" He pouted childishly.

"Oh grow up." She said to him before putting the scouter back to her ear. "_That_ was why I've been calling you, Vegeta." Bulma said. "Can you do anything?"

He was silent for a moment. _"I don't know."_ He said finally. _"I can talk to Kurenai, but she doesn't like going over the heads of planetary leaders. If King Furry asked, I know she wouldn't hesitate to help. But King Furry has already told Kurenai that besides the three Krimzon officers stationed there now, no other Krimzon will be allowed to set foot on Earth. If she sent more without his permission it could be considered an invasion. Before you ask, she could do it, but it would cause her to lose a lot of support here, and so she won't."_

"But…" Bulma's face fell. "King Furry is still…He…He's afraid of the Krimzon almost as much as the Tik."

_"We're having that same problem here."_ Vegeta mumbled, and then paused thoughtfully. _"I'll give her a call. If there's a Krimzon fleet in the area, I can maybe convince her to send them over. Don't get your hopes up though. Earth really is in the middle of nowhere. Oh…"_ He paused for a moment. _"I've got to go. There's an entire Tik squadron in here, and we're supposed to have dinner with them as a show of…of…oh I forget. I'll call back later."_

"Oh…okay. Goodbye." She hung up staring at the scouter with an odd look for a moment before turning to Goku. From her expression, her old friend could clearly tell that they would not be getting much help from Vegeta.

* * *

"In ancient times, the inhabitants of the planet Loup and those of the planet Luva used to be one in the same." If one thing could be said of Prince Trintrin, it was that he knew his planet's history.

Vegeta picked at the rather small meal that had been placed before him, trying to focus on it rather than on the conversation he had just had with Bulma. He somewhat resented the fact that Trintrin hadn't left him alone for his conversation with his mate. Trintrin had insisted that he would be shirking his duty if he left Vegeta to wander about on his own and so had only moved a small way down the hall for the duration of the call.

If his food had been better—or at least more plentiful, he might have had more luck distracting himself. It was more than enough for a human, but to him it was nothing more than a light snack. Midori had given him a stern look when the plate had been placed in front of him. It couldn't have been clearer if she'd yelled it that asking for more food would have been considered rude. After hearing about Luva's ruined environment and struggles to farm and maintain life outside, Vegeta figured that it was hard for the inhabitants to find enough to feed themselves, much less a hungry saiyan.

However, he'd learned to go for days—even weeks—without a proper meal when working for Frieza. A few days wouldn't be so bad. He glanced around the table to see how much everyone else had eaten.

If Midori or the Tik soldiers were uncomfortable eating at the same table as one another, they didn't show it. Trintrin carried most of the conversation himself, but Midori occasionally asked the Tik commander to pass her something. Vegeta imagined that she was enjoying interrupting the Tik commander at ill-timed moments. Still, the commander was maintaining a perfectly cordial attitude, and had taken to frequently repeating to Midori that he appreciated women with healthy appetites and low blood pressure.

Vegeta didn't really care about what the two were saying to each other. He was focusing on pacing himself with the others around him. The Tik soldiers were nearly finished with their meals. Midori's meat was gone, and she was slowly eating her vegetables. Trintin spent most of his time talking, and had hardly touched his food at all.

"We used to be larger, more wolf-like." Trintrin continued, holding his hands up to show the size he imagined his ancestor Loups would have been. An image of the wolf-like commander that had captured him and transported him to Iro flashed through Vegeta's head. "But the planet divided into two clans. Those two clans warred against each other for centuries. In one clan, the people grew larger and stronger. In our clan, however, we got smaller. That was when we learned to harness the power of technology. Eventually, the war got so bad, that one clan—our ancestors—left planet Loup to found a new planet, Luva."

Vegeta looked down at his plate, only to realize that there was nothing left in it. He momentarily had the urge to glare around at everyone else to try to weed out the person who had taken his food, but then, he realized that he most likely had eaten it all without realizing it. There hadn't been very much to begin with after all.

Trintrin finally stopped talking and loaded a pile of vegetables onto his fork. He brought the fork halfway to his mouth before stopping and dropping it back to his plate. "Oh, I was supposed to ask." He turned toward Vegeta. "Prince Vegeta…and…you all as well." He looked a little embarrassedly at the Tik soldiers there. "Would you like to join a hunting party tonight? With the entire council here, we can use all the extra hunters we can find."

Vegeta blinked at him. "Sure."

* * *

Vegeta honestly had no idea why Midori had followed him into his room after dinner. It was a scandal in the making. Doing his best to ignore her presence by his door, he strode across the room to where his bag had been laid. If he was going out in the cold again, he was definitely putting on an extra pair of socks.

He somewhat regretted agreeing to go on the hunt. His bed, draped in dark maroon silk, looked incredibly soft and warm. The stone walls were warmed by thick tapestries hanging at various intervals. The floor sported a vibrantly colored rug. There was a circular "fire pit" in the floor. That same fire-like energy was glowing brightly in the pit, and undoubtedly keeping the room a comfortable temperature. Despite the fact that the entire room was carved out of stone, it looked and felt warm.

"If you want to bitch at me about something, you're wasting your time." Vegeta mumbled, digging through the bag. "I was on my best behavior all day, and there is no room for improvement.

Midori finally pushed off of the door and crossed the room. "Here." She handed him something wrapped in a napkin.

Vegeta looked up from his bag and hesitantly accepted the object, noticing the light blush that had spread across Midori's cheeks. His superior sense of smell already told him what was inside, but that didn't lessen his surprise when he pulled the napkin open.

"Don't think that I saved it especially for you." Midori clarified, going back toward the door. "I don't really eat a lot of meat, and I didn't want it to go to waste."

The corner of his lip twitched slightly and he quickly gobbled down what she'd given him. "Thanks." He said sincerely before turning back to his bag. He finally found a pair of socks and began pulling them on.

Midori hesitated again. "So you're going out with the hunting party right?"

"That's the plan."

"Good. Remember that the Loups respect—"

"Power." He finished for her. "I got it."

"Right, but don't get too crazy. They don't have enough resources for you to go blowing things up."

He just stood and began fastening his cloak.

"And keep an eye on the Tik too. We don't need one sneaking off and turning on a Myomoshu."

"Or a Meiyochi." Vegeta nodded. He pulled on his goggles.

There was a knock on the door. "Prince Vegeta?"

Midori glanced at the door. "It's Prince Trintrin." She informed Vegeta.

He crossed the room to the door. "I know." He said before pulling it open.

He gave one last glance to Midori before following Trintrin out.

Trintrin led Vegeta through the labyrinth-like mountain fortress. He knew that he was going higher. He'd gone up several flights of stairs already.

Unlike most times, Trintrin was oddly quiet. Vegeta had expected the young Loup to be telling him some story about his esteemed ancestors' past exploits. "Through here." Trintrin said, breaking the silence. Vegeta followed through yet another twisting corridor and up a flight of stairs. Unlike the other times, however, these stairs continued upward for quite some time.

"Where are we going exactly?" He asked.

"To our ride."

Vegeta cocked an eyebrow at Trintrin. "I don't need a ride. I can fly."

"It will be difficult to fly through the blizzard. And in any case the suka have evolved to fly through snow storms."

"Suka?" Vegeta asked. "Like from the story?"

"Of course."

"I thought they were wild, and rare."

Trintrin glanced back over his shoulder. "They were. About…seven hundred years ago."

"Uh…huh."

"Here we are."

The two emerged in a large cave. Scattered around the cave were various large lumps of feathers. There were already about a dozen Loups and Tik soldiers already in the room. Vegeta recognized the commander among the Tik, and he again found himself locking eyes with the man. Vegeta knew that this would be no ordinary hunt.

Trintrin headed straight toward one of the lumps and stroked a hand down it. A feathered head emerged.

Vegeta found himself almost awed by the animal's beauty—a rare event indeed. The silver bird was easily larger than a car. Its sharp beak and slanted eyes belied a sharp intelligence. Its feathers were of the purest silver.

"Her name is Wya." Trintrin informed him, his eyes carefully studying the suka's reaction to Vegeta's presence. "She's one of our kingdom's best flyers. She belongs to my father. She only lets those with a noble heart ride her." Trintrin paused and smiled a somewhat relieved smile. "She will be your ride."

Vegeta stared at the suka with a frown. _There's no way. I'm not getting on that thing._

* * *

Vegeta clung white knuckled to Wya's harness as the large bird soared through the storm. His cloak was whipping wildly, but at least his face was mostly protected from the freezing wind. All around him, more Loups were riding other sukas, looking significantly more at ease than he felt.

Vegeta was a natural born hunter. He would have been in his element had it not been for the snow storm and the fact that he was riding an animal through it.

To his amusement, the Tik commander was having a much harder time of it. The suka on which the commander rode apparently did not like him and had not stopped thrashing since he had mounted it.

To Vegeta's left, Trintrin rode with ease, huddled down close to his bird's feathers as if seeking warmth from it. Suddenly, Trintrin twitched, and brought his head up, smelling the snow. Upon looking around, Vegeta realized that most of the other Loup hunters were doing the same. They'd caught the trace of something.

Vegeta sniffed the air as well, and he could just make out the musky stench of some animal. He turned his head, sniffing again, trying to determine from which direction the smell came. He needn't have bothered, for the hunters in the lead banked left, heading toward the smell.

His sharp eyes spotted the animal before the Loups did. Vegeta couldn't make out just what the animal was, but he could see the white blur as it ran from the hunting party, dodging through trees and trying to make it to the shelter of a nearby mountain. He pointed the animal out to Trintrin. With a grin that told that Trintrin was truly impressed by Vegeta's skill, he leaned over to see the white blur running across the landscape. He grinned again and took a dive toward the animal.

Suddenly, a loud rumble could be heard over the whipping wind. The sukas panicked.

Vegeta heard someone yell. "Saxum!"

The mountain before them appeared to be moving.

Someone shouted again. "Saxum! Get back!"

_What the hell is a saxum?_ Vegeta wondered, before another question dawned on him. _And where is Trintrin? _Realizing that if he was partly responsible for the deaths of one of the Loup kings' sons, his and Midori's mission would be ruined, Vegeta leaned forward and spoke to Wya. "Find Trintrin." He said in a calm voice. "Take me to him."

The bird obeyed, diving downward toward the moving mountain.

"Prince Vegeta!" He heard someone yell behind him. "Where are you going? It's too dangerous!"

He saw Trintrin on the ground. He's apparently fallen from his suka. He appeared to be uninjured, but without his bird, there was little chance for escape.

And at that moment, Vegeta saw what had put so much fear into the Loup hunters. A giant creature had emerged from the mountain. It appeared to be made of stone, but Vegeta suspected that it may just have thick gray skin. The creature towered over Trintrin, who had dropped down to four legs and was running through the snow. His quarry and ride were apparently forgotten.

Then Trintrin made the amateur mistake of looking behind him. And he stumbled, falling face first into the snow.

"Go." Vegeta spurred his Wya on, diving through the wind and snowfall toward his guide. He dropped off of the bird before she'd even landed. His feet sank knee deep into the snow, and he waded clumsily through it to get to Trintrin.

"Trintrin!"

"Prince Vegeta!" Vegeta could see frozen tears on Trintrin's face. "I didn't see it!"

Vegeta just nodded in understanding.

"We're going to die!" Trintrin wailed over the wind, pulling himself up and latching onto Vegeta's cloak. "Do you know how many Loups are killed by saxums each year?" He turned away slightly and looked to the sky as if asking for intervention. "My father told me not to come out with the hunters! He said that in these conditions, it's too dangerous. He warned me about this."

As Trintrin continued to lament their situation, Vegeta glanced toward the stone-like creature. It was large, true, but it was nothing that Vegeta couldn't handle. Trintrin's suka was flying around the saxum's head, apparently trying to create a distraction. The saxum was swatting at it, ignoring the two hunters and suka down below.

"We have to get back to the hunters!" Trintrin said. "They can kill it!" But he seemed uncertain of that.

Vegeta rolled his eyes, grabbed Trintrin, and bodily hauled him onto Wya. "You get back to the hunters. I'll take care of this thing."

"But—" Vegeta ignored him.

He just leaned close to Wya's face. "Go." Vegeta said, and already, he was pulling off his goggles. The intelligent beast looked at him knowingly, and Vegeta wondered just how much the suka understood of what he was about to do. A moment later, Wya shot into the air carrying the screaming young Loup away from the dangers zone.

Vegeta turned around, searching for the moon through the blizzard. He couldn't find it. Frowning, he looked around again.

_This won't work. Crap! Why does it snow so much here?_

With and angry snort, he flared his aura. The snow ceased to reach him, either being melted upon contact with is aura or being blown away by the wind he was kicking up. Vegeta smirked. _Now there's an idea._ He flared his aura out even more. The snow beneath his feet melted, and he levitated so as not to sink down in it. The wind began to swirl around him. He regarded it calmly, the eye of the storm.

The strange stone-like creature screeched in confusion and anger as it was buffeted by the wind. Through the swirling snow, Vegeta could see its hulking form looming toward him.

The clouds above were being driven away by the wind he caused. The black night sky was more and more visible through the breaks in the clouds. Finally, a beam of light broke through. Vegeta turned to look at it, throwing his cape to the ground.

The full moon. Perfect.

He felt his body begin to grow. The familiar transformation, once a favorite of his but now long disused, felt right. He grinned, showing his elongated canines, and then hunched over as fur sprouted on his back.

In less than a minute it was done, and he was standing in his oozaru form. He could feel the power within him, raging, waiting to be released. Unlike Kakarott, however, Vegeta had no problem keeping his power and bloodlust under control.

He turned again to look at the strange rock creature. What had they called it? A saxum? The creature stared at him in confusion. It had obviously never seen a full grown oozaru before.

"Prince Vegeta!" Vegeta glanced over his shoulder to see that the hunters had all landed atop the cliff from which the saxum had emerged. The hunters were all staring at Vegeta with expressions of awe. The Tik soldiers looked more or less constipated. Trintrin, however, was clearly fretful. "Be careful, okay?" Trintrin called. "I'm supposed to be responsible for you!"

Vegeta snorted and turned back to the saxum. He didn't know whether or not to be offended by Trintrin's remark. He didn't have time to think about it anymore because the confused saxum charged him.

It didn't take long for Vegeta to neutralize the saxum. He dodged the creature's first swing, ducked another, and caught the third. Then, still holding on to the creature's arm, he jumped and sent a spin kick to the saxum's head. The sickening crack that followed could be heard all the way from the cliff-top, judging from the way his audience gasped. The giant creature dropped to the ground, dead.

Somewhat regretful that the fight had ended so quickly, Vegeta stepped away from it and let his battle aura drop. Trintrin called his name again. Vegeta glanced toward the cliff to see that Trintrin had already hopped on his suka and was speeding toward him.

Vegeta closed his eyes willing the clouds to return and cover the moon again. In a few short minutes, they did, and Vegeta's body shrank to its normal form. For the first time, he noticed that his clothes had stretched to accommodate his form. Kurenai had promised that they would.

The way his limbs ached was a quick reminder that it had been years since he'd used his oozaru form. He knew that the aches would be worse in the morning.

By the time he found his goggles and cloak and put them back on, the rest of the hunters had returned to the area and were trying to figure out how to haul the saxum back to the mountain labyrinth.

The Tik soldiers were all standing to the side, eying Vegeta with expressions that Vegeta found discomforting. Vegeta found himself growing slightly uneasy.

True, he'd just saved the son of one of the council members of Luva, but he'd also just demonstrated his oozaru transformation for the Tik officers in attendance. No doubt the Tik commander had been tracking his power increase with his scouter the entire time.

From the nervous look on the face of the Tik soldiers, Vegeta assumed that they'd all been watching.

The Loup hunters had finally decided to tie ten sukas to the saxum and have them carry it back. The hunters would just have to ride double on the remainder of the sukas.

Vegeta didn't argue as Trintrin hopped onto the back of Wya with him. He was ready to be inside out of the cold. Images of his warm, silk covered bed, the flickering not-quite-fire, and the soft rugs danced before his eyes. He hugged his cloak tighter around himself and spurred Wya back into the air.

* * *

"I'm sorry, Gohan, but it's just so frustrating." Videl was slumped in Gohan's chair, her arms wrapped around her knees and her chin resting on top of them.

Gohan nodded and ran a hand through his hair as he sorted through his books. He already had too many to fit on his bookshelf, and Goten had already forbade him from trying to store them in his room. So Gohan was put to the task of sifting through his books and picking out which ones he wanted to sell. "I know, I know." He really hated getting rid of books. He always felt like he would need them later. If it were up to him, he would get a giant bookshelf that covered his entire bedroom wall. The trouble was, he didn't have the money to buy one. "I'm not blaming you. It's just…she's my mom. You have to understand. She's really stressed right now. Ever since I was little, she's always had to worry about someone taking me away. Heck, when I was only four or five, Piccolo took me into the desert to train for an entire year. I didn't see my mom that whole time." He thumbed through a large physics book wondering if he would need it again.

"It's not that, Gohan, it's just…" Videl sighed, and kicking the desk, spun herself around in Gohan's desk chair. "I don't know! I mean, it's just a semester off! Lots of people do it! It's not a big deal!"

"It's another one of her worries, is all. She's afraid that I'll drop out altogether. Well…" He dropped the book into the ever-growing "keep" pile and finally looked up at her. "You've seen how my dad is. He's never had a job…never tried to get one. Doesn't do much except fish and fight and lay around. Mom just wants to make sure that I…well she loves dad and all…"

"I get it, Gohan." Videl said. "I'm sorry. I keep forgetting that your childhood was so much different than mine." She stopped spinning and looked down at him. "It's just that…it's stressful enough trying to get through college and find a good job without all these extra pressures."

"Tell me about it." Gohan finally finished sorting through his books. He looked over to his "sell" pile. "What? How did that get in there?" He picked up his old geometry book and looked through the well-worn pages.

"You already know all the formulas in it remember?" Videl prompted.

"Well…yeah, I think I do, but what if I forgot one?"

"That's what the internet's for."

"But we don't have the internet here. Or at least, I think we don't…Trunks might have secretly given Goten a handheld computer last year, but I haven't found it yet."

"Well, if you don't have the internet, you can just ask me."

"But, I'm better than you in math." Videl narrowed her eyes dangerously, causing Gohan to emit a nervous chuckle. "Just kidding."

Videl crossed her arms and swiveled away. "Or you can ask Bulma."

"Hey, there's an idea!"

She swiveled back. "What idea?"

"Bulma!"

"Umm…" Videl stared at her boyfriend as he scrunched up his face in thought and began mumbling to himself.

Finally, he straightened up and grinned at her. "So we need to keep mom satisfied, right?"

"Right." Videl raised an eyebrow.

"And Bulma needs help working on her projects now that Capsule Corp is gone and her employees are scattered around Japan. So…we do an internship with Capsule Corp!"

Videl grinned. "You think she'd go for that?"

"Sure! Why wouldn't she?" Gohan shrugged. "And you're already staying in the spare room in her capsule house."

Videl thought about it for a moment. "Well I suppose it wouldn't hurt to ask."

"Right! It's settled then." He glanced at the clock. "Oh…it's kinda late. We'll ask first thing tomorrow."

* * *

Vegeta awoke the next day with feeling that it was very late. As he'd predicted, his muscles ached with each movement. He wished for nothing more than to stay in bed, but he knew that that was out of the question.

After a quick bath, Vegeta dressed and headed down the hall to knock on Midori's door. She wasn't there. He tried Trintrin's door. The young Loup wasn't there either.

There was no one in the hallway. _Where the hell is everyone? _He wondered, continuing down the hall. He felt out Midori's Ki. _Oh…in the great chamber. Of course._

He followed the maze-like hallways toward where he believed the great chamber would be. After two wrong turns, and endless frustration, he finally emerged in the hallway that led to the visitors' gallery that he'd sat in the day before. He was just about to open the door when it opened on its own.

"Finally!" Midori said, slipping out of the door and closing it quietly behind her. "When Trintrin said that you needed your rest, he wasn't kidding. You're lucky. The kid wouldn't even let me _try_ to wake you up."

"What are you doing here?" Vegeta asked, ignoring her comment. "Shouldn't you be down with the council?"

She shook her head in that exasperated fashion that told him that he was behind the times.

"What did I miss?" He asked with a hint of resignation.

She grinned at him. "King Kohol, the main supporter of the Tik, changed his tune today. He is now in full support of the Krimzon."

Vegeta furrowed his eyebrows. "How did that happen? He couldn't have possibly changed his mind so quickly."

"Well, he did, and the nations allied with him are falling in line. They have agreed to commence negotiations for adhesion to the Krimzon. I have to call Kurenai. There are still Tik on the planet, and we are going to need troops to ensure that they don't attack."

"I…so…" He blinked at her. "Is that it, then? Are we going back to Iro?"

"Of course not." She sent him an expression that told him that she clearly worried for his sanity. "We're going to stay here until the rest of the negotiators and our reinforcements arrive."

"You're kidding!" He said. "How long will that be?"

"Just until tomorrow." Midori said. "Kurenai figured that they would come to our side, so she has troops stationed nearby."

That was a relief. He had no desire to stay holed up in a mountain or trek through blizzards for days on end. "Good thing." He said. "The Loups change their minds so easily. If we wait too long, they'll probably switch sides again."

"No, I don't think so." Midori said, pulling out her scouter and flipping it open. "The council seemed pretty firm about siding with us. They said that recent evidence has shown them that we are the more worthy ally. Don't ask me what that means, though."

Vegeta too wondered what that could mean. And what evidence could the Loups have found so quickly.

Vegeta would get the answer to his question the next day when he and Midori were saying their goodbyes. If it were up to Vegeta, he would have gotten into his pod without saying a word, but Midori had stressed the importance of a formal goodbye.

As Midori finished saying her farewells to the councilmembers, Trintrin approached Vegeta with King Kohol at his side.

Vegeta stared between them. Midori, coming to his side, stared as well, clearly surprised by the situation.

"Prince Vegeta," Trintrin greeted him somewhat more formally than usual. "I would like you to meet my father."

Vegeta blinked.

The King nodded in greeting to Vegeta. Vegeta nodded back.

"I would like to express my gratitude to you." King Kohol said somewhat stiffly. "My son tells me that you saved him, if not from death, then certainly from serious injury. For that, I am eternally grateful." Then, nodding again, the King turned and began walking away.

Trintrin leaned close to Vegeta with a grin. "I felt really bad when the council members and my father sent me to spy on you. I was worried that father would be right and you Krimzon were trying to cheat us out of our resources. But the other council members—the ones that have always supported the Krimzon Empire—were sure that I would find your cause to be noble. They thought that my testimony of that would be enough to convince my father too." Trintrin grinned. "I'm glad I did it, because otherwise, I would have never met you. I hope that we can work together in the future." He backed up and bowed lowly. "Thank you, and good luck, Prince Vegeta." As he turned and hurried after his father, Vegeta just stood, mouth hanging open and blinking in surprise.

A spy? Trintrin was spying on him the whole time?

Then he put all the pieces together.

A smug grin lit his face, and he turned it full force on Midori. Midori just glared, snorted, and began walking away. Still grinning, Vegeta followed after her.

* * *

A/N: First off, thanks to everyone who's been following this story and who's dropped me reviews! I love to hear that you're enjoying it. Just to answer a question that was posed to me, I do read all reviews, even ones for old chapters.

I hope you enjoyed this one! Lemme know what you think.

Translation:

Saxum- (Latin) rock


	22. Bittersweet Victory

Chapter 22- Bittersweet Victory

"Kon, do me a favor, will you?" Her small feet made no noise on the carpeted floors, and being who she was, she had not bothered to wait to be announced. As such, Kuro Kon was quite surprised to see the small empress striding into his office.

While it wasn't rare for the two friendly rivals to work together, it was somewhat unusual for the small empress to ask a favor of the galaxy police chief. Odder still was it for Empress Kurenai to personally make a visit to the Police Chief's office in the Galaxy Police Headquarters.

Kuro Kon's office, unlike Empress Kurnenai's, had only one floor to ceiling window on its back wall. The other walls were lined with file cabinets making the room seem much smaller than it actually was. Kuro Kon never liked to forget the harder criminals in the universe, and maintained personal up-to-date files for the worst of the baddies. A certain saiyan prince's file happened to still reside in one of the file cabinets along the left wall.

"What is it?" The large man asked, standing from his desk. Although he physically towered over the small woman, there were few people in the universe who didn't know that Kurenai was by far the more powerful of the two.

The sorceress spoke without preamble. "I need you to hide this disk in the best place you can, under the highest security possible. I have reason to believe that someone will try to steal it."

Kuro's face grew serious and he gingerly took the disk from her hands. "I'll do everything in my power to keep it safe." He said.

Kurenai smiled graciously. "Thank you." She turned as if to leave, but he stopped her.

"May I ask what the disk is for?"

"Hm? Oh it's a prototype for some sort of something or another for a spaceship."

Kuro frowned at the vague answer and looked a little skeptically at the disk.

"It's quite technical, I believe." Kurenai continued, "and nothing worth your interest. Just keep it safe for me. That's all you need to do." With that she turned and left, a wicked smile curling her lips.

* * *

Vegeta had hardly stepped onto the surface of Iro before he had plunged himself into the task of finding some sort of help for the Earth.

In retrospect, he had become a little too embroiled in the goings-on of Luva and had forgotten to call Kurenai about the Earth's situation. The issue came slamming back to him the minute he'd awoken from hypersleep. The Earth was in danger, its technology destroyed, and only the Androids were still capable of fighting.

In all honesty, the Androids were probably enough, but they couldn't be in several places at once, and without some sort of defense against an entire army, the Earth would suffer severe devastation at the hands of the Tik before they were fought off.

By the time he reached the Septagon apartment complex, he'd already worked out an idea. He and Midori had a few minutes to drop of their bags and grab a bite to eat before they had to check in with Kurenai. He didn't feel like wasting his time telling the old woman things she already knew, but duty was duty. And he had to talk to her anyway.

The moment he slipped into the quiet sanctity of his apartment, he pulled out his scouter and dialed. He didn't sense Tarble anywhere, although Tarble had told him that he would be returning to his home planet when Vegeta left for Luva. Vegeta figured that he was long gone.

The scouter rang. He waited. And waited…and decided that he'd just as well be finding something to eat while waiting.

The apartment was just the way he'd left it—tidy, warm, curtains open to give a view of the sky and city below. He padded to the kitchen. The kitchen was clean, and everything was in its proper order.

It wasn't until he'd pulled the fridge open that someone answered his call.

"_Huh…lo?"_ The voice was that of a young woman. She was clearly groggy and likely half asleep.

Vegeta suddenly realized that he hadn't checked what time it was on Earth. But why hadn't Bulma answered? Was something wrong? "Who's this?" He asked, carefully keeping every trace of concern out of his voice. "Where's Bulma?"

The young woman yawned. _"This is Videl. Bulma's asleep. It's 3 am."_

"Hm." Vegeta commenced rummaging through the fridge. "Go wake her up then." He said, pulling out a packet of meat and sniffing it. Judging that it was good, he placed it on the counter beside him.

The idea seemed to startle Videl awake. _"Ummm…I don't…"_  
Vegeta sighed. "It's important, girl. Just do it!"

"_Okay! Okay! Geez!"_ Videl mumbled something that Vegeta was probably better off not hearing, and a moment later, he heard the tell-tale sound of someone knocking on a door. _"Bulma? Bulma…Vegeta's on the phone-thing."_

"You're going to have to knock harder than that." Vegeta told her, rolling his eyes at the girl's timidity. "The woman sleeps like a log." Vegeta continued rummaging through the fridge, coming out with a jar of sweet creamy, paste-like substance. He shut the fridge and began looking through his cabinets for something that resembled bread.

He heard Videl knock again, louder this time. _"Bulma? Are you awake?"_

Then, he heard Bulma's voice. The two women had a conversation that Vegeta couldn't make out, and a second later, Bulma was on the other end of the line. _"What is it?"_

"I have an idea that may give you a little Krimzon aid." Vegeta said without preamble. He pulled out a long flat, bland vegetable and decided that in the absence of bread, he could make a sandwich with that. "Is the situation the same as when I last talked to you?"

"_Yes. The ships are still in space. They've destroyed all of the technological centers, and have started taking out national capitals and other major cities. Most people have realized by now what's going on, and for the most part, all of the major cities have been evacuated. We still can't get a ship close enough to the Tik ships to be able to take one out. We're sitting ducks."_ She paused for a moment. _"So, what's your idea?"_

"Kurenai doesn't like to go over the head of a planet's ruler, but if she can benefit enough from it, she doesn't mind bending the rules."

"_Okay…?"_ Bulma said, seeming genuinely curious.

"For instance, I don't think she would object to creating an agreement with an Earthling enterprise, as long as no Earth law forbade such an agreement."

"_So you're saying…?"_ He could hear in her voice that her spirits had lifted.

"That if King Furry won't form an agreement with the Krimzon that Capsule Corp should do so. Then Kurenai would be free to give you her aid as a way to protect her interests." He spread his creamy paste onto the two vegetables and then sandwiched the meat in between. "Even if King Furry forbade Krimzon soldiers from setting foot on Earth, he did not forbid them from entering its orbit—at least I don't think so. We'll have to work with that."

"_And you think it could work? What do I have to do?"_

He took a large bite of his odd sandwich, and chewed slowly before deciding that the taste was acceptable. "I need to you find proof that there is no law on Earth that forbids a private Corporation from forming an agreement with an extraterrestrial government entity. I also need you to make sure that King Furry did not forbid foreign ships from entering Earth's orbit."

"_Okay. We can do that."_ He could practically hear her grin.

"Good." He said taking another bite of his sandwich. "What's that fool, Hercule, doing? Can't he convince King Furry to form a temporary alliance with the Krimzon?"

Bulma sighed. _"No. We've tried that, but…King Furry…everyone…Earth's never been involved in any of these intergalactic wars. Everyone is just as afraid of one side as they are of the other."_

Vegeta sighed. "Well keep trying." It had only taken a few days to rid the Loups of a similar problem. Why was it so difficult to do the same thing on Earth? He heard the sound of his apartment door opening, and he knew that Midori had just come in. "I've got to go report in to Kurenai now. I'll bring this up with her and see what she thinks."

"_Okay."_ Bulma said, and then giggling like a little girl, added. _"Love you, babe."_

He snorted. "I'll bet."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, he and Midori reached Kurneai's throne room.

The bright sun was shining through her windows, illuminating the room and giving Vegeta the impression that it was slightly warmer than it actually was. A myriad of hover-car trails crisscrossed the bright orange sky, and he could see a group of space pods hurtling from the sky toward the space port. Despite the fact that it was probably midday and the large city was bustling with energy and excitement, Kurenai's throne room seemed quiet and calm. The calmness made him suddenly lose all his energy, and despite having spent four days in hypersleep, Vegeta had the sudden intense urge to lie across his couch and watch something mind-numbing on tv. He would likely do just that, but not before stopping at Pop's and having a huge meal.

As expected, Kurenai already knew everything that they had to report. Kurenai didn't drag out their debriefing very long. She appeared to have other things on her mind. What those things were, she didn't mention, and they both knew better than to ask. However, true to form, whereas, Kurenai's two aides were oblivious to what the old sorceress was truly thinking, she could easily see through them. Perhaps it was the floor, or perhaps it was the fact that Kurenai was one of the most powerful sorceresses in the world, but Kurenai had known that Vegeta had something to ask of her the moment he walked into the room.

Having been around Kurenai as long as he had, Vegeta was not at all surprised when she ended the debriefing with the phrase "That's all, and Vegeta, you had a favor to ask of me?"

Vegeta had simply blinked and then, deciding that there was no point in beating around the bush, expounded the issue on Earth and the idea that he had just discussed with Bulma. It was a simple issue for Kurenai to understand. It was the type of thing she dealt with on a daily basis. A planet was under attack by the Tik, but the inhabitants were distrusting of all outsiders and reluctant to align. Vegeta's idea of forming an agreement with a corporation, thus giving Kurenai a reason to protect the planet, was a shrewd but reasonable proposal.

As Vegeta summed up his plan, Kurenai's mind drifted back to the passionate young boy that she had met all those years ago. The one with the fiery eyes that reflected so well the light of that burning city.

"Well?" Vegeta's question snapped her out of her reverie.

"It isn't unheard of." Kurenai said leaning her cheek onto her fist. "If you find me proof that we aren't breaking any laws, then I see no reason not to go through with it. You've been a big help after all. I probably do owe you, don't I?"

"I'll say." Vegeta said.

Kurenai smiled a little indulgently. "Just…out of curiosity, this corporation…Capsule Corp?" Vegeta nodded in confirmation and she continued. "What exactly does it manufacture?"

Vegeta smirked a little. "I'm not at liberty to tell you everything, but if you tell me what you're in the market for, I could name you a few products."

"Interesting." Kurenai said, her eyebrows rising slightly. "So it has different types of products then."

Vegeta nodded.

"What of space-ships?"

"You could hardly expect a planet as isolated as Earth to produce a more advanced ship than the Krimzon Empire." Vegeta said. "Although in terms of storage and transport, it does have a rather remarkable innovation. Like nothing I've seen anywhere in the universe."

Kurenai's eyebrows rose even higher. "Do tell."

"Don't ask me how they've done it, but they've found a way to deconstruct objects on a molecular level and store them into small capsules." He held up two fingers several inches apart. "About this big. And they weigh next to nothing." He stuck his hand back on his hip. "I rarely use them myself, but they can be equipped to anything, including space ships, cargo boxes, houses…"

Kurenai blinked at him. "You mean to tell me that this company can put a space ship into a capsule no larger than a cherv` worm?"

"A what?"

Kurenai didn't answer his question. She had gotten off of her throne and strode toward the window—a sure sign that she was deep in thought. After a few minutes, she turned around. "Alright. I want to see these capsules." She announced. "If they can do everything that you claim, then I can definitely make use of them."

"And the defense of the planet?"

She waved a hand. "I'll have an official agreement worked out and send a few ships in that direction. I cannot help once the Tik ships land, but I can have my ships shoot them in orbit."

"How many ships?" Vegeta demanded.

"Three."

"Make it four."

"Fine. Four." Again, her indulgent smile was back. Vegeta rolled his eyes. If Kurenai's demanding attitude annoyed him, her playfully patronizing one was much worse. Still, it wouldn't do to teach her a much needed lesson in respect when she had just agreed to send four ships to Earth. He just turned on his heel and headed toward the door, Midori in tow.

"Oh, and before I forget," Kurenai stopped them before they had gone three steps, and Vegeta had the distinct impression that she had planned it that way to amuse herself. "Vegeta, how are you on stealth?"

"Terrible." He said flatly, although he knew that it was a lie. "I hate sneaking around places."

Kurenai figured as much. He seemed like the person who would prefer to plow through a charging army like an angry nosorog than to slip around the back way.

She rolled her eyes. "That's too bad." She said somewhat snappishly. "Because you'll need to be stealthy to complete the mission I'm about to give you."

Vegeta nearly groaned aloud, but years of living with Frieza's constant and unreasonable orders allowed him to manage to keep it in. All of his plans of a huge dinner and a lazy evening in front of the tv were being postponed at best. Vegeta wondered if it was standard treatment to be given a mission so soon after coming back from one. His gaze darkened a bit, but otherwise he had no reaction.

"It has come to my knowledge that Kuro Kon has been hiding things from me." Kurenai announced.

Vegeta's interest was immediately piqued.

He guessed that Midori's surprise mirrored his, for Kurenai looked between them and said. "Indeed this is very worrying, and until I know just what it is that he's hiding, I'm afraid that I'll doubt his loyalty." Kurenai paused and fixed Vegeta with a stare. "You understand of course, that his loyalty is very, very important to us."

Of course he understood. The man was in charge of half of the army. He just nodded.

"Am I to…put him down?"

Kurenai was honestly surprised by the question. "What? No! Of course not! You are not to kill anyone on this mission. You are not to harm anyone either. You must be completely unseen."

"Wait." He shook his head as if to dispel the clouds of confusion. "What…is this mission…exactly?"

"There is a disk." Kurenai started. "I hear that it has some very important information on it. Beyond that, I do not know. Kon has hidden the disk and is not allowing me to see it." She stopped and looked down at him. "You will get me a copy of that disk." She said.

He blinked at her. "Where is it?"

She smiled, seeming amused. "I have no idea."

Vegeta was sure that the floor beneath his feet must have gone completely black. "Well then how am I supposed to find it?" He nearly yelled.

"You'll just have to figure out where it is first."

Vegeta glanced back toward Midori as if to gauge her reaction to Kurenai's idiocy. Midori just cocked an eyebrow and shrugged, so he spun back to Kurenai. "Don't you have someone else who could do this?" He asked, nearly whining.

"I want _you_ to do it."

He felt his mouth drop open. "But if it's such a delicate mission, surely you could get someone who's more experienced." _And who doesn't already have plans._ His mind completed.

"I don't want a lot of people knowing about this Vegeta. This is to stay between you, Midori, and me. Needless to say, you are not to mention this to anyone, including your family or friends."

He supposed that he could see the logic in that. "So you don't have any idea where it could be?" He asked.

She seemed to think for a minute. "Well…I would think it would be somewhere in the headquarters of the GP." She said. "But I rarely go there myself, so beyond that, I don't know."

"Ok, so let me get this straight." He held up a hand. "I'm supposed to first, _somehow_ figure out where he's keeping it…" He stressed the word agitatedly. "Then, sneak in like some common thief, not be seen—"

"And not leave a trace of your presence." She added.

"…Find a disk that will be hidden under the tightest security imaginable. Then make a copy of said disk, which is probably encrypted and locked with more passwords than I can imagine…Then sneak out and bring that copy to you."

"Yes." Kurenai confirmed as if he'd just repeated a restaurant order back to her.

"I can't do it." He concluded aloud.

"Of course you can." Kurenai said.

"You misunderstand me." He said, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms. "I _won'_t do it."

"Oh, but you will." She added and smirked a bit. "I never said that I was going to send you in without any preparation."

He cocked an eyebrow.

"Midori." She motioned toward the door, and Midori quickly slipped out. A moment later, she reappeared with a rather serious looking man who greatly resembled a salamander. From the look on Midori's face, she wasn't surprised to see the salamander man, nor was she confused by his presence in Kurenai's throne room. Vegeta wondered if the two sorceresses had been communicating telepathically.

"Vegeta, this is one of our best secret agents, codename Agent E." The man nodded toward Vegeta, and Vegeta returned the nod with a bit of curiosity. "Agent E, this is Vegeta." She looked back to Vegeta. "Vegeta, Agent E will be teaching you everything you need to know about hacking computers and passwords, de-encrypting disks, and opening doors locked by metal or electronic locks."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. Why on earth would Kurenai bring someone in for this when it was so top secret? And better yet, why didn't she just use Agent E in the first place? He stared at her, and lowered his mental shield so that she could clearly hear his question. If Kurenai and Midori were going to communicate telepathically, then so was he.

Kurenai turned her blank eyes on him. "Don't ask questions, Vegeta. Just do as you're told."

He felt his face flush, and he clenched his fists at her patronizing tone.

Kurenai's indulgent attitude had faded away. She had suddenly become stern and unyielding in front of this new man. "You have until 1-H tomorrow to learn all of this." Vegeta's jaw dropped, but she carried on without stopping. "I'll expect you back here then. Thank you, Agent E, for your service. You're both dismissed."

* * *

_If Trunks knew, he would be so jealous!_ Goten couldn't help but grin as he pulled on a black Gi top. Bulma had brought some of Trunks' clothes with her, having not anticipated that Trunks wouldn't be with her when she moved. Luckily, Goten's friend's wardrobe consisted of far more dark colors than Goten's did. Trunks certainly wouldn't mind if Goten borrowed an outfit from time to time.

Dark colored clothes were a necessary precaution. Although the Tik ships had yet to land, there was no saying when they might do so. There was no sense in being an easy target to spot.

And when one was going directly into Tik's target area, one could never be too careful.

The population of Mount Paozu had increased yet again, with the destruction of the entirety of West City. Yamcha and Puar had narrowly escaped the city's destruction, and upon hearing that Bulma had put up shop near Goku's house, the two had come to live with them. They were currently staying in the same capsule house as Shiro.

Pulling on a black beanie hat, and grinning at his reflection in the mirror, Goten scrambled out of his room and down the stairs. Everyone was already in the Son living room. By unspoken agreement, the Son house had become the main congregating place of the gang. The television was on, showing images of the desecrated landscapes of the Earth's largest cities. However, no one was watching the television.

The living room was abuzz with a nervous sort of excitement. Gohan and Videl were in a corner talking in whispers. Piccolo stood off to the side listening with half an ear to Bulma and Yamcha's conversation. Goku and Chichi were by far the loudest in the living room, with Chichi fretting over the foolhardiness of their plan, and Goku trying to convince her that nothing could go wrong. Goten crossed somewhat hesitantly over to his parents.

He trusted his father's idea implicitly, and Mr. Piccolo's and the others' fine-tuning and Bulma's technological contributions, Goten didn't see how his mother could even imagine that the plan could end in tragedy.

The reason for the commotion was of course that the destruction of the capital cities was continuing.

For those to whom saving the planet and its inhabitants from certain destruction had become a way of life, inactivity in face of such a situation was unacceptable. Even one innocent life saved would be well worth their effort.

While it wasn't an exact science, using their Ki sense, the Z fighters could track the movements of the Tik ships. They could feel when they moved, and could feel when they stopped. Stopping generally meant that they were locking on to a target.

One of the ships was slowing down to hover over a nearby city. In only a few hours, the city would likely be nothing more than a giant crater. Fortunately, it had recently been evacuated of inhabitants, but due to complications, its hospital had not yet been fully evacuated. And Goku and his friends were more than willing to step in and lend a hand.

"Don't worry. Goten will stay close to me." Goku put a hand on his son's head. "Won't you, kiddo?"

Goten nodded enthusiastically, darting an eye around the room at the others. Like him, everyone else was wearing black—except for Mr. Piccolo who said that dark purple was good enough.

"I still don't know, Goku…" Goten's attention was brought back to his parents as his mother yet again tried to dissuade his father from taking him along. "I mean…I thought we'd agreed to keep Goten away from all this."

"I agreed to keep him away from battles, since the Tik would try to kidnap him and force him to serve in their army. But the Tik are still in space now." He patted Chichi's shoulder lightly. "Don't worry Chi, we're just going to go help evacuate the rest of the people from the hospital. We'll be back by dinnertime."

Chichi sighed, and Goku took that to be a sign of acquiescence. With a grin, he turned to address everyone else. "Ready guys?"

A cheerful call of "Yeah!" sounded throughout the room.

"Let's go then!"

The Z fighters filed out into the yard, and one by one, hopped onto their hoverboards and took to the sky. Bulma and Chichi stood side by side waving them off until they had become nothing more than specs in the distance.

Goku really had to hand it to the Krimzon. These hoverboards were fast. They made it to the city in record time, and landed in front of the hospital where several wheelchair-bound people were already waiting. The fear was palpable among both the patients and the nurses who accompanied them. They all knew that time was running short.

"Oh good! Goku!"

Goku turned at the familiar voice. "Hey Krillin!"

Krillin jogged through the people in front of the hospital doors and then stared around at all the newcomers. "Please tell me you brought cars."

"Got you covered." Yamcha said, pulling out his capsule case and waving it in front of him.

"Good. They're taking everyone to an old retirement home in the countryside. It's near North Lake. We're going to have to be fast." He lowered his voice and leaned closer to his friends so that the patients couldn't hear. "The ship's stopped above us."

They all glanced around at each other in worry, but then they became a flurry of activity. Yamcha began popping open all of the capsule cars, jets and busses that Bulma had provided for them.

"How can we help?" Goku asked.

"Just follow me. We've only got two more floors left to evacuate. Two of us should stay here to help people into the cars." Krillin surveyed the vehicles. "Save the cars with empty space in the back for people on stretchers. You guys can help us carry them down."

"Right."

"Whoever's coming with me, come on." With that, Krillin spun on his heel and led them swiftly back into the hospital. Yamcha and Piccolo nodded to each other and hung back to help people into the cars.

As they walked through the sleek, white lobby toward the elevators, it was hard for Goku to believe that in only a few minutes everything around him would be gone.

Krillin pressed the elevator button and the doors opened immediately. Two nurses came out of the elevator pushing an unconscious man on a stretcher. The nurses were both pale with a mixture of exhaustion and terror. They didn't spare the group of fighters a second glance. The Z fighters watched them go by and then hurried into the elevator.

"Floors 6 and 7 are the only ones left." Krillin told them.

The elevators opened to the sight of a man standing before them with a clip board.

Without any greeting or introduction, he looked to Krillin. "Two men with a stretcher to room 643. Two with a wheelchair to 644." He looked at Goten and blinked, but didn't ask any questions.

Krillin nodded and, grabbing an empty stretcher that had been abandoned near the wall, led the others down the hall toward the indicated rooms. The sound of shattering glass could be heard from down the hall. The doctor didn't even flinch. "That was probably 17. He and 18 are just breaking out windows and flying people down to the curb." Krillin explained, stepping closer to the wall as two nurses pushed a stretcher past them toward the elevators.

"Here's 643. Gohan, and Videl, you two can handle this one." Krillin pushed the stretcher toward them, and moved on to the next room with Goku and Goten.

After only a few minutes it had been discovered that it was much easier to let, the Z fighters do any lifting, and allow the nurses to transport patients to and from vehicles. After only ten minutes, the 6th floor was cleared, and they moved on to the 7th. There were only five patients left on the 7th floor. 18 had apparently already brought most of the patients out.

However, it was too soon for the Z fighters to feel any sort of relief, for the moment they made it to that floor, sirens went off in the building.

A second doctor with a clipboard immediately pulled out a radio. "What's going on?"

"_In the sky!" _Came the voice over the radio.

The man rushed to the window to see that in the distance, a large light was growing in the sky.

A moment later, the window shattered in front of him. The doctor shrieked and stumbled backwards as two people swooped in.  
The Z fighters, too, stumbled back in surprise, but after a moment, they recognized the figures of the Androids.

"What are you waiting for?" 18 demanded. "We don't have time for you to gawk."

Again, the Z fighters shot into action. Without waiting to ask the man with the clipboard for room numbers, they all shot off down the hall to where they could feel five, faint, flickering Ki.

The sounds of engines starting could be heard down in the street.

"We don't have time for elevators!" Goku yelled to them. "Just carry them out the window. Goten!"

"Yeah, dad?"

"Get the guy with the clipboard."

"Okay." As Goten ran back to the startled doctor, a new voice cut into the commotion.

"Hey, guys!" Goten turned to see Piccolo and Yamcha come through the blown out window. They both stepped off their hoverboards and looked around. "You should really hurry it up in here."

"They're down the hall." Goten said. Just as he said that, the sound of windows shattering could be heard down the hall.

"Okay." Yamcha and Piccolo took off down the hall toward the source of the noise.

"Sorry mister, but this is the quickest way." Goten said stepping onto his hoverboard and wrapping his arms around the waist of the doctor. Then, he shot out the window. He couldn't hear much over the sound of the man screaming in his ear, but in a way, he was glad of that. He'd spent enough time in West City with Trunks to know that cities should not be this quiet. Without the sounds of cars whizzing around, people talking, dogs barking or horns blaring, this city was downright eerie.

There was no movement anywhere, he noticed as he dropped down toward the lonely airbus waiting on the curb. Even the wind was still, as if it too had fled the upcoming apocalypse.

Goten landed on the sidewalk with the screaming doctor just as the others touched down. He stood to the side, somewhat sadly as his father and friends strapped their patients into the airbus. Goten had never visited this city before. He had no ties to it at all. Yet, the very idea that all of it would soon be destroyed hurt him somehow. These were people's homes. Their lives, their memories, their favorite ice-cream parlors would soon be reduced to ash.

It wasn't fair.

He turned his eyes to the growing light in the city.

Goten felt his eyes water a little, and it had nothing to do with the fact that the terrified doctor's fingernails were still cutting into his arms.

A shout of "you!" snapped Goten's attention away from the desolate cityscape and toward the now-full airbus. 18 was the last to settle her patient, a rather lecherous old man, into the airbus. With a scowl, she turned and headed toward the doctor who was still hanging white-knuckled onto Goten. She grabbed the doctor and practically threw him into the driver's seat. "Drive."

The light was growing brighter in the sky. There were no clouds to shroud it. Suddenly, the light turned into a beam and began descending toward the city. The group of Z fighters waited, seeming almost calm, until the doctor had revved the engine and shot off into the sky.

Then, as one, they all levitated on their hoverboards. "Let's go!" Goku yelled, and they too shot off.

Goten followed his father closely. He wasn't afraid. Even at the sound of a terrible explosion as the beam hit the city, he wasn't. The shocks of the explosion hit them, and they willed their boards to go faster. The landscape whizzed by beneath them. The buildings below became smaller, then less clustered.

No one looked back, even as the heat burned their backs and the wind threatened to knock them out of the sky.

The roar was deafening at first, but as they flew on, it became less so.

Goten found that his vision was suddenly blurry.

It wasn't until the sight of white pavement and square buildings had been replaced by fields and farmhouses that they stopped.

Turning to assess the damage, the Earth's defenders were silent. Not even a gasp of surprise was uttered. The cruel destruction wrought by the Tik army had become almost commonplace to them, and for the moment they could do nothing more than accept it with bitter solemnity. There was at least the satisfaction that no one had been killed.

Goten's sniffle was hardly audible over the dull roar in the distance. The grass below was flattened by the wind. Their hair and clothes were whipped around by it.

A large black cloud rose into the sky, marking the destruction like a monument. Then the beam of light disappeared. Although they could not see the ship, they could feel that it began moving. Moving off in search of its next target.

Goten felt his father's hand on his shoulder. It gave him some small comfort. It didn't erase the truth, though. The city was gone.

* * *

At 1-H, Vegeta was standing tiredly in Kurenai's observation room. With the floor as his witness, he was definitely less vibrant than he'd have liked to be. He had been up all night with Agent E, memorizing codes, learning to work small gadgets and contraptions which allowed him to look through walls, disable alarms, break passwords, and copy encrypted information without leaving a trace. He'd spent far longer than he'd have liked learning about patterns in security cameras, and security systems. He'd had to crawl beneath laser sensors and dodge laser sensors. He'd learned to use his ki to keep his body from radiating heat to avoid heat sensors. Luckily, he was a natural hunter, and so he hadn't had to learn to tread silently, to keep his breathing silent, or to keep from being seen by the naked eye. Agent E had had him run through an "obstacle course" ten times perfectly before being satisfied that Vegeta was ready.

Vegeta had had just enough time to find a coffee machine before he'd had to run up to Kurenai's office.

He looked at his watch. It was already after 1-H.

The door opened suddenly, and Kurenai and Midori came in, both looking fresh and in good form.

Vegeta scowled at them both.

"Sorry that we're late, Vegeta. We both slept in, it seems." Kurenai said, walking past him to a table that was stacked with papers.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes angrily.

"Agent E tells me your training went well." Kurenai said, not bothering to raise her eyes from the paper she was currently perusing. "He seemed impressed by how fast you learned."

Vegeta had always learned extraordinarily fast. If he saw a technique once, he could usually replicate it with only minor errors. The ability had surprised many an opponent, and had come in terribly handy for him throughout the years. Unfortunately, for him however, as impressive as the ability to replicate _nearly_ perfectly any technique he sees, nearly perfectly is sometimes not enough. He'd learned when trying the fusion technique with Goku that minor errors could have a devastating impact on a technique's quality.

However, if he saw it twice, his enemy had better look out. Better yet, once he'd performed a technique, it became a permanent part of his repertoire.

He imagined that this ability to absorb things like a sponge was partially how he'd survived so long.

Kurenai's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "Agent E has taught you everything you need to know about getting through non-magical obstacles. Now Midori and I will teach you how to get through magical ones."

Vegeta blinked at her. He didn't particularly like magic.

"The first thing you will learn is how to become invisible to magic." Vegeta frowned. "This technique requires you to use magic."

Vegeta rolled his eyes, something that had lately been becoming a habit for him. "I don't know any magic." He stated flatly.

"Of course you do. You just don't know that you know it."

He cocked an eyebrow. _That didn't make any sense._

"The oozaru technique is a form of ancient magic triggered by blutz waves coming from the moon. You have learned to harness the power of the oozaru, which means that you have learned to harness some magic. More importantly, however…" She came closer to him and held a hand out, flat palmed about an inch away from his chest. If it had been anyone else, Vegeta would have worried that she would blast him. Somehow, though, he wasn't worried. "You have had contact with magic of different kinds, some of them very ancient and dark, others…divine? They have left traces on you. Have you interacted with wizards often?"

"Ehh…" She just had to bring this up. "Not often. I had a run in with a wizard named Bobbiti a while back."

"Bobbiti!" Kurenai seemed shocked, and from across the room, he heard Midori gasp. "The son of the rogue wizard Bibbiti? Is he alive? What of that monstrosity Bibbiti created? It would be a large, pink thing. He called it—"

"Majin Buu." Vegeta finished for her. "Yes, yes. He came to Earth about three years ago. Bobbiti…possessed...me, kind of. But not really."

"What do you mean, not really?"

Vegeta looked away. He was still quite ashamed of this whole situation. "I allowed him to possess me in order to gain access to the power that he promised, but then I didn't really listen to any of his orders."

He glanced back at Kurenai, only to find that she was staring at him with a comically shocked expression. He realized that Midori was looking at him the same way.

"You disobeyed someone who was magically controlling your mind?" Midori clarified. "How did you do that? It should be impossible."

Vegeta shrugged. "I don't know. I just did."

He looked back to Kurenai to see that she had that frighteningly hungry expression on her face again. "I think you Saiyans have a larger capacity for magic than you realize. What else have you done that involved magic?"

He shifted. "I'm not sure if it counts as magic, but I've done two different types of fusions."

"Fusions? As in a physical merger."

"Yes."

"Of what kind?"

"One is an embarrassing sort of dance that I will under no condition demonstrate for you. If I remember correctly, it was possibly developed by a race called the Metamorees."

Kurenai nodded. "Oh yes, the Metamorees. That requires Ki, but I believe there's magic involved as well."

"The other fusion was done with earrings."

"Earrings?" Kurenai looked surprised.

"Egh…since Majin Buu was threatening to destroy the entire universe, the Kais themselves intervened to help us. They gave us the earrings so that I and another saiyan could fuse to combine our strengths and defeat him." That was a sufficiently summed up story, he supposed.

Kurenai's eyebrow was raised in a way that was half-skeptical, half-worried. "Vegeta, has anyone ever…told you that you say strange things when you've been awake for a long time?"

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "You don't have to believe it. You also don't have to believe that I was killed on planet Namek all those years ago if you don't want to. It's up to you."

Kurenai glanced away, and then a moment later looked back into his eyes. The moment her gaze struck his, he felt like he'd been hit by a truck. Images of the fight with Majin Buu, his possession, the fusion with Goku, the innards of Buu, the planet of the Kais, the earrings, and the final battle were forcefully pulled into the forefront of his brain. He was surprised by the intensity of it, but then quickly regained control and slammed up his mental barriers. He would not let Kurenai find out about the dragonballs. That could bring the war to entirely new proportions.

He suddenly found himself staring into Kurenai's astonished eyes. "You're telling the truth." She said, absolutely awed. "You met the Kais. Vegeta, what…what are you?" It was nearly a whisper. "Are you immortal?"

He raised an eyebrow. "It's really not so astonishing." Vegeta said. "There are stories on nearly every planet of gods walking amongst mortals and saving them from dire situations."

"But…but you were chosen."

He looked away. "No. I wasn't." He said. If anyone had been chosen by the Kais in any way, it had been Gohan or Kakarott. "I was in the right place at the right time."

Midori looked between Vegeta and Kurenai in confusion. "So…does he have enough magical ability?" She asked.

"He has more than enough." Kurenai said taking a step back. She was still reeling in shock. Her hand-chosen, perfect warrior had, as a child, played traitor to the most feared tyrant in the universe and had not only come out alive, but had actually brought about his demise. He'd helped destroy one of the most powerful wizards in the universe along with his horrendous creation. And now, she discovers that he had rubbed shoulders with the highest beings in existence. He was truly astonishing. There was no way he would fail.

Vegeta was somewhat distressed to see that that hungry look was back on Kurenai's face. He wished he could figure out what she was thinking about when she looked at him like that.

"Vegeta, you will learn to harness magic in ways that you have never done before."

He looked a bit skeptically at her.

_I'm a warrior, not a wizard. What's all this business about magic? _He was about to open his mouth when she spoke again.

"Using magic will enhance your fighting ability, giving you an advantage over opponents who do not use magic."

He snapped his mouth shut. _Alright then. _

"You will learn to use magic to transfigure ki into weapons and the like. You will also learn to use magic to hide yourself from magical sensors. These are the basics of what you must know. We will see how well you learn them, before we try to start you off on anything else."

Vegeta nodded. He was actually somewhat excited about this.

* * *

A/N: Hello. I hope you enjoyed that chapter. I'm so ecstatic to be getting such great reviews for this story. I do realize that Vegeta wasn't very helpful to the earthlings during the last chapter, but I hope he's making up for it now. Thank you all very very much, both for reading and for taking the time to tell me what you think. I really appreciate it!

Translations:

cherv` ~ (Russian) worm

nosorog ~ (Russian) rhinoceros

1-H: Planet Iro's days are composed of 30 hours, each hour labeled 1-H through 30-H with 1-H being dawn. Naming the hours "H" instead of "o'clock" was taken roughly from the French system, which goes from "1 heure" ("heure" being translated as "hour") to "24 heures." I don't know if I explained this before, but it's just a side-note really.


	23. Covert Affairs

Chapter 23- Covert Affairs

As it turned out, Vegeta's knack for picking up things easily did not really extend to things like making objects appear out of thin air.

"No!" Kurenai snapped, slapping a hand down on her heavy wooden throne. While she sat comfortably watching his progress and reading over various reports, Vegeta was sitting on the floor—which was now rippling red—struggling to learn to use magic. "You are making a blade out of Ki! Ki is not magic! The two are entirely separate energies. What is so difficult to understand?"

They had already been working two days and had established that Vegeta could in fact _not_ call on any magical energy. When he tried, all he came up with was Ki.

He extinguished the Ki blade. He thought the blade itself was rather cool. He would be sure to use it in his next big battle. Or maybe he'd save it as a surprise to use against Kakarott. The look on the younger saiyan's face when Vegeta lopped off half of his hair would definitely be worth the wait.

Vegeta smirked a bit, but one glance at Kurneai made his smirk drop away. Ki weapons were not what Kurenai was looking for. "I told you that I don't do magic!" He snapped at her. "If I don't have any magical energy, how can I use it?"

"You do have magical energy! I can feel it in you! And you've used it before. I don't understand what the problem is. When you did that fusion dance, what kind of energy did you use?"

"None! The dance worked on its own." He said. "It's the same with oozaru. You look at the moon, and that's it. There's no spell, no trick, no real effort. It's not like this shit, where I'm giving myself a migraine trying to turn the air into steel!"

Kurenai exhaled sharply. "Okay. Okay. Let's both calm down. I think I understand now."

He crossed his arms, making himself look positively petulant. "Oh really? Do tell."

"You've never called on your magical ability. Never in the raw. It was always triggered by something, so you never had to initiate it on your own."

"Didn't we clarify that days ago?"

"Just shut up, Vegeta. Close your eyes." She came over and sat on the ground in front of him. She raised both hands towards him, fingers spread.

"Clear your mind."

"Oh come on—"

"Shut up!" She snapped. "Clear it!"

He'd never really been good at mediation either. "What am I supposed to think of? Just blackness?"

She groaned, and quickly explained the principles of meditation. "Now shut up and do it!" She finished.

He tried to do as she said, and soon he heard a low chanting. He focused on the chanting, trying to distinguish the words. It was in a language he'd never heard before. The chanting changed tempo. Something bright and blue fluttered through his mind and with some surprise he felt himself being transported. It was as if he had awakened and found himself standing in his own mind.

Almost as if he were seeing it with his eyes, he searched for the blue, fluttering thing. Another blue thing fluttered by, but just like the first one, it disappeared somewhere. The chanting got faster, and another blue thing appeared. This one didn't disappear however; it seemed to circle him. Another appeared. Then another. Soon, he was surrounded by fluttering blue things. They circled him, spiraling up and down. He reached out a hand into the river of blue, but didn't feel anything. The blue seemed to part to avoid his hand. Something told him that he had to catch one. He had to catch one of the blue things. He reached out again, but again they all avoided him.

If only they would come to him.

To his surprise, the moment he thought it, several of the blue things dislodged from the streams of blue, converged towards him, but then thought better of it, and went back with the others.

Vegeta lowered his hand to his side.

_Come to me._ He thought. Again, several of the things came closer. They seemed to hesitate. _Come. _ The came closer, and more dislodged from the stream to converge on him. He held out both hands palms up. _Come to me. _The spirals seemed to converge in on him, and soon, he could feel it, brushing his skin lightly. _Come to me._

The blue streams enveloped him. He could feel it running through him. It felt familiar. His heart thud in his chest. This was what it felt like when he turned oozaru. This unleashed magic that was taking over. Except, it was Vegeta who was going to be in control of the magic.

_Control it._

_You are mine._

The magic continued to flow through him. He had to release it. It was too much pressure. It was almost like Ki. Almost like he wanted to shoot it away. He didn't know what to do.

A whisper seemed to echo through the darkness that surrounded him.

"_A blade."_

He repeated it. _A blade. _The blue parted, swirled around his arms before resting in his hands.

_A blade. _He repeated again. The blue turned into the shape of a sword. Vegeta imagined every detail of the sword. He imagined the hilt, the blade, the length, the weight. As he imagined it, the blue fluttering mass in his hand took on those qualities. And soon he was staring down at a sword.

"_Open your eyes."_

Vegeta obeyed, and to his amazement, he was staring down at the same sword.

* * *

"But daddy!" At Hercule Satan's beachside vacation resort a heated argument had been raging for over an hour. The end of the summer was fast approaching, but the season had nothing to do with the Champ's retreat to his summer home. His original home in Satan city had been destroyed.

"Now, sugarplum…"

"Don't you sugarplum me, daddy!" Videl said leaning forward with her hands on her hips. "You know that the Earth needs help. Even if it's against your instincts, you _have_ to do it!"

"Well, I'm sorry but I can't!" Hercule wailed. "I hardly know anything about them. For all we know, they could be just like those other guys. And if I start supporting an adhesion to some alien empire…and then that empire takes over and turns us all into slaves...I'll have failed everyone!"

Videl looked ready to slump to the floor and admit defeat.

Behind her, Goku, Gohan, and Piccolo stood silently, watching the exchange. It appeared as though Videl had run out of ammunition. Goku glanced nervously at his two companions. Piccolo scowled at the entire situation, and Gohan just shrugged to his father's inquiring look. With a small sigh, Goku stepped toward the arguing man and his daughter. "Don't you think you're being a little…" Goku tapped his two pointer fingers together in a nervous gesture. "_too_ cautious?"

Hercule's defensive growl-like shout was enough to make Goku stumble back with a small squawk. "I can _never_ be too cautious. I'm supposed to be their savior. They're depending on me to lead them in the right direction."

"But…if you don't lead them at all…" Goku cocked his head, letting the implication hang in the air.

Hercule was silent for a moment and then spun around, the tails of his smoking jacket flaring out slightly with the movement. A loud splash outside indicated that Goten and Buu had finished their ice creams and were now taking advantage of Hercule's large pool. Goku glanced out of the open French doors before turning his attention back to Hercule.

While the decision may have been obvious enough to the Z fighters and their families, for the rest of Earth's population, the four Tik ships that were still hovering over the Earth's atmosphere—still searching, and still destroying—were no different from the three ships that had landed several months before to rid the Earth of the first Tik invaders and spiriting away one of its greatest warriors. For all they knew—and indeed many conspiracy theorists believed—they were all one in the same.

Taking a few steps away from them, Hercule finally spoke. "I've already talked to King Furry. Months ago, remember. We tried."

"But you have to admit that the situation has changed. We don't have the technology left to defend ourselves. _We_ can't do anything either." Goku said, motioning back to Piccolo, Gohan, and Videl. "We're counting on you again. You helped us out last time. Surely you can do it again. Just trust us."

Hercule scowled at a random speck on the wall for a moment, apparently mulling everything over. "I don't know how much help I can be." He said honestly. "It was one thing to convince everyone in the world to raise their hands to the sky. It was just a simple gesture. But asking them to accept being ruled by someone they know nothing about…"

"Maybe if you convince King Furry to lift the ban on outside media." Piccolo said breaking into the conversation. "The truth of the situation is plain to see. If you let the people of Earth see with their own eyes what's actually happening out there, they would probably be more willing to join." He came over to stand beside Goku. "And as for your own reservations about the Krimzon Empire, you know enough about them to know that they are different from the Tik."

"That's right, daddy. Or did you forget that the woman you keep asking to dinner is a Commander in the Krimzon army?"

Hercule's face reddened slightly.

"Yeah." Gohan agreed. "And Shiro practically lives with us, and he wouldn't hurt a fly." He paused for a moment before adding thoughtfully. "He's scared of flies, actually."

"And Vegeta is right hand to the Empress." Videl exclaimed. "You know, he would never do anything to put the Earth in danger." Neither father nor daughter saw the other three Z fighters' shoulders tense, or the nervous glances they sent to each other at Videl's comment. "I'm sure if you had any questions, he would be able to answer them."

The other three's already-wide eyes bulged out, and they cringed at the mental image of Hercule having a phone chat with Vegeta.

"Ehh…" Goku started forward. "Actually."

Piccolo was two steps ahead of him however. "But he's often busy. If you have any questions that you can think of, we can relay them to him."

Gohan and Goku's tense shoulders dropped. Videl cast the two a curious look as Hercule turned away.

"Well…alright. I guess it couldn't hurt to ask him to lift the ban on the media." Hercule conceded. "But…how would anyone actually get…space cable?"

Goku grinned. "Don't you worry!" He said excitedly. "Leave that to us."

* * *

Vegeta was exhausted. He couldn't be sure, but he figured that he'd probably only slept 12 hours in the past five days. Even then, that may be a generous guess. While the crash course in being a spy had taken less than a day, his magical training had been a bit more complicated.

He had learned to harness his magic finally, although actually conjuring things was still touch and go. He had also learned to make himself invisible to magical sensors. That particular lesson had taken nearly two days. Given his progress, Kurenai had decided that learning to translocate would take too long for him. He would just have to learn at a later date.

And so with those two core competences under his belt, Vegeta was finally being released from Kurenai's schooling and sent off to prepare for his mission.

He wanted nothing more than to go to bed and sleep for an entire day. He probably would. He didn't care about Kurenai's disk, and she hadn't exactly given him a time-limit or anything. So as he stood awaiting dismissal, swaying slightly and fighting the urge to yawn, he did not, at first, comprehend what Kurenai was saying.

"Now. To get you ready."

He blinked and shook his head. "Huh?" It was slowly dawning on him that she was smirking evilly. As he became more aware of it, he could actually feel himself growing nervous. "Ready? But…I just finished training…what…" She was approaching him now. Something told Vegeta to get away from her, but before he could make a dash, he felt himself being enveloped by magic. His body tingled slightly and glowed. After a moment the glow died down.

He blinked. There was no pain. Nothing.

Someone giggled.

Blinking again, he turned curiously to see that it was Midori who was giggling. At him.

He stared in confusion at her for a moment and then cautiously looked down at himself…and gasped. "What have you done?" He shrieked, horrified to find that his voice was much higher than usual.

"I gave you a disguise." Kurenai answered with a smile. "I think you look quite nice as a woman."

All of his exhaustion was immediately forgotten, and he suddenly found himself in a towering rage. "Change me back _immediately_!" He could actually feel her floor bubbling beneath him. "This is…this is unacceptable! It's…probably even illegal!" She had to be kidding. No magical bimbo turned the Prince of all Saiyans into…into the Princess of all Saiyans. This was even worse than being turned into a piece of candy…though admittedly less daunting than the idea of sharing a body with Kakarott.

Oh, how he hated magic.

"No, it's not." Kurenai waved the concern away. "Here. Would you like a mirror?"

With a slight gesture of her hand, a full length mirror appeared.

Vegeta hesitated to look at it. To see the damage that Kurenai had done. As he stared at himself, he felt his face heat up. Midori was still sniggering behind him. "How will this help?" He grumbled, sneering at his now full chest and rounded hips. His hair was hanging limp, his eyes were wider, his lips fuller, his face more feminine. It was sickening. And impractical. "I'm a man, Kurenai. How do you expect me to be able to maneuver in this body? I can't dodge lasers like this!"

"Don't worry." Kurenai laced her hands behind her back and began circling him as if inspecting her work. "It's just an illusion. A very good one, too. No one will be able to tell that it's even there."

_An illusion? That means that this can't be permanent, right?_ He hoped. "So…I'm really still me?" He raised a hand to his chest to find that it was still hard muscle and not soft as it appeared. "Hm…how long will this last?"

"As long as is necessary." Kurenai answered. Then she smiled slyly. "Call it a disguise in case you get caught. Also, it's a little incentive to get this done quickly."

Vegeta scowled.

"I hear your son will be arriving on our planet soon." Kurenai continued, vanishing the mirror and taking a few steps away from him. "If you wish to avoid embarrassing questions, you should hurry up and do as I say. I doubt you'll be able to find a way to break that spell on your own before he gets here."

His eye twitched, and he locked his gaze with hers. _This will not go unpunished. As soon as I take care of Hui, I'm coming after you._ He promised. He knew that she'd heard his message, for as he spun and stomped out of her throne room, he could hear her laughing.

* * *

The radio was blaring old pop music. To Bulma, it made things seem a little less tense. Bulma knew that Videl didn't particularly appreciate the genre, but Shiro was intrigued, and Gohan apparently didn't know that the music he was listening to was over twenty years old.

The CD she was playing was one of her favorites from when she'd been young. It reminded her of the good times—of long road trips, and colorful characters, of warmth and bright sunshine. Even the memory of the Red Ribbon Army brought a fond smile to her face. It had been a time when her greatest concern had been finding the perfect boyfriend. How simple things had been back then.

When Yamcha and Goku had popped into the makeshift lab earlier, they had recognized the songs as the ones she'd played during their many childhood adventures. It had brought matching grins to the two men's faces, and even Videl was amused when they'd picked up a verse of one of their favorites and started singing loudly. And off-key as it happened, but it was still amusing.

Things had been far too serious lately.

Bulma had smiled as well, and suddenly the fact that her family had been cruelly torn apart, her home destroyed, and her planet endangered was far off. She had her friends at least. She would always have them. And everything would turn out alright. Somehow.

She hadn't noticed at first when Gohan and Videl suddenly grew tense. She'd been too engrossed in tinkering with her newest project. A small box that, when attached to a television on Earth, would pick up intergalactic television channels. If Hercule's meeting with King Furry went well, then these little dandies would be in high demand. Her head was bobbing slightly with the beat, and it was only when the door was flung open rather roughly that she looked up.

"You feel it?" Yamcha was standing in the doorway looking nervously at Gohan.

"Yeah." Gohan said. His face was serious. So was Videl's.

Bulma stood up. "What?" She thought she knew, but she couldn't be sure. "What is it?"

Yamcha turned his gaze to her, and she knew for sure. The man was afraid. Only one thing could have caused that. "The Tik." He said, confirming her suspicion. "They're landing."

* * *

From atop one of the uppermost spherical outgrowths of the city's many many skyscrapers, a lone figure perched. Although the person's position made it impossible for anyone to see him, if someone had happened to spot him, they would have seen a small, voluptuous woman with black hair. The person they would be looking at, however, would have been a man—a man who was very disgruntled with his current appearance, even if it was only an illusion.

Vegeta crouched low and stared down at the building next to the one he was currently standing on. It was the Galactic Police Headquarters—more often called the GPHQ. If Kuro was hiding anything, it would be in this building.

Unfortunately for Vegeta, it was one of the most secure buildings on the planet. He could see the guards patrolling the roof, and he was certain that there would be guards on every floor as well.

With his recent crash-course in stealth and such, he had brushed up on some of his computer hacking skills. Sure it wasn't exactly his area of expertise, but he had learned a few things during his lifetime when it served his purpose—purposes such as finding the coordinates of Earth and Namek, and opening the door to Frieza's private rooms without blasting through them. He'd needed to hack into Frieza's system to do that. And even living on Earth, he'd needed to learn how to override Bulma's fail-safes, and occasionally crack the code to the gravity room when she'd decided to "punish" him.

While the Galaxy Police's mainframe had been much more complicated than Bulma's, however, with a top-of-the-line computer that he had been able to conveniently access in the Krimzon Intelligence Agency—a building to which he had full access—he'd been able to get in and find blueprints of the building.

Far below the GPHQ was a basement vault where dangerous evidence was stored. Logically, the disk that Kurenai was looking for would be in there. All he needed to do was get into the basement, make a copy of the disk, and get back out. Of course, due to the high level of security, there were a few stops that he needed to make first.

Somewhat nonsensically, the easiest way to get to the basement was from the roof. Although flying in the city was illegal for security reasons—people breaking into government buildings from the roof, for example—Vegeta had made certain that he was not seen. And even if someone had seen him, they would have only seen the woman that he was masquerading as.

Vegeta checked to make sure that his small computer and all of his other gadgets were in his bag, and looked back to the GPHQ's roof. The roof ventilation shaft—his point of entry—was in plain view. He checked the bag again, searching out the screwdriver set that would allow him to silently remove the grate from the vent. It was there.

Now just to wait for the guard to set off to patrol the other side of the roof.

Good.

Vegeta leapt off the roof.

He landed in a crouch atop the roof of the GPHQ and darted toward the ventilation shaft. With a quick glance around to make sure that the guard hadn't come back yet, he pulled out the screwdriver and quickly removed the grate. There would be no room to turn around in the shaft, and unfortunately so as not to arouse alarm, he needed to fit the grate back into place. Therefore, he slipped feet-first into the shaft, and fitted the grate back into place, leaving the screws inside of the shaft for him to replace after he left.

He made it inside just in time. Through the slots in the grate, he could see the guard walk by, surveying the area, but none the wiser about what had happened. As the guard walked off, Vegeta quietly let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and began crawling backwards in the vent. It wasn't long until the vent curved downwards, and Vegeta was suddenly glad that he'd gone down feet first.

Slowly dropping downwards while maintaining his Ki at the lowest he could, he counted the times that the vertical shaft met with horizontal shafts. He knew that each level of horizontal shafts would run through the ceiling of each floor.

_Top floor…that's Kuro Kon's office. Second down…meeting and conference rooms...Third down…Chief of Investigations and secretaries' office…Fourth down is Interplanetary Accords and Cooperation…Fifth…Public Relations._ He paused the sixth time that the ventilation shaft branched out in four different directions. _And Sixth down…Chief of Evidence Department._

The Chief of the Evidence Department, a bulbous aquatic-type, by the name of Balhten In, as he'd discovered, was known for her random and spur of the moment inspections of the Evidence rooms—the most important of which, by the way, were located on the 8th subterranean level.

Balthen In believed in running a tight ship. An employee who allowed a piece of evidence to be contaminated lost his job. One who lost a piece of evidence would never find a job again.

It was because of her strict ethic that Kuro Kon had absolute faith in the woman. He would have undoubtedly entrusted the disk to her.

Vegeta looked at the four different shafts, and tried to recall the building blueprints that he had studied. If he remembered correctly, Balthen In's office would be…

_That way._

He started down the left shaft. As he passed by different vents, he glanced out to see the hallways and offices below him. The vents leading to the offices and hallways were tiny. He would have never fit through them. However, there was a way around that. As a fail-safe in case a small animal crawled into a vent and needed to be removed, in the custodial closet on each floor, there was a vent large enough for a man to fit through.

Finally, he reached the room he was looking for. The custodial closet.

There was even a conveniently located ladder and enough space for him to turn around. Looking out of the large grate into the dark closet, he could perceive no one there.

He slipped out of the shaft and closed the grate behind him, slipping silently across the darkened closet toward the door.

He quickly checked over the blueprints of the buildings again, and then double-checking his path, quietly opened the door a crack. His Ki sense told him that the security guard patrolling this floor was on the other end. Perfect.

An ordinary person would never have been able to make it to Balthen In's office before the security guard passed.

But Vegeta was no ordinary person. Slipping out of the room, he darted through the halls, too fast for any security camera to pick up. He finally stopped, out of sight of any camera, and just around the corner from the patrolling guard. The guard was coming toward him. Vegeta glanced around the corner quickly, taking note of the position of the guard and the vents on the ceiling.

He would have to time it right. Waiting a few more seconds for the guard to come further down the hall, Vegeta took a deep breath, and then rounded the corner.

Faster than the vast majority of beings in the universe could see, Vegeta sprinted toward the man, jumping straight over his head, touched down soundlessly behind him and sprinted around the corner. He glanced back around the corner to see that the guard had paused, glanced up at the vent above his head, before shrugging and continuing down the hall. Vegeta smirked.

He continued down the hall, easily avoiding being seen by the security cameras. At the end of the hall, he came to a glass door labeled "Chief of Evidence Office." Beside the door was a card reader. Vegeta glanced over his shoulder to make sure that the security guard hadn't turned back around, and then reached in his bag. After rummaging for a moment, he came out with a device hardly larger than a deck of cards. This, Agent E had taught him, was a card activated door opener or some such. The device would work on most high security doors except when a fingerprint or eyescan was required. Luckily for Vegeta, neither were needed for this door.

Vegeta quickly flipped the device open. The lid, the same shape as an average key card, he slid into the card reader. The device flared to life. Its screen flipped through numbers, and a small light blinked to indicate that the device was working. After a few seconds, a small click was heard. Vegeta quickly stowed the device back into his bag and pushed the door open, shutting it quietly behind himself a moment later.

Hardly taking a moment to glance around, he crossed the room toward Balthen In's office door. Balthen In's office door contained both a card reader and a fingerprint scanner.

Vegeta smiled and dug into his bag again. What he came out with was a small laser. Keeling down in front of the finger print scanner, he shone the laser onto the scanner. The light shut off once it had memorized the print. Vegeta quickly slipped the laser back into his bag and then moved to crouch behind a nearby desk as he sensed the security guard getting closer.

The security guard turned the corner and began moving away again. And Vegeta was again on the move.

* * *

It was nearing dusk, as the four figures sped through the sky toward the Tik ships. It wasn't an entirely unusual experience for them. The only thing that was different from how they usually flew toward alien threats was that this time they were riding Krimzon-issued hoverboards.

Goku and Yamcha took the lead, with Gohan and Videl behind them. If anyone had any doubts of Gohan's parentage, they wouldn't have then now. Goku and Gohan were sporting matching looks of fierce determination. Their eyebrows were drawn down, and their dark eyes burning. Yamcha looked slightly less confident, although he had squared his shoulders and was pushing on with the rest of them.

Videl couldn't decide whether she felt terrified or completely safe. She had never really gotten used to the whole invading alien thing, and she knew that she was only the newest recruit to the seasoned gang of special warriors. Even Gohan who was the same age as her had been doing this sort of thing for over ten years. While that may have been intimidating for some people, for Videl, it only made her more determined to prove to them that she could hang.

She had already earned her stripes so to speak, during the first landing. She had been present during the second as well. She knew that she had finally been accepted as one of their fighters. She'd known it when no one had questioned the fact that she was coming this time. No one except Goten, and then Goku had defended her saying that Videl was an adult and could take care of herself. Goten would just have to wait until he was a little older.

Gohan's slightly proud smile had been enough to drive the point home. She was no longer a tag-along.

Gohan. Perhaps that was why she felt so safe. Because Gohan was with her.

"Hey!" The shout drew the four warriors' attention, and they, slowed slightly to look toward the source of the shout.

"Hey, it's Krillin!" Gohan called with a smile. The fierce look was gone for a moment, and Videl couldn't help but smile with him.

They slowed a little more to allow their old friend and his wife to catch up.

"Hey Krillin!" Goku greeted. "Hey 18."

"Hey guys!" Krillin said as the two met up with them and they picked up speed again. "Pretty crappy timing, right?" Krillin joked, though even he couldn't seem to be entirely light-hearted.

"You know it." Goku said lightly. "But, it was bound to happen eventually. I'm just surprised that it took this long."

Krillin laughed, and the six fell into silence once again as they sped toward their newest battle.

* * *

Vegeta manually closed the elevator doors behind himself and looked down into the dark shaft. The elevator went straight down to the first floor. He would have to get out on the first floor and go down a service hall to reach the elevators that led to the basement.

The elevator shaft was crisscrossed with lasers, some still, some moving.

Vegeta smirked and dropped down the shaft, nimbly slipping by lasers.

A small click, barely audible and wholly a surprise, alerted him to the fact that a laser beam had flickered almost exactly even with his waist. With a small gasp, he bent his back awkwardly, flung and arm out, out of instinct, kicked his leg upward to avoid the sweeping laser below him, and froze in that very odd position. He was momentarily grateful that there were no video cameras in the elevator shaft, because he was forced to hold that position for nearly a minute.

Sweat began forming on his brow as the odd contortion started to cause an ache in his lower back. He ached to unbend, but there was a laser just about a centimeter above his nose, one sweeping below his feet, and several around his arms.

A small click sounded again, and he slowly glanced out of the corner of his eye to see that the laser at his waist had shut off. With a small sigh of relief, he continued his descent through the elevator shaft. He reached the ground floor with no further complications, and feeling for the Ki of the security guards, determined that the coast was clear. He quickly pried open the elevator doors and slipped through them, pushing them closed again.

If he remembered correctly, the service hall was the small, nondescript door to the right. The large open lobby of the GPHQ appeared to be empty. Still the openness of it made him feel nervous. He quickly darted toward the service door, pulling out the code-breaker as he ran. He slipped the card-side in and the moment it clicked he slipped through.

He realized his mistake a moment too late, as he saw the back of the security guard, only a few meters away from him.

Vegeta's eyes widened, as the guard began turning toward him. He had surely heard the click. Vegeta's eyes darted around nervously. There was nothing—nothing!—to hide behind. His only option was…

He took a deep breath and then moving faster than should have been possible, again ran straight toward the guard, leaping over his head. Only this time, he didn't drop down on the other side.

Bracing both hands and feet on the walls on either side of the hall, Vegeta pressed himself into the ceiling directly over the head of the security guard. The guard looked down the hall in both directions.

Vegeta felt sweat begin to bead on his forehead and neck as the guard looked suspiciously around the hall. A bead of sweat trickled down his temple. The thought that it might drop down onto the man only made him sweat more.

The guard's head rose slightly, and Vegeta stiffened.

_Shit!_

But then he only cocked his head and began walking back toward the door through which Vegeta had come.

As he moved away, Vegeta quickly located the finger print copier in his bag and pulled it out.

Letting out the breath he'd been holding, Vegeta silently dropped onto the floor again and darted toward the door at the end of the hall, flashing the laser at the fingerprint reader.

In a fluke of perfect timing, the lock clicked open the second that the security guard turned the handle of the other door. Vegeta silently slipped through the door and shut it behind himself, breathing deep sigh of relief as he realized that he was standing directly in front of the elevator that would take him into the basement.

He would have to be more careful in keeping track of the security guards' Kis, he decided as he pried open the elevator doors and slipped in. After closing them behind himself, he slipped down the shaft, pulled himself through the emergency trap door on the elevator, and then opened the doors to the 8th subterranean level of the GPHQ.

He smirked as he darted into the brightly lit room into one of the corners that he knew would not be visible by the surveillance cameras. The room was lined with different safes. They were all quite standard—gray, large, the same grade of lock. However, one in particular stood out to him—on the furthest wall, separated by its own row of lasers.

Vegeta cocked his head and studied it. A security camera was trained directly on the door. He looked into his bag and dug around for a few seconds until he finally came out with the tool that Agent E had given him for just such an occasion.

The tool, a small box that clamped onto the outgoing wire of a security camera, froze the image for 15 minutes. And 15 minutes was all he would need.

Vegeta floated up to the security camera in question and then attached the small box. An image appeared on the box's screen, showing him the image that would be projected. As a test, Vegeta made a rude gesture in front of the camera. It didn't show on the screen.

With a smirk, he moved to the safe. Another handy tool—again a gift of Agent E—was a stethoscope looking object. Vegeta quickly put the ear-buds in his ear and began twisting the dial of the safe.

Click. _There…_

He turned the other way, slowly. Click.

_And two…_

Click.

_Three._

Click.

_One to go._

Click.

_And now the finisher._ He flashed the finger print laser at the reader. The safe door sprung open.

He smirked again as he opened it just enough to fit through, being careful not to let the door hit any lasers. Lowering himself onto his stomach, he crawled under the beams and into the safe, only standing once he was all the way inside.

And there was the disk sitting neatly on a table in the corner as if it were placed there specifically for him to find. With a cocky smirk, Vegeta strode across the safe and pulled out his small computer, flipping it open on the table. Pulling the mystery disk out of its case, he placed it into his computer.

Copying the information on the disk was much easier than infiltrating the building had been. There were only three passcodes on the disk, and the program that Agent E had given Vegeta during his training took care of those quickly. After quickly copying all of the information to an empty disk, Vegeta placed the disk back on the table, and slipped his computer back into his bag. Checking to make sure that he'd left everything as it had been when he'd come, he made his way out of the safe.

He only stopped briefly to grab the image projector off of the security camera as he darted back to the elevator—one step closer to having this whole thing done with.

With any luck, he would have this blasted spell off of him in a few hours.

Although he itched to leave a gloating message on the wall…sort of a "Hey look, Kuro Kon. I just broke into your most secure safe without breaking a sweat. How does that feel?" message…he forced himself to not do it. Kurenai would certainly be displeased if he did, and in any case to do so would betray the fact that Kurenai distrusted Kuro.

And so, resisting the urge to at least scratch a "V" into some inconspicuous place, he made his way back into the night. It was nearing dawn. People would soon be venturing out into the city. Kurenai was probably on her way to her office already. He couldn't wait to see the look on her face when he brought this to her.

* * *

The six earth warriors were approaching their final destination. The two ships that had landed had touched down near a forest this time. They could see them in the distance. There was no question of actually approaching the ships. To do so would have been foolhardy.

"Hey! Piccolo's down there!" Gohan yelled to the others indicating a spot in the forest beneath them. The six warriors dove down through the tree cover.

Piccolo was leaning against a tree with his arms crossed. He looked up at them as they dropped down to the ground. On a large fallen tree nearby, Android 17 sat looking no more concerned than if he had been waiting in line at the bank.

"Nice spot." Goku said, appraising the location. The tree cover above would provide a safe hiding place from anyone who happened to be flying overhead. The waning light combined with the dense foliage would give them the cover of darkness. The trees around them were large, and could easily support their weight if they chose to climb them. One of the large trees had fallen. Its large circumference provided a five foot tall wall that could protect them from any approaching Tik soldiers. A small ravine on the other side of the fallen tree would halt enemy advance—or at least delay them.

A roar overhead alerted them to the arrival of the remnants of the Earth's air forces.

A moment later, there was a ripple in the air around them. The Z fighters were not surprised when they heard matching explosions as the disabled planes impacted with the ground.

"Didn't they learn last time?" Gohan commented. Although it was too dark to make out his expression, his hushed voice sounded frustrated.

Videl knew what he meant. The Tik could somehow disable Earth's weaponry within a certain radius of their ships. They had discovered that the last time the Tik had landed on Earth.

"18, shouldn't you be…? 18?" The panicked note in Krillin's last word drew the attention of the majority of the Z fighters. Krillin was staring up at his wife, a worried expression on his face. 18 was standing still. Her eyes were staring forward unseeing.

"Hey, man." Videl heard Yamcha say somewhere behind her. She glanced over her shoulder to see Yamcha waving his hand in front of an equally immobile 17's face. "You out of it or what?"

She turned back to Krillin and 18. Worry was curling in her stomach. The look on Krillin's face as realization dawned on him was enough to make Videl's heart clench.

Krillin grabbed 18's waist and shook her. She crumpled to the ground unresponsive. "18!" He said in alarm. Instantly someone was at his side.

"What's wrong?" It was Gohan, Videl realized.

"I don't know…she…" Krillin touched her cheek and turned her face to stare into her vacant eyes. "She…shut off."

Videl looked between 18 and 17, and the cold reality sank in. She didn't know much about the two mysterious androids except that that's what they were—or cyborgs to be more accurate. Either way, as Gohan had explained to her, the two had been given mechanical enhancements by an evil scientist and had been tasked with the mission of killing Gohan's father. It was because they used these mechanics rather than Ki that the two were able to fight when no one else could.

The two, once villains, had been turned into the Earth's greatest home-grown chance of survival.

But now, even they were gone. The androids had been deactivated.

* * *

Vegeta, in his female form, stormed into Kurenai's observation room. Several Krimzon officers had attempted to stop the feiry "woman" as he made his way through the halls of Kurenai's palace to her throne room. He had promptly thrown the first few through a wall. Then Midori had appeared and offered to escort him. He hadn't been bothered after that.

"Here." He slapped the disk down on Kurenai's table. "I got it. Now change me back to normal."

As the feeble morning light began filtering in through the windows, Vegeta stood back, smirking viciously at her expression. Kurenai stared at the disk, looking completely astonished that he'd gotten it so fast. She quickly shook the expression from her face however. "Were you seen?"

"No."

"Did you leave anything behind?"

"No."

"Did you remember to lock the doors back behind yourself?"

"Yes."

"Did you—"

He cut her off. "No fingerprints." He raised his gloved hands.

She blinked. "Well you're cleverer than I thought." She smiled devilishly. "Maybe even clever enough to get that spell off you yourself."

His eyes widened in panic. "You wouldn't. I ca—" Trunks was so close now that he could actually feel his Ki. If his calculations were correct, he would land by nightfall. There was no way that he would be able to face his son looking like this.

She shushed him. "Were I you, I would listen very carefully right now to what I'm about to say. I will tell you how to break the spell, but you will have to do it yourself. I'll only explain it once."

Vegeta was positively boiling inside. Oh yes, Kurenai had another thing coming if she thought he was going to take this laying down. Even the ground beneath his feet seemed to turn red and bubble like lava. Yet he kept his mouth shut and listened carefully to what Kurenai was saying.

* * *

AN: I hope you enjoyed that. In response to a question that was asked a few weeks back, I usually try to update every one or two weeks.

And also, just to clarify the situation on Earth, due to the Meiyochi (which is still in effect), the majority of the Z fighters have a power level of a moderately strong human…that is to say around 50 if you're going by the old scouter measurements. The Androids are nowhere near as powerful as Vegeta was during the Buu Saga, and Vegeta only beat back the beam shot from the Tik ship on planet Oso after he'd turned SSJ3. Even though these blasts are much smaller than the ones Vegeta had to deal with, the Androids aren't deflecting the beams back into space, because they can't.

Finally, I'm so glad to be getting so many good reviews for this story. It's good to hear that you're all enjoying it! Thanks again! Your input is always appreciated!


	24. The Black Jungle

Chapter 24- The Black Jungle

"I don't understand!" Gohan yelled. Like most of the others around him, his wide eyes were fixed on the still forms of the androids—their last hope, both lying deactivated on the ground. "They were fine last time!"

No one knew quite what had happened or why. One moment, the androids had been fine, the next they had gone still. The Z fighters' silence echoed in the surrounding trees. No animals squeaked or chirruped. No wind blew. The light from the moon was blocked out by the cover of leaves above them.

Finally, as if a realization had just hit him, Piccolo spoke. "Neither of them was near the ships last time. Not when the radar was on at least." In the nearly black forest, Gohan couldn't see his face. He guessed though that Piccolo's expression was just as shocked as his own.

"I heard something!" The shout was distant, but it was not from any of the Z fighters.

As one, the Earth's special forces froze, turned toward the source of the shout, and then ducked down. Goku grabbed Android 17 and pulled him closer. They were just in time, for the instant they had reached relative shelter behind the fallen tree that they were using as a hiding place, a laser beam shot above their heads. For the brief moment that the beam traveled toward its target, the entire area was cast in an eerie red glow. For that moment, the Z fighters could see everything around them. And so could the Tik. Fortunately, the Earth's defendants had been cast in the shadow of the large fallen log.

The beam smashed into a tree, blasting a large chunk out of it.

A frightened squirrel squeaked and ran away.

"We have to get them out of here!" Piccolo said lowly as several leaves, dislodged by the impact, fluttered down lazily around them.

"Yeah, I agree." Krillin said, clutching 18's still form to himself tensely. He looked ready to dodge again if he needed to. "It's not safe here for them."

"That, and if the Tik find out that our last high-powered defendants have been knocked out by their ships' radar, they will know exactly how to defeat them. It's possible that they were only deactivated due to their proximity to the ships. If they stay away from the ships, the Androids may be able to continue fighting."

"And if we destroy the ships, then we won't have to worry at all." Yamcha added.

Piccolo nodded distractedly. "But those ships are made of tough material. It's not likely that we'll be able to destroy them.

Krillin pulled out his hoverboard and lifted 18 into his arms. Stepping on the board, he turned to the others. "I'll be back as soon as I can." He said and then glanced toward 17. "Someone should take him too."

Another shot went over his head. It was perhaps one of the only times that Krillin was grateful for being short. If he had been taller, it would have likely taken his head off. He cringed and dropped back down behind the fallen tree, pulling 18 with him. The woman hung limply in his arms, still completely unresponsive.

"I know I heard something this time." The same voice said again attracting the attention of the Z fighters. They pressed themselves closer to fallen tree and strained their ears to hear the approaching footsteps. Their Ki senses told them that there were three of them, that the Tik were all at least twice as powerful as they were, and that they were approaching quickly.

"It's just some wild animal, you idiot!" Another voice shouted. "Where are we even headed?"

"We have to scout the area. The commander expects that they'll send an army again."

"In a forest?" The sound of something being kicked reached their ears.

As the Z fighters stayed tensely crouched behind their shelter, no one noticed that Goku began digging a small hole in the ground. It was only when he had reached wet dirt and began rubbing it on his face and black clothing that he gained the attention of the others.

Piccolo locked eyes with him _"Son Goku, what are you doing?"_ Piccolo asked telepathically. If he'd had an eyebrow, it would have certainly been raised.

"_I'm going to try to get behind them."_ He responded. When Piccolo showed no sign of comprehension, Goku just shrugged. "Camouflage." He whispered with a small smirk, and then patting Gohan's shoulder, began moving away from the log.

The others watched him as he ran, crouched down and silent. Even Piccolo's hearing could not pick up on the Saiyan's movements. Piccolo fleetingly wondered if Goku knew how to do that because of those infamous saiyan instincts that Vegeta was always on about. He then brushed the thought away.

Some distance away, Goku had reached a tall tree and ducked behind it. Piccolo could hardly see him, but he knew he was there. Goku briefly looked out in the direction of the three Tik soldiers and then, in a few swift movements, leapt upward and disappeared into the darkness.

"Gohan, can you do that?" Piccolo asked.

"Uhh…Probably." Came the whispered response.

"Probably's not good enough, kid." Piccolo said. "Can you do it?"

Piccolo heard him shift. "Yeah." The reply was still uncertain, but Piccolo supposed that was the best he could hope for.

"Good." Piccolo said. "Get around to the other side of them. Don't use your hoverboard unless you have to. It makes noise. The rest of us will stay here and protect the androids."

Gohan nodded, and rubbing a bit of mud on his face and clothes as well, disappeared into the darkness.

A few seconds later, Piccolo heard a slight rustle from a tree in the direction in which Gohan had gone. He tensed. The boy was not quite as stealthy as his father, and it nearly cost him. One of the Tik soldiers, hearing the rustle, fired a shot.

Piccolo knew instantly that the shot had missed. Gohan's Ki remained steady. It had still made him nervous though.

Apparently it had made Goku nervous as well, for a moment later, a shot was fired from somewhere in the trees behind the Tik soldiers. The aim was perfect, and dropped one of the soldiers where he stood.

The two remaining Tik spun, firing in the direction from which the shot had originated. Another shot was fired from the trees to their right. The targeted soldier dodged, but only barely.

"Now." Piccolo said pulling himself up and taking aim atop the fallen tree. He saw Videl, Yamcha, and Krillin do the same. The four fired.

"We're surrounded! We—agh!" A second soldier fell.

The third spun wildly, firing in every direction. One of his shots hit the fallen tree.

A moment later, he was taken down.

As Piccolo felt the last Tik soldier's life draining from him, he turned to Krillin.  
"Alright. Take them and go."

Goku and Gohan nimbly dropped down from the trees. Piccolo noted with some small relief that, though they were both covered in mud, neither of them were injured. After checking the two fallen bodies, the father and son joined them.

"What now?" Gohan asked.

"Krillin and one other person will take the Androids to Bulma. The rest of you can do what you want." His sharp teeth gleamed in the darkness. "I'm going to stay and try to take down a few more."

"Me too." Goku declared.

"I guess I'll stay." Gohan said, looking at his dad.

"I'll stay too." Videl said.

They all turned to Yamcha. "Well…I guess, I'm carrying 17 then."

* * *

Trunks awoke to the sight of the ground hurtling up toward him. It was not a pleasant awakening by any account. His eyes were heavy, and his head felt foggy—probably due to the drug induced hypersleep, but he didn't know that.

However, all traces of grogginess suddenly fled him as he realized that he was going to crash. He looked over the control panel and noted with horror that he had no idea what any of the buttons were for. "How do I stop this thing?" Frantically, he started hitting buttons. If he hadn't been so panicked, he may have remembered that he was a super saiyan and that hitting the ground at the speed at which he was currently traveling would likely not kill him. However his confusion and shock overrode all clear thinking.

A female voice came over the speakers. "_Landing sequence initiated, not able to override."_

"What?"

The ground was closer now. He would hit it in only a few seconds. He shut his eyes tightly, powering up and bracing his hands against the sides of the capsule. To his surprise, the capsule hit something soft and then slowly settled into place.

The door opened a second later, and he stumbled out, shaking, onto a pale purple, springy floor. He wondered at the fact that he was alive. He bent over, breathing heavily. His adrenaline suddenly faded. Suddenly, a hand rested on his shoulder, gently pushing him up to stand straight.

Trunks looked up…into the curious face of his father.

"Dad!" He said excitedly, the experience of "landing" suddenly forgotten. It was almost dreamlike. There was his father, standing before him dressed in his sharp black uniform. He was so strong, so proud. Everything that Trunks remembered. Trunks had almost forgotten just how much he'd missed him.

"Yes." Vegeta cocked an eyebrow. "Are you alright?"

"Dad!" Trunks exclaimed again. He knew that he was grinning. He was more excited than he realized at the fact that he was seeing his father again, but then he remembered his reason for being there in the first place. For him, Earth had only been yesterday. His excitement suddenly faded, and he hung his head. "I…I'm sorry about…uhh…"

"Sending you here wasn't a punishment, Trunks." Vegeta said, causing Trunks to raise his head to look at him. "Your mother and I just wanted to keep you safe, and since you were apparently making no effort to stay out of trouble," He narrowed his eyes, and Trunks blanched. "we made it so that you _couldn't_ get into trouble."

Trunks nodded, suddenly ashamed of his actions on Earth. He'd only wanted to end the fighting on Earth. His instincts drove him to act, to do something to protect his mother and to bring his father home. He hadn't considered that his actions may cause hardship for both of them.

"Well, did you bring clothes?"

"Uhh…" Trunks was caught off guard by the question, but then raised his hand to his pocket, feeling the capsules with his belongings there. "Yeah."

Vegeta nodded, passing his son and sticking his head into the space pod he'd arrived in. Apparently satisfying himself that Trunks hadn't forgotten anything inside, he shut the pod and encapsulated it. The sudden pop earned the pair odd looks from other people on the landing strip, but after a few seconds, everyone continued on with their business.

"Come on." Vegeta said guiding his son away. "This is a busy area. It's best not to linger."

Trunks hurried to catch up with him.

"Are you hungry?" Vegeta asked. He already knew the answer. Years of traveling in space pods had taught him that upon awakening, one was always famished. Sure enough, Trunks' stomach, grumbling loudly, answered his question. Vegeta chuckled. "There's a good restaurant near my flat. The food isn't much like Earth's but it's popular here."

"Could we just get a pizza?"

"Pizza is an earth-food. They don't have that here."

"What? What about Chinese?"

"Chinese food comes from China…which is also on Earth. Before you ask, no there are no hamburgers, but there are things that come close."

Trunks looked horrified. "What on Earth do you eat here, dad?"

"Don't worry. I told you the food's good. You're just going to have to try it though."

Vegeta led him down some stairs, through a turnstile, and onto another platform where a large number of people were waiting. "Here." Vegeta handed him a card. "I got you a temporary tube pass. Once you get your student ID that will get you on the trains, but for now, this will do." A few seconds after they arrived, a sleek black train pulled to a stop at the platform. The two shoved themselves into the crowded train, filled with aliens of species that Trunks had never seen before. There were large ones, purple ones with horns, red ones, small, green ones that looked like frogs, furry ones, ones with cat-ears, and even some that looked like roaches.

Trunks had never seen so many different people in his life.

"You see those people there?" Trunks realized that his father was speaking in Saiyago.

"Which ones?" He responded in the same language.

"In the black uniforms."

Trunks looked over to see a group of young aliens. The ones that Trunks assumed to be male, were all wearing black slacks, white collared shirts with black uniform jackets and ties. The uniform looked surprisingly similar to the ones earth students wore, except these people wore cloaks as well. The girls had similar uniforms except that instead of slacks, they wore read and black plaid skirts. Several girls also had red beret-like hats on. Trunks locked eyes with a girl who resembled a large cat. She giggled and looked away. He found himself blushing for some reason.

"They are from the school you will be attending." Vegeta told him with an amused look in his eyes. "Which reminds me. We need to get you fitted for a uniform."

"Oh." Trunks, somewhat flustered at the idea of going to a new school. "When…when am I starting?"

"Tomorrow." Vegeta informed him. "You're in luck though. Tomorrow is their equivalent of a Friday. You'll go to school one day and then have two days off."

Trunks nodded. That sounded ok, he guessed.

The train slowed to a stop and Vegeta led Trunks out. The train sped away with the school children still on it.

"We need to connect here." Vegeta explained leading him through the crowds of aliens to another platform. Trunks just nodded. He was somewhat overwhelmed by this new place. It was so similar to Earth, and yet so different. "You'll have to get used to taking public transportation. It's illegal to fly here."

"Illegal?" Trunks repeated the word.

Vegeta, thinking that Trunks didn't recognize the Saiyago explained. "Against the law."

"No no. I know the word. It's just…why is it illegal to fly? I thought that y'know, with everyone being so different they would be understanding of that."

"Many of the races here are capable of flight." Vegeta said, "But It's been known to disrupt air traffic when people are up in the sky. Also, they had a problem with robberies and peeping toms a while back and so decided to just outlaw it altogether in cities. You can board in the sky though. You just have to have a permit."

"Oh."

The train arrived and Vegeta and Trunks squeezed on again. This one was even more crowded than the last. "You really picked a busy time to land." Vegeta informed him. "It's 15-H so everyone's just getting off work and out of school."

"15…H?"

"The day here is 30 hours long, though the hours are shorter, and so it only ends up being slightly longer than an Earth day. It starts at 1-H. That's around the time that the sun rises. Work and school usually start at 2-H. Lunch time is generally around 7-H, but it depends on your schedule. Work usually lets out at 15-H. Nightfall is about 20-H."

"Ohh…" It would take him forever to remember all that.

Suddenly, Trunks felt the train go up an incline, and a moment later, they seemed to burst out into the middle of a city. Trunks gasped in awe at the sight of it. Buildings, sleek and dark towered up in the sky. Spheres seemed to float up off of the tall buildings like leaves growing from trees.

The sky itself was orange.

"You see over there?" Trunks' gaze followed his father's finger to see the impressive, towering structure that seemed to loom over the rest of the city. "That's the Imperial Palace."

Everything was so overwhelming. Trunks had never been on a different planet. As his father started pointing out other places in the city, Trunks sank into his own thoughts. A new planet meant new rules, new food apparently, a new school, a new system of time. Would Trunks be expected to act a certain way? Would he not understand local customs and make a huge, embarrassing mistake? Was this what his father felt like every time he was presented with one of Earth's eccentricities? Trunks was suddenly terrified to realize that he didn't even know if people here spoke his language? What was the current language here? How would he ever make friends in school if he couldn't talk to them? Did he even want to make friends? He was just staying for a while after all. How long was he staying? His mom hadn't said. How was his mother? How long had he been traveling in space? Was everyone even ok back on Earth?

Trunks stared out the window as the buildings blurred past. He realized that he was scared.

* * *

Climbing trees was much easier barefoot, but in the event that he needed to run, having his shoes flung over his shoulder might be a hindrance. Goku would just have to deal with that, he reckoned, as he crouched low on a branch. The area was nearly black, and he knew that the others had been having trouble seeing.

Fortunately many of the Tik soldiers were having the same problem.

But not all.

Goku ducked close to a patch of leaves as a bird-like Tik soldier swooped over him again. The soldier knew that he was there. He just didn't know exactly where.

A light wind blew, rustling the leaves around him and breaking the absolute silence of the forest. The animals had somehow sensed the danger, and had all gone into hiding. Aside from the occasional blast and the wind, the forest was silent. Still.

Goku moved slowly. His toes instinctively wrapped around a small stump on the branch. He'd spent half of his childhood up trees. It had been immensely easier to climb and swing about when he'd had his tail, but even without it, he was still agile enough to move undetected.

The bird-man swooped down again, lower this time. He was homing in on him. Goku's narrowed eyes stayed glued to the shadow of the bird-man as he circled. It was only when he'd disappeared that Goku dared move again.

He wondered briefly how Gohan and the others were doing. His Ki senses told him that they were staying relatively close together. A small bit of pride welled within him. Gohan would do fine. Though he was admittedly not as stealthy as Goku, Gohan was still managing to make his way through the forest causing only minimal noise.

Goku had heard a brief skirmish a while ago, some small distance to the north. The Tik soldiers—two of them—had lost it.

Goku slowly lowered himself to sit on the large branch and then just as slowly lay down on his back atop it. Had anyone seen him—they wouldn't have; he was perfectly camouflaged, complete with leaves in his hair—they may have thought him relaxed.

Breathing evenly, he brought his weapon up onto his stomach and then slowly moved it until it was aiming directly at the gap in the leaves. Every few seconds the soldier would fly past it, giving Goku a clear shot at him.

Goku sensed the flying Tik coming back again.

He fired. The startled squalk was enough to let him know that his shot had hit its target. A moment later, the Tik soldier's Ki plummeted to nearly non-existent. He wouldn't survive much longer.

Goku wasted no time, springing to his feet and leaping gracefully to a nearby branch.

He heard a shout. "Over there!"

He was grace personified. His toes momentarily touched one branch before he sprung to another. He ran through the canopy, leaping silently, almost like a dancer.

He knew that his shot had given his position away, but it didn't matter much. The nearest living Tik soldiers—one of which had just shouted—were barely three times his power level. Goku could take them down if he could get them to separate.

Left foot, right, left, together, slide on the wet moss. It was as if he'd done this a million times before. Leap, grab a branch, swing. His eyes roved over the dark ground below. Nothing was moving. Behind him, he could hear the two Tik soldiers crashing through the undergrowth in hot pursuit.

Left. Stop.

Vegeta may be offended, but at the moment, Goku thought that maybe Saiyans were deserving of the appellation "monkeys."

Again he crouched down against the trunk of the tree on which he stood, turned and looked back toward the Tik soldiers. They were fast approaching.

Goku looked back ahead of him. There was a small ravine with a stream running through it.

He scanned the trees around for a good branch to jump to. Unfortunately, the trees nearest the river were hardly more than saplings. He narrowed his eyes.

_ Come on. There must be one._

The sound of a Tik gun being fired coincided with the sudden red flash that lit up the forest. Goku whipped around.

He knew that he'd been spotted, but hardly a second later, he realized that that was the least of his worries.

The Tik soldier hadn't been aiming for Goku. He'd been aiming at the branch he was sitting on. And his aim was perfect.

The blast completely severed the branch from the tree. Goku tried to withhold a surprised yelp, but he wasn't entirely successful. His hands reached out for something to stop his fall, but aside from small twigs—which immediately snapped—he came up with nothing.

He had just enough time to put his feet beneath him before he hit the sloped ground beneath him. He rolled over his shoulder, and before he realized where he was headed, he splashed into the stream. Luckily, it only reached up to mid-thigh. Goku's feet sank ankle-deep in mud as he stumbled toward the opposite edge of the stream.

"He's there!" A shot whizzed by his head, and in his haste to dodge, Goku felt his foot catch on a rock. He stumbled again, and felt his hand meet the mud of the opposite bank.

As he scurried out of the stream, the ground exploded around him. His toes were digging into the mud to give him traction. He reached for his gun, only to realize that he'd dropped it at some point.

His heart was pounding in his ears, and he rolled out of instinct, just in time to avoid taking a shot through the shoulder.

He landed on his feet in a crouch and looked back toward the two Tik soldiers on the opposite bank—or rather the one Tik soldier—hardly even a shadow in the darkened area.

Goku blinked.

_ Where's the other one?_

That was when he felt it. He spun, dodging another shot from behind, and without waiting a moment charged toward the source of the shot.

"What the—augh!" The Tik soldier cut himself off with a gasp as Goku's foot connected with his hand and sent his weapon flying.

Goku didn't waste a moment, dropping down, knocking the soldier's feet out from beneath him, and shoving him into the forest behind him. He had to dispatch this one quickly if he was to have a chance.

The Tik soldier lost his balance, and Goku brought his knee into his sternum.

The other man couched and tried to regain his footing. He swung at Goku. Goku blocked, and felt his wrist snap as the powerful hit connected.

"Yow! Ow! Ow! Ow!" Goku clutched his injured wrist in surprise and dodged the next few hits from the Tik soldier. He cursed himself for having forgotten just how weak he was. As much as the effects of the Meiyochi constantly plagued his mind, he was still having trouble remembering that as weak as these soldiers were, their hits could still do quite a bit of damage to him.

Goku backed up, waiting for an opening. He could feel the second Tik soldier getting closer to them.

The Tik soldier brought his arm back readying himself for a knockout punch.

_There._

Flipping onto his hands, he drove both feet into the Tik soldier's neck. He could feel the soldier's windpipe collapse beneath for force of the kick. The soldier wouldn't survive it.

Goku flipped to his feet, and ran toward the man's discarded weapon. He reached it just as the second Tik soldier reached the clearing.

"What the—?" The soldier's eyes locked onto Goku and fired. Goku dodged, but felt a searing heat along his temple. The force of the blow caused him to fall over, and he collapsed on his back, stunned. Something hot and wet began dripping down his face.

The Tik soldier stared at him for a moment, before huffing and heading toward his fallen comrade.

"Kani to base. This is Private Kani. I've taken down one of the rebels. Quin is dead. The Earthling killed him before I could get there."

_He thinks I'm dead._ Goku thought. His vision blurred, and everything around him swayed. His head was growing lighter, and for a moment he felt himself grow nauseous. He recognized the feeling. He was losing blood, fast. He needed to do something.

He kept his eyes locked onto the Tik soldier.

The soldier glanced over at him. Goku tensed, but a moment later the soldier looked away again, and glanced back toward the dead soldier.

"Alright. I'm out."

Goku's hand tightened imperceptibly on the Tik soldier's weapon.

To his surprise, the soldier crouched down beside his dead partner.

Goku's eyes widened. He knew that this was his only chance. He raised the Tik soldier's weapon and took aim. His vision was swimming. He could hear his pulse throbbing. His arm felt like it was made of lead, but he had to do this. He couldn't seem to lock on to the soldier. His hand was shaking and his vision blurred even more with the strain. He didn't have time to hope for a perfect shot.

He fired. Once. Twice. Then a third time, just to be sure.

The Tik soldier yelled in surprise, but a second later, he collapsed and fell silent.

Goku listened for any sound of movement. He could hear nothing.

Exhausted, he dropped the gun to the ground and closed his eyes.

* * *

"This is our stop." His father's statement broke him out of his thoughts.

He quickly followed his father out of the train and found himself standing on dark, gray cobblestones in a narrow street, surrounded by the tall black, orb-adorned buildings. The train disappeared between two close buildings. Trunks was amazed by the architecture. He walked a bit and realized that he was not standing on the ground. Rather, they were on a platform that crossed over another area. There was a brick stairway that led upwards, crossed over the train tracks and disappeared around another building.

It looked like a labyrinth. How would he ever find his way around?

"This is stop 84. These seven buildings are called the Septagon. We're in building 5. This one." He pointed to one to the left. "Just remember that. This stop is the closest one to my flat. Which is…" Vegeta looked upwards. "Up there."

"You live up there?" Trunks gazed up in awe at the jumble of orbs.

"Yeah. It's got a nice enough view." Vegeta started walking, and Trunks hurried to keep up with him. "There are several ways to get into the building. Most people would just use the main entrance." Vegeta indicated a large roman-arched door. "We'll be going in the underground entrance."

"Underground?"

Vegeta looked at him oddly. "You weren't listening in the train, were you?"

"I uhh…" Trunks blushed. He'd just been sent away from his mother because he kept disobeying her. This wasn't a good way to start out with his father.

Vegeta shook his head. "Being on a new planet is…overwhelming. I understand. Ok I'll explain it again, but listen this time." Vegeta stopped at the platform of the staircase, and Trunks found himself absolutely flabbergasted at the sight before him. There…was an entire street underground. "This is a very old city. It's been around for thousands of years. Its population has been expanding exponentially especially since it is the center of the empire. To accommodate the growing population, new buildings were built on top of the old ones. Since richer people tend to live in the newer buildings, new roads and sidewalks were built to link the new sky scrapers together without making people walk through the poorer streets full of barterers. I'm sure you noticed the different levels of sidewalks back there."

Trunks nodded.

"The underground in this area is less…questionable than in other areas. Here, it's mostly restaurants, shops, and the occasional bar. There's also an arcade down here. We'll walk by it. In other neighborhoods, the underground harbors poorer people. You're more likely to find prostitutes and drugs. I expect you not to wander around those areas."

Trunks nodded again.

Vegeta started walking again, bringing them down the stairs and onto the underground street. Bright lights made the entire street shine in different colors. The street was bustling. People moved in and out of stores window shopping, and chatting happily. Trunks saw a few kids in the same uniforms that he'd seen earlier. Smells that Trunks had never smelled before in his life tickled his nose causing him to turn his head slightly this way and that sniffing to try to figure out from where they came.

"Undergrounds usually don't get much natural light, so they're often lit up like this, even during the day. There's the arcade." The school children that Trunks had spotted were mainly crowded around the arcade—a seemingly huge building filled with lights and noise. Trunks got excited just at the thought of it. "You'll have time to go there after school tomorrow and this weekend." Vegeta told him before Trunks could even bring himself to ask to go in and look around. Trunks deflated a bit. "Tonight, we're just going to get some food. Then we have to get you a uniform and get you vaccinated." Trunks raised a startled eyebrow at the last sentence, but Vegeta didn't notice. "We should probably call your mother at some point as well. She's been worried sick."

"Why?"

Vegeta cocked an eyebrow, giving Trunks the distinct impression that he'd missed out on something important. "You were traveling for a little less than a month. She was worried because there was no way to contact you to see if you were alright."

Trunks' eyes widened. "A month?"

"Yes." Vegeta stopped in front of a doorway. "This is where we get dinner." And he stepped inside.

"Aaaye! Vegeta!" A large man with a huge pot-belly and orange scales lining his face and arms yelled as soon as they walked in.

"Hello, Pop." Vegeta greeted, to Trunks' great surprise. Trunks wondered if the man's name was actually Pop. "I'll take two of the usual. To go." He led Trunks through the crowded room and to the bar.

"Two eh?" He yelled the order toward the back room and then turned back to Vegeta. His two orange mustache-like tentacles wiggled with his every movement. Trunks' first instinct was to be disgusted by his appearance, but seeing his father interact so openly with him, Trunks found a sort of curious respect forming in him. "You got a hot date tonight?" The big man leaned across the counter conspiratorially. "She eat as much as you do?"

"No. Try again." Vegeta slid into a seat and motioned for Trunks to sit next to him.

"Well, who do we have here?" Pop had apparently just noticed Trunks. He waddled over a few steps to regard Trunks more closely. Trunks was a little nervous at the observation. To add to his discomfort, Pop suddenly burst into a hearty laugh. "Well I'll be darned. He's the spitting image of you! Maybe a little different in the hair, but…" To Trunks' astonishment he reached around and gave Vegeta a firm clap on the back. "definitely your face! Am I right?"

Vegeta smirked.

"Aha!" He came back over to Trunks. "Nice to meet you, young man. Your dad's a regular here." He leaned over the counter in much the same way he did when he'd been asking if Vegeta was on a date tonight. "Between you and me, I've known him since he was a kid."

"Really?" Trunks blurted out. With childlike naivite, all of his reservations about Pop were immediately forgotten. He'd never met anyone who'd known his dad as a child. "How?"

"I used to be a traveling chef. My skills were renowned across the universe." Pop waved his arms grandly. "I entertained at festivals, tournaments, parties, and cooked at all the functions of all the important people. Your granddaddy was one of them. I stopped by Vegetasei a few times, served up some nice dishes at some fancy parties, and even once slipped your daddy some treats in the middle of the night when he knew it was way past his bedtime."

Vegeta seemed to remember, and his eyes softened a bit wistfully.

"But the real reason your daddy likes me so much." Pop straightened, and his stomach stuck out comically. "Is because I'm one of the only people left alive that can cook any traditional Saiyan dishes."

* * *

"Dad!"

He felt something being shoved into his mouth, and he didn't fight it. He knew what it was, even though he couldn't seem to recall the exact name. Something to help him. To heal him.

"Dad?" The voice was familiar. It was frantic. "Dad, wake up!"

Someone was rubbing his throat, and in his dazed, weakened state, he swallowed. Instantly, he felt his strength flood back into him, and he opened his eyes.

"Dad!"

It was dark, but he could just make out the silhouette of his son. "Gohan?"

"Oh Kami! Dad!" Gohan had suddenly flung his arms around him, squeezing him tight.

"Whoah! Easy there, kiddo. What's up?"

"Dad, we thought you were dead!" Gohan exclaimed, releasing him and moving back a bit.

Over Gohan's shoulder, Goku could see Videl, Piccolo, Yamcha, and Krillin standing around him.

"You're lucky to be alive, Son." Piccolo told him, a stern edge to his voice. "Maybe this will teach you against going off on your own."

"Yeah, you're lucky we got here in time. When we felt your Ki drop, we were over a mile away." Yamcha said. "You were bleeding like crazy."

"Oh." Goku raised his hand to his head, where earlier he'd felt so much pain. There was nothing there now. Not even a scratch.

"Don't worry. The senzu took care of it." Yamcha assured him. He came closer, and he and Gohan helped Goku to his feet. "We have to get out of here. The Tik have sent out reinforcements. They mean business. We barely even got here in one piece to find you."

"Where's your gun?" Piccolo asked.

"Oh…I uh…dropped it. Back near the stream."

Piccolo frowned. "And your shoes?"

Goku looked down to his feet only to realize that he was indeed still barefoot and that his shoes were nowhere in sight.

"Uhh…stream?"

"Well we don't have time to look for them now. Just take that one," He motioned vaguely to the weapon lying at Goku's feet. "and come on. We need to reformulate our strategy."

Goku nodded, and glancing around at the darkened surroundings once, picked up the weapon. He then signalled to Piccolo that he was ready.

As one, the Earth's defendants pulled out their hoverboards, and a minute later, they were speeding through the trees in the direction of Mount Paz. The war was not lost. Not by a long shot. As long as they still breathed, they would fight. It may not be the type of fighting that they were accustomed to, but the Earth's defendants would rise to the challenge. They would defend their home at all costs.

Despite their determination, however, they couldn't help but feel a sense of defeat.

* * *

"Hey mom." Trunks said as soon as his mother appeared on the vid chat.

His father's apartment was not what he'd expected. Sure he'd seen parts of it through the vid chad, but somehow, he'd expected to open the door and walk into an apartment that looked exactly like the gravity room back on Earth.

Trunks didn't have much time to look around. As soon as they'd gotten in, Vegeta had set the bags of food on the table near the vid chat, dialed in a call to his mother, and then disappeared into the kitchen.

His mom had answered with a smile—the one Trunks recalled being reserved for his father. She had obviously not expected to see her son. Her eyes widened, and her mouth formed a small "o." Then an enormous grin lit up her face. "Trunks! Oh my baby! You made it alright! Oh I was so worried!" There was noise somewhere off screen, and suddenly, Goten's face popped onto the screen.

"Trunks! Where have you been?"

Before Trunks could answer, Goku pushed himself in front of the screen. "Hey, kiddo. Glad to see you made it ok."

"Excuse me!" Bulma was elbowing her way back to the forefront. "Can I please talk to my son?"

Vegeta came into the room a second later, carrying a large bottle of some kind of drink and two glasses. Trunks stared at the odd blue drink. "Is there no soda?"

Vegeta cocked an eyebrow. "Not on this planet. This is the closest you'll get."

Trunks frowned and turned back to the screen to see that his mother had finally found her way back to the front and that the entire Son family, Videl, and Yamcha were gathered behind her.

"Hi Vegeta!" Goku called from behind Bulma. Gohan and Goten cheerfully echoed his greeting.

"Hello." Vegeta responded half-cordially. He eyed the mud coating the other saiyan's clothes and hair but decided not to ask about it. He just dropped onto the couch, reached into the bag of food and pulled out a tray.

"What's that?" Goku asked. "Is it food?"

"Yep."

Trunks glanced over, his stomach rumbling. Vegeta wordlessly handed him the tray before grabbing his own and digging in.

Trunks looked down at it. "Dad…what is this stuff?"

Vegeta finished slurping up some red-colored noodles before answering. "It's called Pato. Just try it."

"I'm sure the food's fine, honey." Bulma said, with a somewhat longing smile. "I'd ask you how your trip was, but I doubt you'd have remembered it."

"I woke up thinking I was crashing." Trunks said staring with a distrustful expression at his food. "No one warned me about the landing." He actually glared at his mother, and then was shocked to see her hurt expression. A second later, he felt himself being cuffed over the head.

"Ow!" He glared at his father in turn, who graced him with his most dangerous expression, before telling him in Saiyago. "Watch how you talk to your mother, boy."

Trunks blanched, looked down at his red noodles again and then back up to his mom. "Sorry mom. And…sorry about…y'know."

"Oh Trunks." Bulma deflated. "That was a month ago. I'm just glad you're safe now. And glad I can talk to you. It was good you left when you did." The Sons all wore solemn expressions, and Bulma darted a glance at Vegeta.

Trunks instantly caught on. "Why? What happened?"

No one responded for a while. Eventually, it was Vegeta who took the initiative. "If I understand correctly, Capsule Corp was burned to the ground along with most of your mother's research on the Meiyochi reversing technology. And…" He locked eyes with Goku for a moment. Goku nodded. "The Tik have managed to deactivate the androids if they get too close to their ships."

Trunks blanched. "But…but mom, where…what about Grandma and—"

"Grandma and Grandpa are fine. They're…" She actually giggled, and the Son family all seemed to share her amusement. "They're on vacation right now with 17. It's probably the safest place for them, and I think he's genuinely enjoying the company."

Trunks tried to smile. It was hard to when suddenly faced with the knowledge that his home was destroyed and that the prospects for the Earth were looking even bleaker than when he'd left it. Without really thinking about it, he took a bite of his food, chewed once, and then froze. He glanced down at the red noodles.

"This stuff is awesome!" He exclaimed with his mouth still full, and took another greedy bite.

"Oh Trunks." Bulma reprimanded him half-heartedly. "Don't talk with your mouth full."

"In this case he might have to, Onna." Vegeta said calmly. "The tailor is going to close in less than two hours, and he hasn't gotten a uniform yet."

"What?" Bulma gasped, her eyes narrowing at her husband. Behind her, Chichi seemed to mirror the sentiment. "Vegeta why are you waiting so long to do that?"

"He just got here, woman. I thought I'd take him home and feed him first. I didn't count on you rattling on for hours."

"Rattling on? Ratt—Oh! Is that what I do?" Bulma glared. Goku and Gohan chuckled a bit at her reaction.

Trunks happily slurped away at his Pato, finishing it and then reaching into the bag for another dish. The new one was different, but he dug into it with much less hesitation than the last one.

"Oh come on now." Vegeta chided opening the blue drink and pouring himself and Trunks a glass. "Let's not kid ourselves. Not everything you say is terribly important."

"If I could come through this screen at you, mister…" Bulma trailed off as Vegeta quipped something back at her.

Trunks smirked a bit, and the Sons laughed at the argument. This situation may not be so bad after all.

* * *

A/N: I hoped you enjoyed that chapter. I must say that I am very flattered by all of the nice and enthusiastic reviews that I'm getting for this piece! I really appreciate the time that you take to give me your opinion, so thank you! Your input is always very much appreciated!


	25. Slave

Chapter 25-Slave

He adjusted his tie for the thirtieth time that morning. His uniform was suffocating him. Or maybe it was the train. Why was it so hot? He could feel himself sweating. He swallowed and tugged at his collar again before darting a glance at his father.

His father didn't look uncomfortable at all, leaning casually against the train's window and watching the buildings go past. How could he be so relaxed? Trunks thought he might die.

A bark of laughter drew his attention to the group of students sitting at the back of the train car. They looked older than him. He'd caught them staring at him and his father earlier. One of the girls had blushed fiercely when his father had glanced her way, but Vegeta hadn't seemed to acknowledge it.

The train slowed to a stop, and from the corner of his eye, Trunks saw his father straighten.

_Oh Kami._ He swallowed. _This is it._

The doors slid open with an ominous silence, and the sounds of the platform seemed to burst in upon the relatively quiet train car. He heard laughing, loud talking, shouts, electronics ringing and humming. Different musics clashed and warred for dominance. The sound of someone's pencil case being upturned reached his ears, and a moment later, he heard an enraged, feminine shout. A whistle blew somewhere, and then footsteps thundered away as a group of students apparently fled the scene of their infraction.

Trunks followed his father onto the chaotic platform and kept close on Vegeta's heels as they made their way through the crowds of students. Although dressed in the same uniform as the rest of them Trunks blended in seamlessly among the odd mesh of alien students, he couldn't help feeling like an outsider.

Some kids were laughing and joking around. Others were yawning. One kid pushed another, but almost instantly a third student appeared, breaking up the altercation before it could really get started.

Several eyes turned toward his father as they made their way off the platform, and through the courtyard toward the school building. Trunks saw quite a few of the students pull out their cell phones to snap pictures of the celebrity Saiyan Prince. Few of them seemed to notice Trunks. He didn't know if he preferred it that way.

Trunks turned his attention away from the other students and toward the large building that loomed before him. Like many of the other buildings on Iro, its walls were mostly windows. Three towers of varying height rose from the ground. They were linked to each other by pathways. Spherical outgrowths sprouted off of the buildings. Trunks was briefly reminded of his grandmother's prized bonsai trees.

Before he knew it, they had reached the doors of the school. Trunks hesitated, staring up at the towering dark buildings. For a school, it sure did look ominous. In the open doorway, Vegeta cleared his throat loudly. Trunks snapped his attention toward his impatient father. He wondered if his father would believe him if he claimed to have contracted a sudden illness. Trunks quickly discarded the idea. Even though his stomach was indeed churning and cold droplets of sweat were steadily making their way down his back, there was no way he was getting out of this. Trunks squared his shoulders and swallowed nervously again before following his father inside. He ducked his head so that his father couldn't see the look of fear on his face.

"Hello, Prince Vegeta." Trunks' eyes darted up at the voice to see a portly green woman who had apparently been waiting for them in the grand hall that served as the entrance way to the school.

A moment later, however, his attention was captured by the sight of the interior of the school building behind her. Circular balconies ringed each of the building's floors and towered up at least thirty stories. Elevators were rising and dropping, stopping on one floor, before moving on to another. Stairways linked each of the balconies and created a spiral effect. He looked up at the glass ceiling that towered 30 stories above him. On the colored glass were odd symbols that he couldn't read. He briefly wondered what they meant before mentally shrugging and looking away. The ceiling was the least of his worries.

On some of the balconies, he could see students hurrying along, likely heading toward their classrooms to finish up the previous night's homework or review for a quiz. Many of the doors above were open, and he could barely glimpse the brightly lit classrooms inside. Trunks wondered how many students attended the school.

"And you must be Trunks." Trunks' attention snapped back to the portly woman before him. Her horn-rimmed glasses rose slightly on her nose as she gave him a wide smile. Despite her odd appearance, Trunks figured that she looked nice. He nodded.

The woman smiled warmly again and looked back to Vegeta. "Principal Kocho is waiting for you. Right through there."

Vegeta strode though the indicated door without hesitation, and Trunks, after briefly glancing at the green woman again, followed after him.

"Ah, Prince Vegeta." A small man whose face somewhat resembled that of a wasp greeted as they walked in. "How good to see you again." He turned his bulbous eyes toward Trunks. "And you must be Trunks. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Bibi Kocho, the principal of South Kartikeya Academy. I would like to welcome you to our school. We take great pride in the fact that we are one of the most unique schools in the universe." He smiled warmly, but the attention only made Trunks stiffen more. "Now don't look so worried, young man. South Kartikeya Academy is an academy specifically designed to cater to the educational needs of any student regardless of race, background, or previous educational experience. The academy was founded over a hundred years ago by the late Emperor Kurenai Kartikeya himself," He motioned to a large portrait hanging between the two large windows behind his desk. "And today is at the forefront of the effort to create unity and cultural understanding in the Krimzon Empire and indeed, in the universe."

Trunks stared blankly at the portrait behind the Principal's desk. It was of a large red man with silver eyes and wavy white hair. The Principal's explanation was suddenly forgotten as Trunks yet again realized that he knew nothing about this planet.

Should he have known who this man was? He was the emperor. _Wait no…late emperor. That means he's dead right. Well who's the emperor now? Oh yeah…Kurenai…wait…he's Kurenai too. Uuugh! This is so confusing! _His face scrunched up_. I'll never remember all this!_

He suddenly remembered that he had been ignoring the Principal. He'd been doing that a lot lately. This was definitely not the way to start things off. He snapped his attention back to Principal Kocho only to find that he was now leaning over a small stack of papers and speaking to Vegeta. "…He'll have to take a few placement tests before he can get his complete schedule. All students in his age bracket are required to take History of the Modern Universe, a class on the Standard Universal language, one Social Studies class, one Mathematics class, and one Science class, along with two electives."

Vegeta, who had at some point taken a seat in one of the chairs before the desk, simply nodded.

"You've already handled the enrollment papers," Principal Kocho continued, "So he's ready to go."

There was a knock on the door. Trunks started in surprise.

"Ah. This will be one of Trunks' classmates here to show him around." He turned to the door before calling. "Come in."

The door opened a crack and a girl stuck her head in. She appeared to be about Trunks' age, and despite a pointed blue sting-ray like tail was mostly humanoid. As the girl walked all the way into the room, Trunks found himself blushing for some reason. She had long pink hair that hung almost past her knees. The ends seemed to be alive somehow, floating in a wind that wasn't actually there. Her uniform was complimented by long socks that went up to mid thigh. As she crossed the room to stand before the Principal's desk, she sent a friendly smile to Trunks. Trunks noticed that her large, cat-like eyes were an amazing shade of teal.

"Prince Vegeta, Trunks, this is Lysibet."

The girl bowed respectfully to Vegeta before turning and giving a smaller bow to Trunks. Trunks returned to bow.

"Lysibet, here is Trunks' schedule for today. Please show him to his first class for now, and to the placement testing center after."

"Yes sir." She bowed lowly again to both the Principal and Vegeta, and then grabbed Trunks' wrist. "Come on." She said cheerfully, not even noticing Trunks' surprise. "This way!" As Lysibet tugged him out of the office, Trunks sent a panicked glance back to Vegeta. He then narrowed his eyes when he noticed the older Prince's amused expression. Before he could do more than that, however Lysibet had already tugged him out of the office.

As soon as the door had shut behind them, Lysibet was talking. "We'll have to hurry or we'll be late for class." She said, making a beeline for the nearest elevator. She was still holding onto Trunks' wrist, and Trunks found that he was almost running to keep up with her. As she pointed out the important classrooms above him, Trunks just stared, not really absorbing anything. He didn't know how he was going to learn anything. He felt like his brain was already overloaded and he hadn't even had his first class.

It wasn't until they had stepped into the elevator and the doors had closed behind him that he heard what she was saying. "Helloooo. Iro to Trunks!" She grinned when he snapped his attention to her and blushed. "I said 'Where are you from?'" She apparently repeated. Before he could answer the doors opened again, and she yet again tugged him out. "I'm from Rhinidonn." She said, glancing back to him. A strand of pink hair crossed over her face. She blew it away. "Have you heard of it?"

"Uhh. No."

She frowned. "Oh well. It _is_ kinda far away. It's in the Pegasus constellation. I don't really remember it much though. My family moved here when I was still really young." She fell silent, but only for a moment. "Sooo…is Prince Vegeta really your dad?"

"Um. Yeah."

"That's so cool! What's he like?" Trunks opened his mouth, but before he could respond she continued talking. "It must be so cool living with him. You're lucky. You'll have an advantage in our history class. I read ahead in the textbook. Prince Vegeta really was a major player in the later wars with the Cold Clan and the downfall of the Planet Trade. He was the initiator of the rebellion that brought down Frieza and his empire." She giggled, and it was her turn to blush. "Sorry. Of course, you knew that already."

Trunks just stared at her. Though the name "Frieza" vaguely rang a bell, he had no idea what the Cold Clan or the Planet Trade were.

She looked at him as if waiting for him to respond. He just stared blankly.

She suddenly blushed again. "Oh I'm sorry. I guess it must be hard to talk about. I wouldn't like to talk about it either if my dad had been one of Frieza's slave warriors."

Trunks stiffened at the term but before he could say anything, she went on. "I mean it must have been terrible for him. Especially since he was hardly more than a baby and his father had to give him away. And to be raised by that monster and tortured and forced to kill innocent people…" She shuddered.

Trunks just stared at her as if she'd grown a second head. _What is she talking about? My dad…was a Prince…he…mom said…I know that he doesn't like to talk about his past but…but…he wasn't…he couldn't have been…_

She looked back at him and then blushed furiously. "I'm sorry. I should stop talking about it." Part of Trunks wanted to tell her that, yes she should shut up. But a small, growing part of him suspected that what she was telling him was true. And he wanted to hear more.

He wanted to hear everything.

* * *

He tried to raise his head, but he couldn't. His body ached. It was stiff, hard to move. Someone coughed, and it was all he could do to turn his head to the right to see who it was. The small, dim room was packed with people, mostly men. Men just like him, who had proven stronger than average. They were all bruised and bloody. Most of them strangers. They were afraid. A good fighter, they had said. A valuable asset. They would serve the emperor well.

Tien wouldn't let it happen. He would rather die. After finally coming to the side of good after all those years of using his fighting skills selfishly, he had no desire to go back.

His only hope was that Chaotzu would make it to Goku safely. Goku. He should have gone to Goku earlier. When this whole thing had started. Then he wouldn't be in this situation.

The man beside him groaned and shifted, jostling Tien and causing him to knock against others.

He looked over at the man who had bumped him. He was young. Not yet thirty probably. He was big and stocky like many of the others. The man noticed his regard, and turned his caged, tired eyes onto Tien.

"Sorry, man." He said, and his voice was hardly more than a groan. "Just tryin' to get more comfortable."

Tien nodded and shifted slightly before dropping his head back onto his chest. The air was hot and humid, and smelled sick. There were too many men in the small room. He wished that he could stretch his legs out, but there was a man lying unconscious in front of him.

His wrists were chafed from the shackles and he rubbed them distractedly.

"I'm Terran."

Tien's head turned slightly toward the man in acknowledgement. "Tien." He offered in return.

"Where ya from, Tien?" Terran asked leaning his head back against the wall.

Tien's eyes darkened, but he didn't respond.

"Oh, the quiet type, are you?" Terran asked. "Hmm, that's okay."

Tien glanced at the man next to him before returning his eyes to the floor.

"What do you think they're going to do with us?"

"They're going to make us fight in their army."

"And if we refuse?"

"They'll kill us."

Terran let out a long breath. "Damn." He whispered.

Tien mirrored the thought.

* * *

The class room was huge—a large semicircular stadium-style room. It appeared as though most of the children were there already. The room had been loud when Lysibet had opened the door, but as they'd walked in, it had quickly grown silent. Trunks felt several hundred eyes rest on him, and he fought the urge to fix his tie again.

An old, frail, grey-furred feline-type woman immediately noticed them and came over. "You are Trunks, yes?" She asked in accented standard.

"Uh. Yes, ma'am."

"I am Professor Catibi, teacher of History of the Modern Universe. Do you have any special seating or translation needs?"

"Uhh no. I don't think so."

"Good." Professor Catibi motioned for him to follow her to the front of the classroom. Raising her voice, she addressed the class. Trunks was surprised to hear such a powerful voice coming from such a frail woman, but shook his surprise away when he realized that she had just introduced him. He quickly bowed to the class, but didn't say anything.

Professor Catibi turned back to him. "You can follow Lysibet to your seat." She said, before turning and heading back toward the large screen in front of the room.

Again Lysibet grabbed Trunks' wrist and pulled him up the stadium steps toward two empty seats in the upper right side of the semi-circle.

Although he did pull out the small note-taking computer that his father had supplied him with, he realized early on that he wasn't going to be taking any notes that day. As it turned out, most of the students around him wouldn't be either. A new student was apparently far more interesting than the economic depression in the Southern galaxies that set the precursor for the rise of the Cold Clan.

He had hardly taken his seat before all of the students around him leaned eagerly toward him and began whispering excited questions.

"I saw you on the train this morning." A boy with dark snake-like skin and the coolest mini dreadlocks that Trunks had ever seen said. "You live in the 84th district?"

"Uhh yeah." He said darting a nervous glance at the teacher. The last thing he wanted was to get in trouble the first day of school. "In the…Septagon?" He clarified.

"Wow." A thick-lipped pink girl turned fully around in her seat in awe. "That's where all the big-shots live. Are your parents like…diplomats or something?"

"Uhh my dad works for Kurenai."

"You mean like…in the army." A chunky kid with a brown exoskeleton and glasses asked.

"I'm not really sure. He's kind of her body guard. Kind of her strategist. And he sometimes goes off planet to do things."

"Who is your dad?" The first boy asked.

"Vegeta—"

"No way!" The girl hissed in excitement.

Professor Catibi paused in her lesson and looked back toward them. The five students hurriedly pretended to be taking notes. When the professor carried on with her lesson, however, they all turned back to Trunks.

"Your dad is Vegeta?" The kid with the glasses asked. "_The_ Vegeta? The Saiyan!"

Trunks could hear that the students in the row behind him were leaning toward him and whispering in excitement.

Trunks sat uncomfortably in the middle of the crowd as people pressed to get closer.

"How strong is he?" "Did he really lead the rebellion that brought about Frieza's downfall?" "Where has he been?" "Is he really a super-saiyan?" "Is your mom a Saiyan too?" "Is he really stronger than Hui?"

"Uhh…" A bead of sweat dripped from Trunks' temple as he was bombarded by questions from people all around. "I…"

"Do you think he'll be the one to beat Hui?" Trunks turned sharply to see Lysibet staring at him with wide eyes. His blue eyes locked with her slanted teal ones, and for some reason, he felt his face heat up. He cleared his throat and shook off his sudden bout of nervousness. With a nonchalant shrug, he answered confidently. "If he ever gets to fight Hui, he'll beat him."

"I hope he does." The pink girl in front of him said. "Then my parents and I can finally go home."

Trunks just blinked at that, unsure of what she meant. He didn't have much time to think about it, as he was suddenly bombarded with questions again—most of them about his father. A bead of sweat dripped down his temple. He would be glad when this day was over.

* * *

Vegeta strode into Kurenai's throne room. As the doors swung shut behind him, he stopped and glared around. It was empty.

Where was Kurenai? Didn't she know that he had better things to do than to sit around and wait for her to appear? Vegeta crossed his arms and looked down, immediately regretting the motion as his eyes locked onto the accursed floor. It was glowing steadily, but was tinged red due to his growing irritation. How he hated her floor.

A sudden idea struck him, and he glanced toward the door. Not sensing anyone near, he worked to harness a little of his magic. He hadn't practiced it since he'd managed to get Kurenai's spell off him, but the cool sensation swirling around him—and through him—was still familiar. He focused his magic and then looked down at the floor. The floor seemed to ripple, then grew dimmer.

He smirked and focused more. Sweat began to bead his forehead, but he would not be deterred.

Finally the light faded completely and Vegeta found himself staring at a distinctly un-magical floor. Haha! He felt positively giddy.

This would be his little secret. Kurenai didn't have to know.

His Ki sense suddenly alerted him to Kurenai's approach. He released his hold on his magic, hardly noticing as the floor resumed a healthy white glow, and strode over to Kurenai's throne. Dropping down in it, he assumed the pose of someone who had been waiting a long time and stared expectantly at the door.

It swung open a moment later. Kurenai was already halfway across the room before she noticed his presence in her chair. She must have been distracted indeed to have taken quite so off guard. She froze in step and blinked at him.

Behind her, Midori smirked a bit in amusement before adopting her patent expression of excited anticipation—the expression she generally reserved for when she knew Kurenai was about to put someone in their place.

Midori would be disappointed, however, because Kurenai just fixed Vegeta with a neutral expression. "I trust your son is comfortably installed in school." She said casually.

"Oh yes. He's fine." He straightened, and his pose made it clear to both women that the pleasantries were over. "Kurenai—"

She held up a hand. "I know what you're going to say." She sighed. "The ships that I've sent to Earth were ambushed early this morning."

Vegeta stiffened, but before he could say anything, Kurenai continued. "My troops made it out alright, but they will be delayed a few days while they repair the damage that was done to their ships." She paused again and narrowed her eyes at him. Vegeta instinctively raised his mental defenses, and was suddenly glad that he was not touching her floor. "The legion of ships that my troops encountered were reinforcements sent by Hui take over the Earth." She came a few more steps closer to him. "Tell me Vegeta, is there something more to Hui's determination to take that planet than you're telling me? That planet has been a mysterious factor in several major events in the past few decades. Is there something that makes it more special than most planets?"

"You mean besides the saiyan warriors that live there?" He asked sarcastically, although his insides were churning in nervousness.

"So when you first went there all those years ago, your reasons were…" She raised an eyebrow.

_The dragonballs._ The thought came unbidden into his mind, but he quickly forced it away and looked into her eyes. "To recruit the saiyan that lived there to help me defeat Frieza."

She nodded. "And when Frieza visited the planet several years later…?"

"Revenge against the saiyan who defeated him on Namek…"

"And when the Kais themselves came down to help you…?"

"The Kais thought that with their help we Saiyans would have a chance of defeating Majin Buu." He leaned back in her throne and crossed his arms. "What exactly are you getting at?"

"I'm just wondering if there's something more to it."

"There is." Vegeta said.

She raised an eyebrow expectantly.

"The Tik need the Earth's water, and they feel that the planet is in a prime position for a base."

Kurenai frowned, apparently mulling that over.

"Actually, to my knowledge, Hui isn't even aware that there are powerful saiyans on Earth." Vegeta said. "It's probably in our best interest to keep it that way."

She nodded. "And there's nothing else?"

He shook his head, again locking eyes with her. "There's nothing."

* * *

His small body shook as he made his way over the rough terrain. He knew he was close to his destination. It had taken him a while to get there, and there were times that he'd wanted to give up. He was so tired, and his body ached and bled. But he had to keep moving. He had to find him. _He_ would know what to do.

The moment he'd awoken, he had known what had happened. They had come, and they had taken his oldest friend.

Tien had tried to fight them off, but he couldn't do it. There were too many of them and they were too strong. So they had run. They had fled into the rocky landscape, trying to find shelter in the nearby caverns that had been their home for the past decade.

But Tien was hurt, and he couldn't move fast. And Chaotzu wouldn't leave him. Tien was his best friend—his family. He had always been there for Chaotzu. He had always protected him. Chaotzu only wished that he had been able to do the same. But the blow to the head had knocked him out cold, and he had awoken hours later, safe inside of a small cave and wrapped in Tien's cloak.

Chaotzu knew that there had been no Tik warrior close enough to have struck him. The hit had come from Tien. Tien had known that the Tik warriors had no real interest in Chaotzu and that they would have killed him as soon as they'd gotten the chance. Tien had known that he would be caught, and it hurt Chaotzu to know that he had been caught alone—that he hadn't been there to help.

But Tien had made his choice. He had gotten Chaotzu out of the way. Tien had saved him again.

Chaotzu was determined that he would return the favor, or he would die trying.

He shivered as he spotted the light on top of the familiar mountain. He paused for a moment, taking deep labored breaths. Tien's cloak, tattered and torn, but still far too long on Chaotzu's small frame dusted against the ground as Chaotzu hovered, staring in relief at the light ahead.

A gust of wind blew, and he wrapped the cloak tighter around himself. He was almost there.

* * *

It was with great relief that Trunks heard the final bell ring that day. His head hurt from all of the tests he had taken, and he felt bone tired. He had been too excited and nervous to sleep the night before, and that was all catching up with him now.

As he made his way out of the testing center, final schedule in hand, he was surprised when someone grabbed his shoulders from behind.

He spun around quickly to see Lysibet, the boy with the glasses who had introduced himself as Tuno, the pink girl Darla, and the boy with the dreadlocks—who he'd discovered was named Tetch—standing in the hall behind him.

"Hi!" Lysibet said. "We're all going to the arcade in Septagon's underground. You wanna come along?"

In reality, Trunks wanted nothing more than to go to sleep. He also somewhat wanted to go home just to see his dad. It had been so long since he'd seen him, and he'd only had one rather hectic night and morning with the man before they were separated again. Still, he was somewhat interested in the arcade. And he couldn't turn down an offer of friendship.

"Uhh sure. I just have to check in with my dad first." He said, but Lysibet hardly heard him.

"Ooh! Is that your schedule?" She snatched the paper from Trunks' hand. Trunks was momentarily surprised that he hadn't seen her hand move. When he snapped back to reality, it was to see that the other four students were all crowded around his schedule reading it.

"Wow you tested really high in all the math and sciences. Not so good in writing though." Lysibet said. "You'll be in lots of classes with Tuno."

"Really?" Trunks said, looking over at the bespectacled boy.

"You've got robotics with me." Darla said with a smile.

"And Standard Composition with me." Tetch said. "Gym too."

"Hey we've got Computer Programming together." Lysibet said with a grin. "We're all taking that one. Well except for Tuno. He's in a higher class."

"Hey look." Darla suddenly said, drawing their attention down the hall. A group of children of varying size and ages were being escorted down the hall toward them.

"Those must be the new KRIA kids." Darla whispered as if she worried she might be heard by one of them.

"The who?" Trunks asked.

Lysibet leaned closer to him and lowered her voice as well. "They're child soldiers." She said.

Trunks straightened and stared hard at the group of children. They were all in varying degrees of nervousness and outright depression. Most of the children kept their eyes glued to the floor, but some of them were darting quick glances around at their surroundings. "The Krimzon let people our age fight in their army?"

"No!" Lysibet said defensively, and then looked around before lowering her voice and leaning closer. "They were Tik soldiers. The Tik army kidnapped them and held their families hostage to force them to fight for them. They were all captured by Krimzon soldiers and sent here. There are lots of students like them. You can always tell which ones they are because they wear collars."

Now that she mentioned it, Trunks noticed the collars that each of the students wore. He'd seen his father wear one, and he had gathered that it somehow made him powerless. Trunks frowned at the idea of collaring a person. It seemed barbaric.

Suddenly a familiar head of orange, tentacle-like hair caught his eye. Trunks' eyes widened slightly. He knew that girl. She was the one from Earth. She was the sorceress.

Trunks and the other four stepped to the side as the group of refugee students made their way past them and into the testing center. As she passed, the little girl with the orange hair glanced over at them. Her eyes briefly locked with Trunks', but there was no recognition in them—only fear, tiredness, and uncertainty.

Trunks felt an odd feeling well within him, but he couldn't place what it was.

The little girl turned her head away. A moment later, the group of students had disappeared.

Trunks stared at the closed door of the testing center. The odd feeling hadn't disappeared. Something was nagging at him, and he wasn't entirely certain that it was the students that had walked by. The things that Lysibet had told him earlier had plagued him all throughout the day and it was suddenly brought home by seeing the kids that had just walked by.

It was something that he wasn't sure he'd ever get used to—child soldiers, using family as collateral. He had never had any idea that the universe could be so cruel.

For the first time in his life, Trunks understood. He'd always known that his father was an alien, but he had never really thought much about what his life had been like before he came to Earth. Now he saw it though. It was in this cruel, heartless universe that his father had struggled to survive in. It was this universe, full of war, greed, and violence that had somehow shaped his father into what he was. Trunks suddenly felt a small surge of pride that his father had survived through such hardship, and he momentarily had the urge to forget the arcade and just go home.

Trunks took his schedule back from Lysibet. The paper was slightly wrinkled from having been passed around so much. He stared down at the classes he was taking. He'd chosen to take plenty of science and math classes, because it was something that his mother had always encouraged. Trunks seemed to have a natural aptitude for it anyway. Those classes all looked interesting, but there was one that he was looking forward to taking much more.

He never thought that he would ever be excited to take a history class. But this history class was not the boring lessons filled with very human explanations for rather supernatural events. He had always known that much of the things he'd learned in his history classes on Earth were false. But this class…History of the Modern Universe…this would be the truth. The truth that no one had ever shared with him. The truth about his dad.

* * *

"Alright, so there are two ships on Earth, and two still in space. Vegeta says that the Krimzon ships were delayed a bit, but will still reach us in a few days. The Krimzon ships can't land without the king's permission, so we either have to get King Furry's permission, or be prepared to deal with all of them ourselves."

"You think we can take them all?" Krillin asked. The question was a general one, but he looked at Goku when he asked it.

Goku's eyes narrowed in excitement, and he nodded. "It may be best if we leave the elites to the Androids though." he glanced over at them. "Do you mind?"

"I don't really like the idea of getting deactivated again." 18 said, narrowing her eyes at the mere thought. It had apparently taken Bulma several hours to get 17 and 18 awake again. "If you can ensure that that won't happen, I'm game."

Android 17 looked over at his sister, and then with a sigh nodded. "Yeah, sure."

Suddenly, there was a banging at the door.

Everyone in the Son living room jumped to their feet, and looked around at each other. Everyone who was currently living on Mount Paz was in the Son house.

It took a moment before anyone thought to use their Ki sense to see who was knocking, and when they did, several people exclaimed over their discovery.

"It's Chaotzu!"

Gohan hurried to the door, pulling it open. "Hey Chao—" He paused, his eyes widening. "Oh Kami! Dad!" He grabbed Chaotzu, lifting the small, weakened man effortlessly.

Goku appeared at the doorway. "What's wrong?"

"Have you got a senzu?" Gohan asked. He needn't have. Goku had taken in his small friend's state and had already headed away in search of one.

Gohan carried Chaotzu back into the living room. He set him down on the couch, and immediately, Yamcha and Krillin were around him.

"What the heck happened, man?" Yamcha asked.

Chaotzu was shaking. Whether it was from the cold or from his injuries was hard to tell. It was probably a mixture of both. "It's Tien!" He gasped.

Yamcha and Krillin shared a look. "Tien? What about him? What happened?"

Chaotzu let out a noise that was somewhere between a gasp and a sob. "They…they've captured him!"

The room fell silent. No one seemed to be able to come up with a good response to that. It seemed that most of them were shocked.

"I've got it!" Goku's voice broke the silence. He weaved his way through the stunned crowd, apparently oblivious to the change in mood, and handed the bean to Chaotzu. It wasn't until Chaotzu was healed, and Goku took a step back that he noticed everyone's expressions.

Blinking, he turned back to Chaotzu. His expression stated his question clearly.

Chaotzu, however, couldn't answer. He couldn't seem to be able to find the words to repeat what he'd just said.

It was Yamcha that answered for him. "It's Tien. The Tik have captured him."

Goku was silent for a moment. It wasn't lost on him that everyone was looking to him for a solution. It was something that he was used to. In a way, he liked that his friends knew they could count on him without fail. However, at times like these, he sometimes wished that he wasn't the one that everyone turned to.

He took a deep breath and laid his hand on his small friend's shoulder. "Don't worry Chaotzu." He said. "We'll get him back."

"Yeah, but how?" Krillin asked.

Feigning an air of confidence, Goku replied. "Simple. We figure out a way to lure the elites out of the ships. We can handle the rest of them. We just break in and find Tien."

"Yeah, but how are we going to lure the elites out?"

Goku opened him mouth before realizing that he didn't have a reply to that. "Hmm, good question."

In his corner, Piccolo sighed in exasperation. "Presuming that we do find a way, when do you propose we do this?"

"Well we can't wait too long." Goku said. Ordinarily, he would have waited so that they could prepare. However, there wasn't much preparation that they could do. They could hardly get any stronger with their Ki being blocked. And in this case, time was of the essence. "There's no telling if the Tik will decide to take all their prisoners back to whatever planet they're from." He looked around at the serious faces in the room. "So…how about tomorrow?"

* * *

A/N: Sorry about the rather long wait. I recently moved, and between the packing, moving in, and getting adjusted, it's been pretty hectic. But here it is. I hope you enjoyed it!

A big thank you to all of you who reviewed!

References:

Kurenai Kartikeya—Deceased father of Kurenai Kali (the current Iro empress).

The name Kartikeya was taken from the Indian god of war who was believed to lead god's forces. He was an embodiment of perfection, and was the destroyer of demons, which represent the negative tendencies in human beings.

Also, if I haven't mentioned before, the name Kali was taken from the Indian goddess of eternal energy, time, and change. She is also often associated with destruction which allows for rebirth.


	26. The Earthlings' Assault

Warning: This chapter contains character death.

Chapter 26- The Earthlings' Assault

The arcade had been awesome. Bright, colorful lights, tons of sound, strange music, and his four new friends. Armed with his father's money card, Trunks had enjoyed hours of shooting and racing games, tons of strange foods on sticks, and all the sticky, sugary drinks necessary for a growing boy.

When he'd returned home later that night, completely exhausted, but nonetheless quite satisfied with his evening, it was to find his father talking on the vid chat. He'd looked serious, and it hadn't taken long for Trunks to realize that he wasn't talking to his mother. Instead, Goku and Piccolo were both leaning close to the screen, conversing lowly with Vegeta and apparently debating something.

Vegeta had only glanced toward Trunks and asked if he'd eaten. When Trunks answered that he had, Vegeta had simply ordered him into the shower and told him to put his uniform on the chair near the door for the cleaning lady to pick up.

Trunks had been too tired to wonder about the vid chat or his father's behavior. He had just nodded and obeyed. Not even a half hour later, he had been sound asleep, dreaming of zombie shooter games and teal eyes.

What seemed like only a minute after he'd fallen asleep, a rough voice sounded next to his bed. "Get up."

Trunks' only answer was a groan as he attempted to burrow farther under the covers.

"I said 'get up." Vegeta repeated. "You're burning daylight."

"What?" Trunks slowly pulled his head up and looked at the clock. "It's only two o'clock."

"It's 2-H, and that means that the sun has been up for an hour already." Vegeta paused. "So get up."

Trunks just groaned again and didn't budge.

A moment later, he felt his bed tip up, and he tumbled out onto the floor. "Ouch!" It was a rude awakening if he ever heard of one. _It's Saturday…_Trunks thought rubbing the bump on his head and squinting through bright light to look at his father. _Or whatever they call it here._

"Get dressed." Vegeta ordered stalking out of the room, calling out. "Your mother may let you sit around all day getting soft, but while you're here, you'll train."

Trunks was instantly awake. "Train?" He whispered, and a grin suddenly formed on his face. All of his fatigue was instantly forgotten.

He could still hear Vegeta grumbling about the 'onna coddling him too much' as he rummaged around for his training outfit. Trunks no longer minded the way he'd been woken up. It had been so long since he'd been able to train with his father. This was exciting!

* * *

Goten had been staring for at least ten minutes. The wheels in his brain were whirring and turning as he tried to figure it out. Eventually however, they sputtered to a stop, and of its own accord, his voice broke into the relative silence of the room. "Umm, Mr. Chaotzu…how are you flying right now?"

The room seemed to still, and all heads turned his way for a moment before settling on the small mime-like man.

Chaotzu's face reddened slightly at suddenly becoming the center of attention. "Psychic energy." He answered.

"Can you use it for anything else?" Goten asked curiously.  
He nodded. As he did so, he saw lights flicker on in the faces of some of the older Z Fighters.

"Oh yeah!" Krillin clenched his hands into fists. "You can make blasts using psychic energy too right?"

"Umm, yes."

Piccolo suddenly straightened. "You mean your powers were not affected by the Meiyochi?"  
Chaotzu turned toward the tall Namek. "They were. I cannot use my Ki. My telepathic and psychokinetic powers are all okay though. But they weren't powerful enough to use against the Tik elites." He dropped his head.

"But what about the weaker ones? The non elites." Goku asked. "You can still use your powers on them correct?"

"Yes, on most of them."

Goku's answering grin was mirrored by the majority of the Z fighters. Chaotzu hovered awkwardly as Goku, Krillin, Yamcha, and Piccolo all darted glances at him and then at each other. He didn't know quite what was going through their heads, but he was beginning to suspect something.

Finally, Piccolo voiced what the other three were undoubtedly thinking. "That…" He started, fixing his eyes on Chaotzu. "Will be useful."

* * *

An early morning spar with his only son was just the thing he'd needed to start what, he knew, would turn out to be a long, stressful day. Although it was the weekend for Trunks, Vegeta could not enjoy such privileges. He was scheduled for a psychiatrist appointment at 4-H, and as much as he abhorred those visits he knew that they were necessary to keep him out of prison and at the forefront of the war effort. Plus, even if he would never admit it aloud, the sessions were turning out to be strangely therapeutic. His nightmares were becoming less frequent at least.

Then, after his psychiatrist appointment, he was to meet with Kurenai's top strategists. He'd only done that once before, and it had been a nightmare.

In some ways, Iro was even stranger than Earth. Kurenai's war council meetings were definitely proof of that. At least on Earth, strategists were not ushered on a red carpet through a line of reporters and TV news crews to the council building. Vegeta couldn't quite comprehend it. Surely everyone knew that it would be completely counterproductive for the Krimzon's top strategists to publicly disclose what they talked about during their session. Whatever they said would certainly be immediately divulged to the Tik. And yet, the reporters never seemed to figure that out.

Vegeta was certain that they would be there this afternoon with all their microphones, flashing cameras and buzzing video recorders. He shuddered at the thought of all the people shoving their recording devices in his face.

Vegeta had been unprepared the first time, but at least now he knew.

He also knew to eat a large meal before going to the session, as it could run on for nearly a day. Vegeta hoped that it didn't, because he had things to do that evening—rather important things. Things that involved a certain mud ball planet in the north quadrant.

Vegeta was snapped out of his thoughts by a punch to the face. His head was whipped back, and he flew a few feet backwards before finding his footing and blocking the follow-up attack he knew was coming.

"You're getting slow, dad." Trunks said with a smirk.

Vegeta smirked back. It had been so long since he had gotten a decent spar. Sure Trunks couldn't rival his strength or skill, but Vegeta was proud to say that the boy could put up one hell of a fight.

If there was one thing that Vegeta was honestly unsure how he felt about however, it was the fact that Trunks was growing up. When Trunks was a baby, there was nothing that Vegeta wanted more than for him to hurry up and become a full-grown warrior. But time had flown by. His son was taller, stronger. Sure he was not yet 12—or was he? Vegeta had lost track of the date on Earth—but Vegeta knew that it wouldn't be long before he was a man. It was already starting.

Yes, Vegeta had noticed the way Trunks had blushed when that pink-haired girl grabbed his hand. He was also noticing other things. Small things. Trunks was sleeping later and eating more than usual. He was disobeying his mother and cracking jokes about Vegeta's age—he had never done that as a child. Vegeta recognized the symptoms. Sure he himself had had no normal childhood, but he knew 'testing the waters' when he saw it.

He knew that soon, Trunks would start changing even more. It was something Vegeta was dreading. Being forced to give 'the talk' to Kakarott's oldest brat had been painful enough. He had no desire to repeat it.

And yet there was something deeper that he was concerned about. He would never admit it to anyone else, but he was worried that as Trunks grew older, he would inevitably start to scrutinize Vegeta himself. Gone would be the blind adoration that Trunks had held of his father as a child. It would be replaced with the knowledge of the cold, hard truth of what Vegeta was—and what he had been. When that day came, Vegeta wasn't sure if Trunks would want anything more to do with him. As much as Vegeta told himself that he didn't care what _anyone_ thought about him, he knew that wasn't true. Vegeta didn't know if he would be able to handle his son's hatred.

Hopefully, though, that day was far in the future. Ideally, it would be nice if it never came. But Vegeta couldn't fool himself. Here on Iro, Trunks was surrounded by people who knew of his life before. It was only a matter of time.

* * *

"No way!" Oolong snapped. Oolong had been initially happy like the rest when Goku had called everyone together and revealed to them that they had a plan. His joy had been short-lived however, for he soon discovered that that plan involved him. That would not do. "I'm not getting involved in any of your crazy schemes. Count me out."

"Quit being such a scaredy cat." Puar reprimanded him before turning to Goku. "I will help you in any way I can."

"Great!" Goku said. "We just need you to transform into someone in order to lure the Tik elites away from their ship."

"Sure thing." Puar said floating forward bravely. "Who?"

Goku got a sneaky grin. He sent an amused glance to Piccolo before turning back to Puar. "Vegeta."

"Eh?" Puar's eyes popped out. His question was mirrored by most of the other people gathered in the room.

"Umm…" Yamcha stepped forward next to his little friend. "How exactly will that help?"

"It's simple really." Goku said, tapping his finger to his chin. "Vegeta is often sent to planets to help when the situation is really bad. He said so himself that it wouldn't appear out of the ordinary if he was to suddenly appear on Earth. Clearly, a common foot soldier couldn't beat him, but Hui definitely wants him dead. The elites would most likely go after him…especially if they were led to believe that he was affected by the Meiyochi. Then when the elites are lured away, 17 and 18 will take care of them, and the rest of us will sneak into the ship to free the prisoners."

"But wait. Wouldn't people know that Vegeta's actually on Iro still?" Bulma asked. "I mean," She motioned to the TV which was mutely airing images of the outside of the Krimzon council building where a strategist meeting was underway. "He was just on TV…on planet Iro."

Piccolo nodded. "I had been concerned about that as well, but it's a widely-known fact, that Vegeta's true power level and abilities are a secret from the public. Many of Kurenai's top officers are capable of a technique much like Goku's instant transmission. No one has any idea of whether or not Vegeta can do it, and he says that they're likely to give him the benefit of the doubt in such a case if Puar played the part well enough." He turned his gaze to Oolong. "And everyone knows that Midori is capable of it. If she were to appear as well…" He let the comment hang. A thick silence filled the air as everyone considered.

"Do you really think it will work?" Krillin finally asked. "I mean…it seems kinda far-fetched."

"It's probably the best option we have." Piccolo said. "And don't forget, Vegeta has been dealing with these types of people for a while now. He knows them better than we do."

Krillin didn't seem convinced. For that matter neither did many of the others in the room.

However, if Goku said it was okay, then…

"Alright." Puar was the first to say. "I'll do it."

"Me too." Chaotzu offered. He was desperate to find some way to save Tien, and he secretly liked the fact that he would play an important role in the plan.

One by one, the other fighters stepped forward offering their assistance. First Videl, then Gohan, Krillin and Yamcha. With a shrug, 17 and 18 nodded their approval. Buu shouted a "Buu help too!" while Hercule sent teary-eyed glances between his daughter and pink friend. Goten tried to offer his help, but Chichi quickly covered his mouth.

Goku grinned his thanks to everyone before his eyes settled pleadingly on Oolong. Almost instantly, everyone's attention was focused on the disgruntled pig. Oolong looked around at all the expectant faces and pouted.

* * *

Vegeta had felt singularly awkward explaining to Midori that he wasn't going straight up to his apartment after the nearly all-night strategy council session because he intended to stop by the video game shop in the underground to pick up a game for his son. Besides the fact that Trunks had been quite clear during their morning training that owning a video game system was probably the most important thing _ever_, Vegeta also needed a convenient excuse to keep the boy busy and in his room for a few hours that day.

If Vegeta was going to coach both Puar and Oolong through 'in-character' responses, and walk the rest of the Z fighters through the inside of the Tik ship, he did not need any distractions. Also, if things went wrong, Trunks did not need to be witness to a slaughter—particularly the slaughter of his friends.

It was just breaking dawn in the Krimzon capital, and already, Vegeta could tell that his day was going to be crap. If it wasn't bad enough that he had stayed up practically all night debating plans with Goku and Piccolo, and had been forced to sit through not only a psychologist visit but a strategizing session that had run on until the wee hours of the morning, Midori had decided to accompany him on his after-work errand. Apparently, she was going to the underground as well.

Currently, he and Midori were both walking down the brightly lit, colorful street. The sun was just rising, though that made little difference there. People were beginning to emerge from their homes. Shops were opening their doors and turning on their signs.

Sweet smells were emanating from several of the restaurants, and Vegeta made a note to go by later to check out their breakfast.

Several people turned their heads as the two walked down the street side-by-side, but the sight was common enough that people didn't think much of it.

Vegeta, however, could tell that something was different. Midori. Midori was different. She was far too happy considering that he was her only company.

The woman was hurriedly typing messages on her scouter. She had a distinctly giddy bounce in her step, and if he wasn't mistaken, she was humming.

Vegeta glared at her from the corner of his eye. If she noticed, she gave no indication.

As they passed a tabloid shop window, she giggled. That was the last straw.

"What are you so happy about?" He snapped. She had no right to be so cheerful considering that he had been forced to sit in that wretched meeting for over 19 hours.

"You're such a goon." She said with little real force. She snapped her scouter shut and put it into her pocket.

He raised an eyebrow.

Midori rolled her eyes. "Well if you must know, Chet and I got back together. He's taking me out today. And…he's meeting us at the game shop."

"Congratulations." Vegeta said with no real sentiment before snapping. "Would you stop humming? I've got a migraine."

To his surprise, she actually stopped.

Vegeta stopped in his tracks. "Okay, what's going on?" He said seriously. There had to be something more to it.

"What?" Midori looked at him innocently. "What do you mean?"

"Why are you willingly around me, why are you so cheerful, and why did you just do what I said without question?" He looked around at the bustling street as if expecting someone to jump out and attack him at any moment.

"Because I'm in a good mood. And it's all thanks to your son. I think I may buy him a video game myself. What kind does he like?"

"What do you mean? When have you ever met Trunks?"

"I've never met him." Midori said continuing down the street. "Honestly, don't you ever stop to look at what the tabloids are saying about you?"

"No." He said. "Never. What does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything." She rolled her eyes. "Your son let it slip that you have a life mate…what do you call her on your planet?...a wife? And according to him, you are singularly devoted to her. He says that the proof of that is that you actually turned yourself in to Kurenai in exchange for help saving your mate's home planet. I witnessed that myself."

Vegeta could feel his hackles rising. He was going to have a long talk with Trunks about what was and was not appropriate to tell people.

"And while that is sweet in and of itself." She looked at him teasingly, and he glared back. "Since it was in the news, Chet is now convinced that I was telling the truth about being forced to hang around with you. And now he is no longer worried that I might be having an affair with you," Vegeta snorted at the idea. "Because he has the proof of your disinterest in me."

"Well isn't that nice."

She smiled. "Oh look! There he is!"

Vegeta's eyes were drawn to a tall alien, clearly of the same race as Midori. His skin was grayish-blue like Midori's but it was several shades darker. As Vegeta and Midori approached him, his deep red eyes bored into Vegeta's as if trying to see into his soul. He wore the same sort of crisscrossed shirt as Midori did, although Vegeta was glad to see that his pants were not transparent. Vegeta could see on his bare skin that small, intricate patterns had been burned on various places on his chest.

"Chet, this is Vegeta. Vegeta, Chet." Midori introduced them cheerfully.

Vegeta nodded in greeting. Chet did the same, and Vegeta noticed that he too wore earrings.

"Chet, Vegeta was just going to the video shop to buy his son a video game. I thought I'd get him one too. You know…as a sort of welcome to Iro present. You know his mother stayed back on his home planet, and this is his first time being away from home." Vegeta had a hard time not rolling his eyes at the obvious way Midori had brought up his son's mother. Midori just looked up at Chet. "You know more about games than I do. Would you help me pick one?"

Chet stared at her for a moment before shrugging. "Sure." He turned to Vegeta and nodded toward the door. Vegeta shoved his hands into his pockets and went inside, followed closely by Midori and Chet. "What kind of games does he like?" Chet asked as Vegeta pulled the most expensive, brand new gaming system off the shelf. Midori inconspicuously wandered off.

"Fighting games are his favorite, I think, and quest games." Vegeta said. He tucked the gaming system under his arm and started perusing the shelves of games. "But he plays just about anything."

"You play with him?"

Vegeta blushed. "Sometimes." He mumbled.

"That's cool." Chet said. "My dad used to play games with me. He still does when I go home to visit. Though he likes racing games."

Vegeta didn't answer. He just reached up and grabbed one of the games that looked interesting. As he read the back, Chet peered over. "That's a good one. I played it a while back. It's a quest game. Lots of fighting, and there's some puzzle solving too."

"Hmm." Vegeta tucked it under his arm as well and continued looking at the different games.

"This one's my favorite. It's based on a popular legend. It's really quite fun. I've played it more times than I can count." It wasn't lost on Vegeta that Chet had become significantly more open and amiable since they had entered the video store. Vegeta suspected that Midori knew that would happen. Who knew that Midori's boyfriend was a gamer? As Chet proceeded to give him a brief synopsis of the game, Vegeta looked around to try to spot Midori. She had disappeared.

"Hey, what do you say we play a game of Zombie Hunter until Midori gets back?"

"Gets back?"

"Yeah. She usually wanders off to the candy store down the street. They have these things called Framboise that she just can't get enough of. She'll probably be back in a few minutes."

Vegeta didn't really feel like hanging out with this guy, even if he was fairly tolerable. He also didn't feel like playing any games at the moment. He just wanted to get back to his apartment and get a quick nap before calling the Earth and giving them the go-ahead with the plan.

He opened his mouth to say so, but Chet spoke again.

"I can also help you set up that game system later. It can be kinda tricky. Since it's new, you have to tweak the specs on most older TVs just to get it to work."

Vegeta had an image of himself flinging the gaming system against the wall in frustration, and then nodded. "That would be…good."

"Cool." He led Vegeta over to a game and put his card into it before grabbing the plastic blaster rifle. "We can go once Midori gets back."

"Go where?" Midori's voice suddenly sounded from behind them.

Vegeta kept silent and innocently blasted zombies while Chet filled Midori in on the fact that they would be going to Vegeta's apartment to help him set up the game system.

It wasn't until Midori indignantly yelled "no way!" that Vegeta glanced her way. "You can go and help him some other time." Midori said, casting an angry glance in Vegeta's direction. "We have plans."

"Uhh well. It really won't take that long."

"I don't care."

"Well…" Vegeta could tell from Chet's expression that he was close to caving.

This was too important for him to give up. Therefore with a large sigh, he steeled himself for what he was about to say. "Midori, I've got to deal a rather serious situation today, and I can't have Trunks underfoot." He started.

Chet and Midori both gave him odd looks, but he continued. "You probably know that the planet I'm from has been under assault by the Tik for over a month." Midori nodded, and Chet who clearly hadn't known, looked surprised. Vegeta hurriedly continued. "One of…my…comrades, and a very powerful warrior, has been captured, and all of the greatest warriors on the planet are attacking the ship that he's being held on tonight to retrieve him. I will be coaching them from my vid chat, and I can't have Trunks distracting me."

"But…I thought you said…the Meiyochi." Midori stumbled. "And the Krimzon ships should be on their way. Can't you just wait?"

He shook his head. "They won't wait. They're used to handling alien attacks themselves."

"But, how will they…?"

"Deception." Was the easy answer. "There are two warriors on the planet that still have full access to their power as long as they are not close to the ships. There are also two shape-shifters. The shape-shifters will impersonate…two high ranking Krimzon officers and lure the elite Tik away from the ships where they will be taken out. The other warriors can handle the foot soldiers."

Midori had narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "And just who are these Krimzon officers that they will be impersonating?" She asked.

Vegeta cleared his throat and looked at a spot on the wall to her right. "You and me." He answered.

"Me?" Midori shouted, gaining odd looks from the few other people in the game shop. "Impersonating me? You…I can't…oh no! No, no, _no_!"

"I will be coaching them by earpiece to make sure that they are convincing." Vegeta defended.

Midori snorted. "Oh as if you knew me well enough to mimic me."

Chet smiled in amusement. "Well if you're that worried about it, why don't _you_ coach your double?" He asked.

Vegeta and Midori both sent him startled looks. "Eh?"

* * *

"I can't believe I'm doing this." Oolong griped.

"I can't believe that you're doing it for a picture of that woman!" Puar said reproachfully. Vegeta had been much later than they'd expected, but eventually, he had called and given them the go-ahead. And he'd somehow found extra help on his end as well.

This was it. Everyone watched expectantly to see the final forms of Puar and Oolong. After they transformed, 17 and 18 would take them as near as they felt was safe, and the two would walk the rest of the way toward the ship.

Somehow, the Son living room was not tense. It was almost cheerful. No one thought of the ways that he plan could go wrong. All they could think of was that by the end of the night, they would have one less Tik ship to worry about and that an old friend would be returned safe and sound.

"Well I needed one to model myself off of." Oolong frowned down at himself. "Although what kind of woman doesn't have breasts? I feel ripped off."

"She's from another planet."

"Well duh! I knew that! She's blue for crying out loud!"

"Still it's shameful. You won't help us for the sake of the planet, but you'll do it for a dirty picture?"

"I don't know why you're yelling at me. Vegeta's the one who got the picture. He probably had it lying around his house. Under his pillow or something. And he's a married man. _That's_ shameful."

While Master Roshi and Yamcha began a quiet conversation on the point Oolong had just raised, Puar scowled at Oolong. "Quit trying to change the subject and transform already."

Oolong scowled. "Oh fine!" And with a poof, his skin turned grayish-blue, and his hair turned long and purple." Oolong pulled gently at the small, silver chains that had suddenly appeared on his face.

"You're still short and fat!" Puar complained.

"Well let's see your transformation then!" Oolong snapped.

"Fine." A poof later, a man with a strong resemblance to a certain saiyan prince was standing before him.

"Woooow!" Goku exclaimed coming closer. The others followed as well, circling the man and studying him. "This is great, Puar!"

"Hmm." Bulma cocked her head. It was clear that she saw some flaws in Puar's appearance, but apparently she didn't think them important enough to voice. All she said was. "You'll have to scowl more."

Puar scowled darkly, causing Bulma and several of the others to laugh out loud.

Oolong glowered at Puar and with another poof, was suddenly a much more convincingly-sized Midori.

"Alright!" Goku cheered. "Is everyone ready?"

A cheer rang out in the room.

"Then let's go!"

* * *

"I hope you know that we are missing breakfast to be here." Midori griped as she watched the Earth's scenery pass by the section of the screen that she was to be watching. They hadn't told her that her that she would be voiced and acted by a pig. Vegeta and Chet had thought that fact inordinately funny, but Midori had been in a bad mood ever since she'd made the discovery. If only the pig weren't so obnoxious…

"Pop's is just downstairs." Chet offered. "I can go run and get something. I'm sure it will only take a few minutes. They won't be going into the ship for a while, so I've got time."

Midori nodded. "I just want a shuiguo salad." She said.

Chet nodded and looked at Vegeta. "Vegeta, anything for you?"

His stomach growled loudly, betraying his hunger. He just pulled out his card and handed it to Chet. "Just drop my name and ask for the regular."

Chet laughed. "Alright."

"They're there." Midori announced. Vegeta turned his attention back to the screen.

He nodded. The Tik ship loomed dark and menacing on the screen. The two shape-shifters had split up. Puar was heading straight for the ship, while Oolong was standing, hidden in the trees beside it.

Suddenly the door opened on the ship and soldiers poured out. The foot soldiers took one look at the man standing before them before becoming instantly terrified and calling for the elites.

Only a few seconds later, six elites ran out of the ship and stared in shock and horror at the infamous 'Saiyan prince.'

"Oh, Kami, they're huge!" Oolong's shaky voice came over the vid chat.

"Don't you dare cower!" Vegeta hissed to Puar while Midori gave a similar order to Oolong. "Buck up, square your shoulders, stick a hand on your hip, and for Kami's sake put on an attitude!"

"They're more scared of you than you are of them." Midori added.

"Yeah, I don't think so." Came Oolong's voice. "Man, why couldn't we at least have a gun or something?"

"I don't carry guns." Midori snapped.

"Be quiet, pig. Puar repeat after me," Vegeta smirked before speaking. "So I've heard you Tik have been having fun slapping around a bunch of Earthlings. Why don't you try your…ahem…skills against a real warrior now." He paused. "Puar, now raise your hands and wiggle your fingers and say, 'don't worry, I'm unarmed."

* * *

Puar would have preferred it if the Tik elites stayed standing in terrified stupors all night. Therefore, he was quite dismayed when they quickly snapped back to themselves.

"Y…you!" One of them, probably the commander, shouted at him. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm just here to take out the trash." 'Vegeta' smirked and floated into the air. With a yell and a poof, his hair turned golden, and his eyes turned blue.

The Tik soldiers stumbled backwards. Terrified whispers of "He's a super saiyan" and "We're all going to die" drifted over the still air to Puar.

"That's right." Puar said. "I am a Super Saiyan, and I've come to get you off of this planet."

One of the Tik soldiers tried to back away from the group and toward the ship.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Puar said tauntingly, as he raised his hand, palm-up toward the ship.

The soldier froze and stared wide-eyed at the saiyan before him.

"I…I don't understand!" One of the Tik soldiers said. "I…the reading on my scouter is completely tiny."

'Vegeta' laughed. "That piece of junk. Your little toys are clearly in…" He pressed a finger to his ear. "In what?..." He whispered. "Inept?...Clearly inept at sensing true power."

One of the elites suddenly straightened and stared hard at him. "You know what I think?" He said, taking a step forward.

Puar didn't move, but he felt his heart rate start to increase.

"I think you're bluffing. You have no real power right now."

Puar noticeably stiffened. Although he was supposed to be acting at the moment, the fear on his face at having his bluff called was completely real. "You're clearly a fool. But one can't expect a…M'tolon such as yourself to have any sort of intelligence, so I suppose I forgive you."

Puar's heart was thudding in his chest now. He just wanted to lure the elites away. He didn't want to antagonize them. But the deal was that he repeat everything that Vegeta told him word for word.

The Tik commander scowled at him, and turned to his subordinate officer. "Your scouter is reading his Ki as tiny, because it _is_ tiny." The elite stepped forward again, and this time, Puar floated backwards. "The Meiyochi affects him no differently than any other man. He has no access to his Ki." He came forward again, and the other elites followed behind him. Again Puar floated backwards. Away from the ship.

"Are you willing to risk your life on that assumption?" Puar tested arrogantly. "We've got you surrounded after all."

That caused the elites to freeze. "What?" The commander and the rest of the Tik soldiers spun around only to find Empress Kurenai's right hand woman standing a few feet behind them.

"Midori!" The commander shouted in horror. "How?"

'Midori' cocked her hand on her hip and in a voice a bit more nasally than her usual one, said. "Do you honestly think that Kurenai's two top soldiers would be affected by your emperor's silly machines?" She asked, throwing her hair over her shoulder and swaggering a bit clumsily toward them.

They stumbled away from her, only to come to a stop when they remembered who was behind them.

"Now, I'm in a good mood today." Vegeta' said, causing the Tik warriors to turn their attention toward him. "Leave this planet, and I'll let you live."

The commander looked between 'Vegeta' and 'Midori' and then smirked. Then, he began to laugh. A moment later, the other elites began to laugh as well.

Oolong and Puar shared a look, and slowly, Oolong walked around the Tik soldiers to stand beside Puar.

"Now I know you're bluffing." The commander said, walking arrogantly toward the two Krimzon officers. "Would Prince Vegeta, Freiza's loyal servant," Puar flinched as the word "loyal" was shouted incredulously in his ear, before his prompter went off on a mumbled rant. Puar swallowed, hoping that Vegeta would remember himself soon. "Prince Vegeta, the ruthless terror of the universe," The Tik continued. "not only allow his enemies to survive, but allow them to go without so much as a fight?" As he spoke, none of the Tik elites or the foot soldiers noticed the shadowy figures darting into their ship.

Puar couldn't think of an answer to that, and on the other end of the line, Vegeta was being of no help. So Puar did what he figured Vegeta would do in such a situation. He growled and crouched down into a fighting stance.

The Tik commander laughed, and looked over to Oolong. "What's the matter Midori?" He said mockingly. "Are you afraid now that we've caught on to your little game?"

Indeed, beside Puar, Oolong was shaking.

Puar darted a glance at him and swallowed nervously.

The Tik commander smirked, and looked between the two Krimzon officers. "Kill them." He ordered his men. "But keep their heads."

Puar and Oolong shared a glance. It was time to run.

* * *

When the first Tik soldiers they encountered froze and crumpled dead to the floor, Goku wondered how they had managed without Chaotzu before.

"Alright, Kakarott, you'll have to make this quick." The voice of someone named Chet came through the earpiece in his ear. Goku had tried to convince the man to call him Goku, but for some reason, he wouldn't. It was rather pointless to argue anyway, when the man was helping him. "Your friends only have a few minutes at most."

"Okay, where do we go?" He asked.

"Head straight down the hallway that you are on, and then turn right at the first intersection. When you get to the first door on the left, Group B will break off and take the stairs downward. Group A, continue on down the hall."

"Okay." Goku immediately took off in the direction indicated. When they had turned the hall and reached the door Chet had directed them to, Goku turned to look at his friends in Group B: Chaotzu, Buu, Gohan, and Videl. "Good luck, guys." He said, and then with a nod, he, Krillin, Yamcha and Piccolo ran off down the hall.

"Group A, you will soon come to a door on the left. That will be the control room, and the place where the source of the energy field is likely located."

Goku swung his weapon into his hands, and saw Krillin and Piccolo do the same.

"We're here." Goku said. He and the others pressed themselves to the side of the door.

"There are two soldiers in there" Piccolo whispered.

Goku just nodded and waved a hand in front of the door's sensor. The door slid open, and Goku jumped in.

The two Tik soldiers, caught by surprise, were immediately gunned down.

"Alright." Goku said, looking regretfully at the two bodies on the floor for a moment before turning away. "If I were a machine that stopped other machines from working, what would I look like?"

"What is all this stuff?" Yamcha asked, looking around at all of the strange buttons, screens and switches.

"There's no Meiyochi in here." Piccolo noted.

"Hmm…" The four men slowly walked around the control room studying the various buttons.

"Does Chet know what it will look like?" Piccolo asked.

"He says he doesn't, although he guesses that it would probably have its own panel, and would have a simple on-off switch as well as something to control the radius of the field."

* * *

While the others were searching for the switch, Gohan, Videl, Chaotzu, and Buu were making their way—largely unimpeded—thanks to Chaotzu's psychic powers down to the room where the prisoners were kept.

"Chet says it will be this door." Gohan said stopping in front of a sliding door with a key panel.

"Yes." Chaotzu said cheerfully. "I can sense Tien in there." Chaotzu approached the key panel and after a moment of concentration the panel exploded. The door slid open.

The four warriors shared a moment of anticipation before Gohan stepped back. "Buu, you stay out here and watch out for Tik soldiers." Gohan said, and the other three stepped into the dark room.

The arrival of the three Earthling fighters was met with confusion and dazed, haggard stares, rather than the jubilant cheers that may have been expected. The room had a sickly smell. The only sounds were ragged breathing and coughing. Those prisoners who were coherent simply stared at the newcomers with wide, frightened eyes.

No one said a word for a moment, as the prisoners regarded their saviors, and the saviors just stared back.

Finally a loud cry rang out. "Tien!"

A white blur flew across the dark room and nearly collided with one of the prisoners slumped against the wall. The figure coughed and raised his head.

"Chaotzu?" He blinked in surprise. "Chaotzu!"

Chaotzu backed up and grinned. "Tien, we've come to save you!"

"Huh?" He finally looked over to see the two other people standing nearby. "Gohan!" He grinned.

"Hi Tien." Gohan said with a smile. "Don't worry about a thing. We're going to get you out." Gohan looked around at the other prisoners before saying in his most assured voice. "We're going to get you _all_ out." When that again didn't get the large round of cheers he'd been expecting, he leaned close to Videl and whispered. "We should have worn our Saiyaman costumes."

* * *

"Maybe it's this one." Yamcha said staring down at a button that looked somewhat different than the others. "Man, I really wish I could read this."

"Hold on." Goku said. "Chet can probably read it for us." He came closer and looked down at the panel so that the scouter-like device's camera could see it. "Chet says that it reads, 'enemy weapon disturbance field.'"

"That will likely be it then." Piccolo said.

"Go ahead and press it, Yamcha." Krillin coaxed.

"Alright." Yamcha said, his finger hovering over the button. "Here goes nothing." His finger pressed the button down. Three beeps sounded and then silence reigned again.

The four looked at each other. "That's it?" Yamcha asked.

"How do we know if it worked?"

Piccolo shrugged. "No idea. We should probably keep looking, just in case we were wrong."

Before anyone could move, however, the door slid open.

Krillin saw it first. He spun around with a shout to see two Tik soldiers standing framed in the doorway. The first one's gun was aimed straight at Goku.

"No!" Krillin hollered, jumping in front of his friend. At that same moment, the Tik soldier fired. Yamcha and Piccolo opened fire at the Tik soldiers, while Goku yelled in horror at the sight of one of his oldest friends falling to the floor.

In an instant it began, and in an instant it was over. Three bodies were lying on the floor. The two Tik soldiers were half in the room, half out of it, preventing the door from closing.

Krillin was on his back, eyes open but unseeing. A pool of blood lay around his from where it had seeped from the large hole in his neck.

Goku dropped to his knees beside his friend, but he knew it was too late. Krillin's body was fading away. After only a moment, it was gone, like it had never been there to begin with.

"No! Krillin!" Yamcha's eyes were distinctly watery, and his hands were balled into fists.

Piccolo stared at the empty spot on the floor for a moment before sighing and moving out of the room to check the hall. Behind him, he heard the sounds of the two men grieving the loss of their friend.

It had happened in a heartbeat.

* * *

Puar and Oolong had abandoned all pretenses of behaving like the people they were currently impersonating—much to the disgruntlement of the real Vegeta and Midori.

Oolong, running as fast as his elongated legs would take him, skidded on some rocks, squealing much like the pig he was, as he reversed direction. A Tik soldier appeared in the spot he had just vacated, his foot buried knee-deep in the rocky soil.

"Don't you dare squeal like that in my body!" Midori yelled in his ear.

"I'm sorry, lady." Oolong yelled. "But I'm way more scared of them than I am of you! I have no desire to be bacon today."

"Puar!" Vegeta was yelling. "You damned, wretched cat! Stop that this instant! Run on two legs! On two legs! Not on all fours! This is humiliating!"

Puar let out a high-pitched scream as two elite soldiers suddenly appeared in front of her. "Don't scream like that either!"

Just as one of the Tik soldiers was about to grab Puar, another figure appeared, chopping the soldier's arm off and tossing him away. Everything seemed to freeze.

"What the…?" The other Tik soldiers froze and stared at the young, dark-haired man who had just appeared. "Who the hell are you?"

"My name doesn't matter." 17 said. "Just know that I'm the one who is about to kill you." He paused and looked at Puar. "Run."

Puar didn't need to be told again. 18 dropped down a few feet away and immediately decapitated one of the Tik soldiers.

Everything would be alright. With a poof, Puar transformed into a cheetah. Oolong changed back into his original form and with great huffs and puffs toddled over to Puar. "Hey! Hey wait up!"

"Come on, Oolong." Puar said. "Change into something fast."  
Oolong stuck his hands on his knees. Another body impacted with the ground near them, causing them both to jump. "I can't." Oolong said, still gasping for breath. "I'm too tired."

Puar sighed. "Oh fine! Get on my back then."

Oolong grinned and hopped onto Puar's back. "Aright. This is what I'm talking about. Exotic, first class treatment."

"How can you talk so much if you don't have any energy?" Puar asked.

Oolong couldn't think of an answer.

Puar just huffed and raced away.

In the sky above, the Androids were quickly taking out the elites. In less than five minutes they easily destroyed them all.

* * *

Goku, Yamcha, and Piccolo met up with Gohan in the hall. A line of weakened, battered humans were making their way out of the ship. Gohan was helping one along. The man was leaning heavily on the young demi-saiyan, but Gohan bore it without complaint.

"Hey dad." Gohan said, as he spotted them. It only took a moment for the three older men's serious faces to register. "What? What happened?" Gohan took a look at them again. Only three. "Where's Krillin?"

Yamcha's head dropped, and Goku's expression darkened.

Gohan knew the answer before Piccolo said it. "He's gone."

"No." Gohan whispered. "What? How?"

"A Tik soldier shot him." Piccolo pointed to his neck to indicate where. "It was instant. He didn't suffer."

Gohan nodded. "Wow. Man that's terrible." He was silent for a moment before speaking again. "But I guess we still have the dragonballs."

"Yeah." Goku and Yamcha nodded, and shared a determined glance. "We still have the dragonballs."

* * *

A/N: Hi, a great big thanks to all of you who have been keeping up with my story, and also a big thanks for the suggestion to use Chaotzu's psychic powers to the Z fighters' advantage. Great idea!

To all of you who reviewed thank you very much. I really appreciate your input.

Translations:

Framboise: (French) raspberry

Shuiguo: (Chinese) fruit


	27. On Illness and Passing

**Note:** _Italics_ indicates a flashback.

Chapter 27 - On Illness and Passing

"Ahh. Krillin. I'd say that it's been a while, but it really hasn't." King Yemma said, staring in irritation down at the repeat offender. "Eh heh." Krillin scratched the back of his head. "Yea. I know."

"Hmm. Well, until you're undoubtedly wished back to life, you can pass your time in the Paradise for Warriors. I trust you remember the way."

"Yeah. Yeah thanks. I can get there on my own."

"Until the next time." King Yemma said, waving him off. As Krillin walked away, his shoes making little noise on the clean tiles, he distinctly heard King Yemma grumbling about added paperwork and "special cases."

* * *

She stared at all the downcast faces. While it was usual for the group of fighters to be nervous around her and avoid looking her in the eye, it had been a while since they were this anxious in her presence. And although the feeling that something was wrong was steadily mounting, it wasn't until Son Goku approached her with slow but measured steps, a serious look marring his usually-cheerful face, that she began to realize what it was. Even then, it came as a shock to her when he actually said it.

Because the statement of the fact made it real.

"What do you mean, he's dead?" Her shout echoed through the forest-covered mountains surrounding the Son family home, and before she knew it her fists were balled threateningly in the large Saiyan's shirt.

"I'm sorry, 18." Goku said, and she knew it was true. That tone of voice, that expression… they couldn't be faked. He was hurting just like she was. But that didn't mean she still couldn't blame him.

"Where were you?" She looked accusingly at all the other fighters who she knew had accompanied her husband. "Where were all of you? How is it that you all came back without a scratch? Did you even _try_ to save him?" She couldn't fool herself. She knew the answer. Krillin was one of their own—one of the old gang. One who everyone knew and loved. There would have been no hesitation on anyone's part to risk life and limb to save him. While she wasn't sure that she herself could boast the same sort of assurance, it was nice to know that _he_ at least was well liked. And yet even that did not lessen the pain of so suddenly losing him.

It was the tall namek who stepped forward next. "We were caught off-guard. It happened too fast for anyone to react. We bear full responsibility. We should have been more alert."

"Tch." It was hard for her to find a response to that for some reason.

Goku's voice drew her attention again, but she couldn't look up at him. Her eyes were rebelling against her, and no matter how hard she fought it, they wouldn't stop tearing up. "We will leave tomorrow first thing in the morning to look for the dragonballs."

The dragonballs. Always the dragonballs. Still, it was a nice notion to know that in only a matter of days, her husband would return to her safe and sound. It didn't ease the pain of losing him however, even if it was for only a short time. She let go of his Goku's shirt and roughly shoved him away. "You'd better." She said, quickly spinning away lest he see how her eyes were sparkling with tears.

She turned her back on all of them, and strode over to where Marron was sleeping, oblivious, in Chichi's arms. Almost reverently, she took her daughter, avoiding eye contact with the dark haired woman who held her.

"18…" Bulma was coming closer to her, and from the tone of her voice, she knew that she planned on saying something consoling. Perhaps even offer for her to spend the night. 18 would hear none of it. Without even a word, she blasted off into the sky. She hardly even noticed that her brother had followed her.

The rest of the Z fighters stayed standing on the Son family's lawn, staring at the night sky.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Bulma asked Chichi quietly. The two women knew all-too-well what it meant to lose a husband. They were possibly the only two who could begin to understand what 18 was feeling at the moment.

"She's tough." Was Chichi's only answer.

The sound of a beep drew their attention.

Bulma sighed. While calls from Vegeta were nearly always something that she looked forward to and cherished, now just seemed like a bad time. As she headed into the Son living room to answer the call, the rest of the gang took the hint and trailed in after her. Looking back at their long faces and generally depressed attitudes, Bulma prayed that Vegeta wouldn't say something terribly insensitive.

After a moment's hesitation, she answered the call.

"YOU IDIOTS!" Vegeta's face was positively purple.

Bulma didn't know whether to sigh or to become angered. She settled on the latter. "Vegeta…" Her tone was warning. "This is not the time." She glanced behind her to where the room was slowly filling with people. "Krillin—"

He cut her off. "I know!" He snapped. "I was watching." He looked behind her. "Where is Shiro?"

"He's asleep in the capsule house…why?"

"I'm just making sure that there are no Krimzon around to hear this, since apparently you imbeciles can't think to do the same."

"Vegeta, what are you—"

"The dragonballs, woman! Some idiot mentioned the dragonballs while Midori and her mate were sitting right here listening." The Son living room fell silent as everyone suddenly realized the depth of the situation. "Lucky for you Midori was too busy yelling at the pig to have heard it. But Chet heard, and it took me a full half hour to convince him that it was nothing that would concern the Krimzon…_at all_." He leaned closer. "Do you have any idea what either empire would do to get their hands on something so powerful?"  
"You…" Bulma stuttered. "You mean, you never told them?"

"No! Of course not! I'm not stupid. It would be Planet Namek all over again…except on Earth this time! If you lot have any interest in keeping at least some of your Earthling population alive, I suggest you don't bring the dragonballs up again in the company of anyone from _either_ empire."

"So…" Goku came forward. "Is everything okay then? The…the Krimzon aren't going to come here for them, are they?"

"No. I've convinced Chet that the dragonballs are a religious relic whose powers are grossly exaggerated to the point of being ridiculous. I've told him about the wars and genocides that have been started when the dragonballs become the desired objects of…_certain people_, and was forced to…" He made a face, "…_implore_ him not to mention anything to anyone else."

"Are you sure he's trustworthy?"

"Well it doesn't really matter if he isn't, now does it?" He snapped. "Since you can't keep your fat mouths shut anyway."

"We're sorry Vegeta." Goku said. "We didn't even consider—"

"Yes, clearly."

Vegeta sat back and crossed his arms with a look that resembled a pout.

Bulma just sighed, and tried to change the subject. "Where's Trunks?"  
"Asleep." Was his snappish reply.

"Really?" She furrowed her eyebrows. "I didn't think it was that late there."

"It's not." Vegeta confirmed, but said no more on the matter.

Bulma just rolled her eyes. "Well it _is_ late here, so if you're done yelling at all of us, I'm going to say goodnight."

He just scowled, and with only a half-cordial nod, turned off the vid chat.

* * *

He had never seen his sister cry before. Well, he couldn't remember seeing it anyway. In all likelihood, he had probably seen her cry plenty of times when they were children, but he couldn't remember much of anything before Gero.

It was an odd thing to witness. She struggled to hold back tears even as they slowly leaked from her eyes. She made no sound. No sobs, no gasps, no hiccups. She was just oddly silent, as if her suffering was for her alone. 17 couldn't help but feel like an intruder.

He didn't know quite what to do, but he wanted to get back some of the camaraderie that they'd had years ago. As bad as it sounded, with Krillin gone, this was an ideal time to do just that. And there was also a small feeling of obligation that was nagging at the back of his mind. He felt like he should help her. For her sake.

Marron had slept soundly the whole flight to Kame Island. When they'd arrived, the old man, Roshi, had seemed to know what had happened, but he still hesitantly approached 17 for a confirmation. 17 had, in few words, given him that confirmation, and then admitted that he hadn't heard anything about Oolong being hurt and had no idea how the pig would be getting back to the Island. Nor did he care for that matter.

Master Roshi had let him go after that, mentioning something about making a pot of tea. He seemed to realize that 17 was at least going to try to be some sort of emotional support for his sister, and was fine with letting him do just that.

So 17 slowly made his way to the bedroom that 18 had disappeared into. He hesitated outside the door. Now was his chance.

He admitted that there were times that he wished that Krillen would just disappear somewhere and that his sister and niece would come to live with him. It had taken until recently for him to come to terms with the fact that that would likely not happen. Even now that Krillin was gone, with the odd-ball old couple planting flowers everywhere and blowing up his attic, there really wasn't much room for 18 and Marron to come live with him anyway.

Before he realized what he was doing, he had rapped lightly on the door. "18." He called quietly.

The door cracked open a moment later to reveal his blonde-haired sister. She didn't look up at him, but without a word, she stepped aside and motioned for him to enter.

17 felt distinctly awkward walking in what used to be _their_ bedroom. He saw that Marron was asleep on the bed, curled up under the covers. Reminders of _him_ were everywhere. A wedding picture sat in a frame on the bedside table. Pictures of the two of them holding Marron when she was a baby. Pictures of them lying on the beach, at parties that 17 had not been invited to, with the friends that 17 hardly knew—they were everywhere he looked.

18 just walked over to the bed and sat beside her sleeping daughter. After a moment, she began absently stroking the girl's hair.

"Was there something you wanted?" 18 asked suddenly. Her voice was quiet, but still cold.

"I…I didn't think you should be alone." 17 tried. He had no idea what people said at times like these. He imagined that even for normal people who had lived lives full of various social interactions, this would be hard.

"I have Marron." Was 18's reply.

17 momentarily imagined himself crossing the room and sitting beside her, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Instead, he remained standing awkwardly by the door.

"Yeah," He agreed, before speaking again. "You have Marron." He glanced out the window at the dark, night sky before adding. "You have me too, if you care to know."

She glanced at him before looking back to her daughter without a word.

"And…" 17 continued, hoping that this wouldn't blow up in his face. "As soon as the others find the dragonballs, you'll have him too."

She nodded absently.

"Just think of it as him being on vacation. I'm sure that wherever he is now, it's much better than this place. And when he gets back, he'll be able to tell you all about all the…clouds he hopped around on…and the…angels he sang and played the harp with."

That actually brought a sound out of 18. It was a mix between a cough, a sob, and a chuckle. "I can tell that you didn't make it to any of the better afterlives when Buu killed you." She said.

17's mouth hung open for a moment before he snapped it shut. "Wh…what?"

"Otherworld for good people is nothing like that." 18 answered, tucking some hair behind her ear.

17 just blinked, and narrowed his eyes. "How would _you_ know?" He asked suspiciously. "You haven't changed _that_ much."

"When you hang around people who are dead as much as they're alive, you hear about all the different places in Otherworld." 18 answered. "The last time Krillin died, he went to the Paradise for Warriors. He retained his body, and was allowed to spar and train with the greatest fighters history has ever produced. He said that it was a wonderful place, even if he did miss me a bit while he was there."

"Huh." 17 leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. "Some vacation." He mumbled.

There was suddenly a knock at the door. 17 blinked and pulled it open. Master Roshi was standing in the hall with a case of beer in his hands. "Here. I couldn't find any tea."

17 stared down at the beer and smirked slightly. "This is better anyway." He said, before taking it and quietly shutting the door.

Pulling the tops off two of the bottles, he passed one to his sister. She hesitated, glancing at her sleeping daughter before accepting it. "I don't like to drink around Marron." She explained.

"Bah!" He waved the concern away. "You deserve a drink right now."

She looked down at her bottle with a frown.

"I propose a toast." 17 said extravagantly, breaking her away from her somber thoughts before she could delve too deeply into them.

"This is not the time for a toast." 18 snapped, her eyebrows drawing down into a scowl.

"Sure it is. A toast to the good sorts of people who are rewarded in death by freakishly awesome afterlives." He raised the bottle slightly. "May he enjoy his holiday."

Despite herself, the corner of her lips raised into a small smile.

* * *

He was dying.

He was certain of it.

Never in all of his 11 years had he ever felt so miserable. His body felt heavy—as if he'd just been beaten so badly that he couldn't move. His stomach kept churning, and he was certain that at any moment, he would vomit. He was covered in sweat, and his head was pounding out a steady beat. In all, he was miserable.

He cracked open a heavy-lidded eye to look at his room. It took him a moment for his groggy mind to place where he was—the décor was different and unfamiliar. Though the curtains were closed, there was still far too much light in his room. It made his head hurt worse. He scrunched his eyes shut again.

He had to do something. But he didn't know what.

Get help.

He tried to push himself up onto an elbow but collapsed back onto the bed even more dizzy and nauseous than before.

A terrible cramp wrenched his stomach, and a pained whimper escaped his lips.

Moving lethargically he curled himself into a ball.

"Mom…" The sound came out as hardly more than a whisper. He opened his eyes again. _Oh wait. Mom's not here. _"D…dad…" The second cry was hardly louder than the first.

He closed his eyes again and concentrated. It was difficult considering that his head felt like it might explode at any minute.

"_Dad!"_

The reply was instant. _"What?"_

"_I'm dying."_

A surge of concern and…fear?..came through the link, and nearly caused Trunks to vomit right then. _"What?" _He could feel his father probing through his miserable thoughts. _"...hold on."_

"_Hurry!"_

A moment later, his door was flung open and his father strode into the room. The saiyan prince stuck his hands on his hips and observed his son for a moment. "Your ki is a bit low, but I don't think you're dying." He concluded, leaning down next to the bed.

"I'm gonna yak." Trunks said.

Vegeta actually jumped away with a look of horror on his face.

Trunks whined. "I can't move."

"Hmm…" Vegeta looked around the room before spotting Trunks' garbage can. He quickly grabbed it and placed it beside his bed. "Get it in there, if you have to." He said before moving clear out of range. He leaned over again and put a hand on Trunks' forehead both feeling his temperature and infusing some of his energy to the boy. "You're burning up." He said, seemingly confused. "Did you eat anything strange?"

"Everything's strange here."

"That's probably your problem." Vegeta concluded.

"Huh?"

"You've never been off the planet before, and your mother's entire race has for the most part lived completely isolated on Earth for thousands of years. It's possible that you simply have no immunity for common germs around here."

"You mean I'm going to get sick every time I leave the house?" He asked in horror, but his father was already walking out of the room. "Dad!"

But he'd disappeared.

"Dad!" He called again, trying to prop himself on his elbow. "Don't leave me!"

"I'm not." Came the slightly annoyed reply, and his father walked back into the room with one of those weird space phones in his hand. He began pressing buttons on it, and then finally stuck it to his ear. "Yisheng?" Apparently satisfied that he'd contacted the correct person, Vegeta began describing Trunks' symptoms and his suspicions of how he'd gotten sick.

Trunks blinked up at his father as he talked on the phone. _No yelling, no swearing. He's having a civilized conversation. _His eyes widened in disbelief as his father said "thanks, I appreciate it" and hung up. _Who is this person? _He thought staring at his father as if he was first seeing him.

"Don't give me that look." Vegeta said heading for the door again. He paused with one foot on the first step and looked back over his shoulder with a smirk. "I know very well how to have a 'civilized conversation' as you call it. I just usually find it more fun not to." With that he turned and left, leaving a speechless Trunks staring after him.

Trunks was about to yell after his father again, when suddenly his stomach heaved. He quickly pulled himself over the garbage can—and just in time too.

Twenty minutes later, he was awoken from a light doze at the sound of two people entering his room. Trunks glanced over to see his father leaning casually against the wall and a woman coming over to him.

With no explanation, the woman leaned over, shoved a thermometer in his mouth, and started shining a light in his eyes.

"Wha—?"

"Shh!" The woman hushed him. She rolled him onto his back, pulled the sheets down and then pulled his shirt up to see his chest.

"Hey!" His face flushed red and he tried to pull his shirt back down.

"Trunks, let the doctor do her job, will you?" His father asked in annoyance.

Trunks, face still red, acquiesced but looked away.

A minute later, the woman pulled the thermometer out and looked at it. "Yes this is higher than what you told me it should be." She said, looking over at Vegeta. "But you were right. It's nothing serious. These are very common among people who first have contact with the outside universe. He's got a bad cold and the grippe."

Vegeta nodded. "There's medicine for that, right."

"Oh yes." The doctor said. "He should stay in bed at least until his fever has gone down and he feels strong enough to walk again. I haven't worked with any saiyans other than you, and I've never seen a human in my life, so I can't tell you exactly how long that will be. If his immune system is anything like yours, though, he will likely be better in a few days."

Vegeta just nodded.

"For the cold, all you can do is get him to drink C. I would say one cup of C-blue for large B type mammalians every six hours. For the grippe, there's a one-time pill called GBgone. There's no specifications for race type. It's all the same."

Vegeta nodded again and motioned for her to follow him out of the room.

They left, shutting the door behind them. Trunks could hear them still talking but he couldn't make out what he was saying.

He stared tiredly at the door. If a common illness felt this bad, he'd hate to get a serious one.

* * *

Their early morning departure had turned into an early afternoon departure. Since they had attacked the Tik ship at night, they hadn't gotten back to Mount Paz until the wee hours of the morning. Then, upon returning no one had felt like going to sleep just yet. It just didn't seem right after the events earlier that night.

And so old friends had gathered in the Son living room reminiscing about the old days, about adventures, enemies that seemed almost comical in retrospect, and happier times when all they had needed the dragonballs for was strawberries, perfect boyfriends, and underwear.

It was nearly dawn before anyone had gone to bed, and it was only the growling of several saiyan and half-saiyan stomachs that had stirred the mountain to life around noon. From the moment the first person awoke, the small clearing where the Son house and two capsule houses stood was a bustle of activity and fretting.

The sound of Goku knocking everything out of the closet and shattering one very old and cherished holiday snowglobe—and Chichi's consequent shouts—ensured that everyone within a mile's radius was awake by 12:15.

By 12:30, Bulma was running a last-minute check on the radar to make sure that it was working properly. Chichi was dividing herself between helping her boys pack for their trip and making breakfast. Eventually, she had to give up and leave the task of preparing food to Videl, Chaotzu, and one very disgruntled Oolong. Yamcha and Puar were busy packing up their things, while Tien assisted Gohan in encapsulating mini refrigerators full of food, drinks and snacks.

Through it all, one very confused Shiro was staring at all the commotion with an air of bewilderment.

Eventually, by two o'clock, Goku, Yamcha, Puar, and one very excited Goten were packed and ready, armed with the dragon radar, several capsules of food, a capsule trailer to sleep in, and more pairs of clean underwear and socks than they could possibly use.

An occasional yawn escaped one of the well-wishers as friends and family gathered on the Son family lawn around the capsule car, exchanging hugs, promises to call, assurances that Goten _would_ study every night, and last minute advice. Yet, despite the inherent solemnity of the mission, the memory of the events the night before, the constant reminder of the alien invaders who were causing chaos on their home planet, and the fact that no one had gotten a full night's sleep the night before, the group was nothing but smiles.

The autumn day seemed unusually bright, and the mountains around Mount Paz promised spectacularly colorful scenery. The four dragonball hunters piled into a capsule car and under the cheerful waves of their families and friends were on their way. The possibility of a happy outcome to their problems seemed suddenly real. The dragonballs could fix any problem that they came across. All they had to do was find them.

Their quest had begun.

* * *

Bulma had just finished helping Chichi with the dishes when she heard the vid chat beeping in the living room. Almost skipping toward the source of the noise, she quickly answered, and then blinked at the sight of her son lying, curled up in a large blanket on Vegeta's dark couch. Despite herself, she giggled at the cuteness of it.

"It's not funny." Trunks said grouchily. "I'm sick."

Her amused look was instantly replaced with one of worry. "Sick? Trunks, you've never been sick."

"I know. Thank Dende for that, because this is terrible."

Vegeta chose that moment to walk back into the room.

"Vegeta, what's wrong with him?" Bulma asked worriedly.

"He had no immunity to the germs and bacteria on this planet." He informed her, placing a cup of something steaming on the coffee table. "He's got something the equivalent of the flu, and that's compounded with a bad cold."

"Didn't he get vaccinations?" Bulma asked testily.

"Yes." Vegeta said narrowing his eyes. He motioned with a stiff jerk of his chin for Trunks to sit up. "For all of the serious diseases and viruses. Pretty much everyone else in the universe is immune to what he caught. I know I am." He caught Trunks' elbow when it was apparent that he couldn't sit up on his own, and helped him to sit upright. When he was vertical enough, Vegeta handed him the cup of steaming stuff. "I don't think they even have vaccines for it. If you're going to blame anyone, blame yourself. Apparently he inherited his lack of immunity from you."

There was a gagging sound from behind him, and he turned.

"Dad, this tastes terrible."

"And it's the only thing that will make you better"

"Isn't there a pill or something?"

He shook his head.

"So it's nothing serious?" Bulma asked.

Vegeta shook his head. "No. He should be better in time for school in two days."

Trunks groaned. "I can't believe that I got sick on the weekend!" He looked pleadingly at his father. "It's not fair dad! Can't I stay home?"

"Not if you're well."

Trunks pouted and then looked at his mom. "Is Goten around?"

Bulma sent him a rather guilty look. "No. He just left a few hours ago. He went with Goku, Yamcha and Puar to find the dragonballs."  
"What?" Trunks yelled, and then trailed off into a fit of coughing. After his fit subsided, he looked back to him mom. "That's not fair! How does he get to hunt for the dragonballs when I couldn't do anything when I was on Earth?"

"Oh, Trunks, honestly. Searching for the dragonballs is not nearly as dangerous as the things that you were trying to do. And besides, we had no need for them then."

"Oh…" Trunks sank down a bit. "Yeah, Krillin."

Bulma shared a glance with Vegeta. He just nodded. She sighed. "But everything will be alright." She promised. "It always is."

* * *

"Man, I had forgotten how long it used to take us to find these things without super powers!" Yamcha exclaimed, skewering a hot dog with his stick. He eyed Goku's and Goten's sticks which where bent and straining heavily under the weight of their many hot dogs.

The first two days had passed, and they had hardly made any progress toward their first dragonball. It reminded them of their youth, when finding each ball had required days of travel and harrowing tasks.

"Yeah, that seems like forever ago." Goku replied tapping one of his hot dogs to see if it was hot enough.

"I'd say we should have just asked 17 to find them for us, but I'm not really sure I trust him." Yamcha continued. Despite the severity of his statement, the dancing flames of the fire and the cool night air on his back seemed to soothe him somehow, and he didn't speak with much real venom.

"Ah," Goku shook his concern away. "You just don't know him well enough. I'm sure he's perfectly trustworthy."

"Yeah, but you think that of everyone."

"Most of the time they are."

"Most of the time." Yamcha agreed. "But remember Frieza? And Dr. Gero."

Goku pouted at the reminders of his good deeds coming back to haunt him, but didn't say anything.

It was Goten who broke the silence. "Who's Frieza?" Goten asked. He had heard Dr. Gero mentioned the night before, when his father, Yamcha and the other adults had been recounting their youthful adventures. But he had only heard Frieza mentioned a few times. When Abo and Cado had appeared on Earth over a year ago, all of the adults had been talking about someone named Frieza, but when he'd asked Gohan about it during the dinner that had followed the fight, his brother had suddenly grown nervous and changed the subject. Goten had forgotten to ask again after that.

Goku, Yamcha, and Puar all suddenly had choking fits.

"Ahh…uhhh…well…" Yamcha glanced at Goku. "Frieza was one of the old villains that your dad beat...years ago…before you were born."

"Ohhh…so he was like Majin Buu?"

"Uhh…yeah. Kinda like that."

"But why doesn't anyone like to talk about him?"

"Because he was a very evil man" Goku said somberly.

"What did he do?"

Goku and Yamcha glanced at each other. Yamcha suddenly cleared his throat. "Hey, have you done your homework, kiddo?"

"Eh…no. Not yet."

"Ohhh, yeah." Goku was suddenly nodding. "You should do that. It's getting late. And you did promise your mom you'd keep up with your studies."

Goten frowned. The prospect of having to do math was daunting enough to drive away his curiosity about the person named Frieza. Perhaps one day, he'd remember to ask again, but for the moment, he had to study.

* * *

It would figure that the doctor would be right, and Trunks would be right as rain just in time for school. It was just what every kid wanted…to be cruelly robbed of his weekend and then forced to go to school the next day. He still felt somewhat weak and achy, and he kept sneezing at very inopportune times. However, he had been deemed well enough to attend school, and so had been forced out of bed, into his uniform, and on the train.

History of the Modern Universe had been interesting at least. They were currently studying the rise of the Cold Clan and the birth of the Planet Trade. Most of the important figures were a complete mystery to him, but he distinctly heard a name that he thought he recognized.

Frieza. It was a name that was always whispered around him, and yet no one ever really explained who he was. Up until now, he had never really cared, but he was beginning to get curious. Some small voice nagged at the back of his head telling him that knowing who Frieza was would answer more questions than he knew.

He made his way quickly down the hall to his second class of the day. He wished that he could stop and chat with his friends in the hallway like most of the other students were doing, but he didn't know anyone well enough to talk to then. He knew that he had Standard Composition with Tetch, but as he walked into the classroom, he couldn't see his friend anywhere. As had become the norm, every eye in the class turned toward him as he hesitated in the doorway surveying the students for a familiar face.

Finally, his eyes alighted upon one. In the front corner of the class, sitting alone, amid a circle of empty seats was the little girl with the curly red tentacle-hair. Trunks hesitated for a moment longer before crossing the room and taking a seat next to her. She glanced his way nervously for a moment before dropping her eyes back to her open textbook. Trunks could tell that she was not reading it. Rather, she was staring blankly at the pages, lost in thought.

He stared at her a moment longer. Something about this girl intrigued him, but he couldn't quite figure out what. "I remember you." Trunks said suddenly, before he could stop himself.

The girl started and turned her gaze toward him.

"Yeah." Trunks nodded with a friendly smile. "You were with the Tik when they attacked my planet."

Her nervous eyes grew positively terrified, and her lip trembled a bit. She seemed torn between wanting to run away from him and wanting to cry.

Trunks hurriedly tried to wave her concern away. "Hey, I'm not going to hurt you or anything. I just wanted to meet you." He turned fully toward her. "You see…I'm new here too."

She blinked at him. "Really?"

"Mmhm. My dad lives here, and my mom lives on Earth…the planet you…" He cut himself off when he saw her eyes dart away again. "Well anyway…" The two lapsed into silence. "So…" Trunks tried again. "What's your name?"

"Han'nei." She blinked and looked back at him shyly. "You?"

Trunks smiled and held out his hand. "Trunks."

Han'nei stared at his hand for a moment before slowly taking it.

"Nice to meet you."

"Hey." A familiar voice suddenly said behind him. Trunks turned to see that Tetch had arrived and was coming toward him.

"Hey." Trunks greeted.

"Why are you sitting in the front?" He asked dropping into a seat behind Trunks. "The teacher will be able to see everything we're doing up here."

Trunks just shrugged. "Hey, Tetch, this is Han'nei. Han'nei, this is Tetch."

Tetch straightened and looked over at the other girl as if he hadn't noticed her before. Han'nei just stared nervously back at him.

"Oh." Tetch sent a glance between Trunks and Han'nei before hesitantly nodding to Han'nei. "Hi, nice to meet you. You're new here right?" His eyes darted to the collar around her neck for a moment before he hurriedly looked back to her face.

Han'nei nodded.

"What classes are you taking?"

While Han'nei somewhat nervously read out her schedule, Tetch made short remarks about the classes and teachers. Trunks tried to inconspicuously stare at the young girl. It was an understatement to say that he was curious about her.

What kind of life must it have been to be a child soldier? Was it the same sort of life his father had led? He determined that he would find out more about her. He just had to figure out how.

"Hey, Han'nei, do you want to come to my house after school?" Trunks blurted out suddenly, without really thinking.

Both Tetch and Han'nei turned surprised expressions on him.

Trunks' face reddened. "I mean…to study. We're both new right? And we probably have to catch up on a lot of work." He cleared his throat. "It would be…easier…if we did it together…don't you think?"

"Umm…" Han'nei smiled slightly. If she noticed Trunks' discomfiture, she didn't let on to it. Tetch, however, was staring at Trunks as if he'd just grown a second head. Trunks ignored him as he waited anxiously for Han'nei's answer.

Suddenly, however, his nose scrunched up and he let out a loud sneeze.

Every eye in the class was suddenly on him again, but he hardly noticed as he sniffled miserably. Even though he was fairly certain that he didn't have one, he began digging through his pockets for a tissue or handkerchief.

Suddenly, a tissue made its way into his line of vision. He glanced up in surprise to see Han'nei offering it to him with a small smile. Trunks smiled back, embarrassed, but for entirely different reasons now.

"Egh…thanks." He felt his face heating up again. It had been doing that a lot lately, he realized.

"Sure." Han'nei answered, with a small smile. "I'd like to come. I just have to ask my guardian."

Trunks grinned back at her and sniffled again.

Tetch simply stared in perplexity between the two, wondering if he'd missed something.

* * *

Vegeta decided that nothing could possibly make the day any worse. He couldn't remember the last time he had gotten a good night sleep—maybe it was three nights ago…maybe four. Then there was the regular psychologist appointment. Today's had been fairly adamant about hearing about Vegeta's feelings regarding his father's handing him over to Frieza. Vegeta shuddered as he thought back to the session.

"_Prince Vegeta, I understand that you may have some unresolved issues about this, but I want you to know that talking about it will help."_

_ "I don't see how." He snapped. "And who says I have issues?"_

_ "It's perfectly natural. Experiencing the trauma of being given as collateral to a person as sadistic as Frieza by ones own father is certain to engender some sense of betrayal. It is clear that you have trouble trusting people—"_

_ "Says who?"_

_ "It's just an observation."_

_ "Well keep your observations to yourself." He glanced at the clock. There were still 20 minutes left. _

_ "Prince Vegeta, do you feel that your father abandoned you?"_

_ He didn't reply._

_ "Do you think that he didn't have a choice in giving you away?"_

_ His eyes darted to hers. "Are you implying that he did? Are you saying that my father willingly gave me away? That Frieza gave him the option?" Vegeta had jumped to his feet and was furiously pacing the room, glancing at the clock as if, by doing so, he might speed up time. "Frieza gave him an option." Vegeta said, glaring for a moment at the old woman. "It was either give me away as an assurance of the saiyans' continued obedience or refuse to hand me over and accept that Frieza would destroy the entire planet."_

_ "So you don't blame your father?"_

_ Vegeta ground his teeth together. He couldn't think of an answer for that, even if he did feel like telling her._

_ The woman cleared her throat. "Let's talk about your brother. You were handed over to Frieza, and he was hidden on a safe planet far away from Vegetasei. How does that make you feel?"_

_ His hands clenched into fists. If these sessions were supposed to make him feel more at peace with himself and his past, they were doing just the opposite. It seemed as though all these psychologists wanted to talk about was everything that bothered him—as if by putting him into a towering rage of shame, humiliation, betrayal, and a plethora of other emotions that he couldn't quite name, he would somehow suddenly feel better about life in general._

_ He'd had enough. With one final glare at the woman, he'd turned and strode out of the room. _

Afterwards, Kurenai had been a horror as usual. News of his and Midori's involvement in the battle on Earth had made its way back to her, and Kurenai had decided that, in order to carry on the ruse—or maybe just as punishment for doing it behind her back—it was time for Vegeta to actually learn to translocate. So she had forced him to practice—with very limited results—until he had given himself a migraine.

Then, she had demanded that he help another troop of incompetent soldiers out of a sticky situation. It had taken him a full six hours to win them the battle, and even though they had won, he still didn't feel any accomplishment. They had lost more than half of their men in the process. Of course, if he hadn't helped, they would have probably lost all of them. However, Vegeta still felt a keen sense of failure.

His only consolation was that Kurenai had promised him that she had something planned for him that she knew he would enjoy. It was a surprise, apparently, and he would find out what it was tomorrow. Whatever it was, however, it was top secret, and so Vegeta had no idea if he would enjoy it or hate it.

He was glad when he finally reached his apartment. He was ready for a hot shower and then a delicious dinner down at Pop's. He hoped that Trunks would be ready to eat in a half hour, because Vegeta was positively starving.

"Hi, dad!" He heard the shout the moment he opened the door. The cheerful call grated on his already frazzled nerves, but the annoyance at that was nothing compared to that which he felt when he noticed the two other people in his apartment.

Trunks immediately noticed his expression and hurriedly started to explain. "Ahem…dad. This is my friend from school." He indicated the small girl with orange tentacle-like hair. "We have a composition class together, but since we both just transferred in we have to catch up on the work."

Vegeta stared down at the little girl and then at the older woman lounging on his couch reading a book. The woman bore no resemblance to the girl. It was hardly likely that they were related in any way. The woman quickly closed her book and stood. "I'm Calaheigh, Han'nei's guardian. I'm with KRIA."

Vegeta blinked. "With who?" He asked, although he honestly didn't care.

The woman cocked her head with a look of surprise. "KRIA." She repeated, as if that might help him. "The Krimzon Rehabilitation and Integration Agency. Han'nei was rescued from the Tik."

Trunks spun around excitedly. "Goku rescued her!"

Vegeta snorted and, deciding that that was about all he wanted to hear of that story, headed into his kitchen. Trunks would likely not be ready to go to Pop's in a half hour, and some things just couldn't wait.

Unfortunately, Trunks felt it necessary to elaborate. "Han'nei was with the Tik forces that were…are attacking earth right now. She landed with the first wave. Goku somehow got past the line of fighters."

Vegeta pulled open the fridge with an air of extreme boredom. Even half-way across the universe, that clown's feats followed him wherever he went. He pulled out a blue drink and took a swig.

"Goku snuck up on her and shot her."

Vegeta choked, and his head whipped around in surprise.

Trunks smirked at his father's reaction. "She almost died, but Goku gave her a senzu bean."

Vegeta could only roll his eyes and turn back to the fridge in search of something to eat.

* * *

A/N: I know quite a few of you long wanted to see some interaction between Trunks and Han'nei. They've finally officially met. Yay!

Also, as I might have mentioned, I just moved far away, and have recently been (somewhat brutally) reminded that people who suddenly move to a vastly different environment often get sick within the first few weeks—especially if they're often in places like schools. It seemed only natural to me that Trunks, despite his Saiyan heritage would have some weaknesses for certain germs that his human side had never had contact with.

I hope you all enjoyed it! A big thanks to all of you who reviewed! I really appreciate it!

Translations:

Yisheng- (chinese) doctor

Grippe- (French) flu


	28. Sorceress vs Apprentice

Chapter 28- Sorceress vs. Apprentice

"So…the third dragonball is…in there?" Yamcha's voice was barely audible, due both to the hesitation with which the words were spoken and the hums and chirps of the untold dozens of forest creatures and insects hidden in the thick flora that surrounded them.

"That's what the radar says." Goku responded with a nod. He seemed less troubled than the others by their surroundings.

To the eye, everything was still. Nothing moved. Not even the wind blew. However, the dense jungle was throbbing with life, somehow seeming to breathe and to reach out for them.

Despite the somewhat eerie atmosphere that hung over the jungle, though, it was the sight before them that put the four adventurers on edge. None of them moved as they stared at the old vine-covered stone pyramid in front of them.

"I don't know if I want to go in there." Puar squeaked floating to hide behind Goten's shoulder.

It had taken them two days to hike through the dense, rocky jungle to find this place. There were no trails to walk on, and no areas smooth enough for their car to pass through, and so they had been forced to continue on foot. All four of them were covered in small cuts from the thorns they'd encountered, and there were dirty smudges on their faces and clothes. And now, after such a long harrowing journey, to only find an ancient temple of questionable stability, and which hid untold menaces was—instead of the easily visible orange ball as they'd hoped—was a bit of a let down.

"Do you want to…" Yamcha hesitated, hoping that his next question didn't make him sound like a coward. "maybe wait until morning?" The sun was indeed beginning to drop behind a nearby mountain, and although the sky was casting everything in beautiful hues of orange and pink, the idea of venturing inside the ruins after dark was not made any more welcoming.

"No." Goku answered after a moment's consideration. "It's already been a week and we've only found one dragonball so far. At this rate it will take us months to wish Krillin back."

Yamcha sighed. "Yeah…I get ya. Man, how on Earth could a dragonball even get in there?"

"No idea." Goku answered. Stowing the dragon radar in his pocket, he strode forward toward the entrance of the pyramid.

Goten followed closely at his heels, warily eying the large statues of strange and frightening creatures that lined the entrance of the pyramid as if they might spring to life at any second.

Yamcha and Puar shared resigned looks. Sure they'd known that finding the dragonballs wouldn't be a walk in the park, but they hadn't thought that it would be this hard.

Suddenly an animal screeched somewhere nearby. Puar and Yamcha started, and Yamcha suddenly forgot that even without access to his Ki, he could defend himself against most of the wildlife they might come across. At the moment, the situation seemed far too similar to his younger days, when the dragonballs were hard to find and predatory animals needed to be taken seriously.

He looked back to the direction Goku and Goten had headed off in. They were both meters away, almost at the entrance of the ruins. "Uh guys!" Yamcha called, running toward them, Puar clutching his shoulder. "Wait up!"

* * *

Vegeta decided that barring every other time she had surprised him, Kurenai's surprises were the best. He'd never expected when she'd said she had something planned that he would like that she meant a duel.

A duel with who? With her of course.

Vegeta had long wondered just how powerful the old sorceress was. He wondered about her power almost as much as he wondered about the mysterious absentee warlord that he was supposedly fighting against.

When he'd first met Kurenai on that planet all those years ago, he'd known that she was powerful. Not any person could have survived an explosion of the caliber that she'd been caught in and still be able to summon enough energy to run, fire energy blasts, and fly.

And her power had only grown over the years.

Currently, Kurenai boasted the reputation of being the most powerful being in the Krimzon Empire. The Krimzon Empire encompassed approximately a third of the known universe.

What that means, as Chet had warned him that morning, is that "she is not to be messed with."

And Vegeta couldn't be more excited to beat the snot out of her. He just couldn't believe that the old windbag would give him permission to throttle her.

He glanced to the side to see Kurenai staring calmly out the view port window in front of her.

Vegeta could care less where they were headed, even though he turned back to look at the glistening space debris as they rocketed past. There was only one thought on his mind.

This was going to be great.

* * *

Trunks jaw cracked with a huge yawn despite his best efforts to rein it in.

Tetch smirked knowingly at him. "Up late playing Talaquin Quest?"

Trunks nodded. The game was addictive, and his father wasn't the type of parent to come into his room and force him to go to bed at a decent hour. Trunks had been up far later than he'd intended to be, and had only ended up getting a little over three hours of sleep the night before. He was paying for it now. It was only the first class of the day, and he wanted nothing more than to go back to bed. He had no idea how he would survive the day.

The classroom quieted slightly as the teacher walked in, heading straight for the podium in front of the classroom and typing something into the computer.

Trunks rested his cheek on his fist, and with another yawn, his eyes drifted closed.

That was when it happened—as if an electric shock passed through the large, stadium-style classroom. He could sense the change in all of his classmate's energies, could hear the immediate and complete silence broken only by small gasps and whispers. More than that, he could feel that for some reason, people were staring at him.

His eyes snapped open, focusing instantly on the large screen in front of the classroom. On the screen was a strange white lizard-like man, flanked by two larger, similar creatures. Hovering behind the three white lizard men were aliens of various sizes and shapes—fat pink ones, effeminate green ones, purple ones, orange ones, blue ones. Standing off to the right, as if somehow separate from the others but not quite fully, was—as clear as day—his father. Behind him were several people—Saiyans—that Trunks didn't recognize. One, strongly resembled Vegeta, and Trunks thought that he vaguely recalled seeing a picture of the man several months before on the TV.

The other saiyans couldn't hold his attention however. Trunks' eyes were locked on his father. Vegeta looked younger, harsher. His hair was the same. He had same face—although in the picture, it seemed gaunter and pale. He even wore the blue and white armor that Trunks had seen him wear on occasion. There was no doubt about his identity. Yet something made Trunks want to think that the man that he was staring at was a different person entirely.

It was his eyes, he decided. His eyes were hollow and merciless, and bordering on wild. He was like a caged animal—miserable, feral, and dead inside.

"Oh Kami." Trunks whispered. He didn't have to look to see that both Han'nei and Lysibet were staring at him in concern.

This was his father. This was who the man he idolized had been all those years ago. Trunks could hardly believe it. He was finally going to find out who his dad had been.

His fatigue had long-since lifted, and Trunks scrambled to open his notebook and find a pen. It seemed odd that he would be taking notes on his father's personal history, but the idea of him missing a single word of it terrified him.

"I'm sure you all recognize at least some of these people." Professor Catibi began in her accented speech.

Trunks found himself hanging on her every word.

"Prince Vegeta, is obviously a celebrity in the current Empire, and I'm sure many of you at least heard about his trial several months ago. What we will discuss today, is not his exploits in the current war, but his involvement in the Cold Empire and the Planet Trade several decades ago. To do this, we must first talk about several other important figures." The image of the white lizard man somehow became brighter, while the other images darkened.

"This…was Frieza, the son of King Cold." The largest, purple and white' lizard brightened as well at the mention of the King. "Together, these two, along with King Cold's other son, Cooler ruled a large portion of the universe with an iron fist. They did this through the use of terror tactics and brute force, the destruction of rebellious planets, and the extermination of entire populations that could have proven capable of bringing down the empire. These three beings were, for decades, by far the most powerful beings in the universe, and they used their power, not to conquer land themselves, but to enslave powerful warriors to do their bidding." Now, all of the aliens behind the three lizard men, and all of the Saiyans lit up. "Every person that you see here was a slave to the Cold Empire."

Trunks' blood ran cold.

It made sense. The cold, caged look in the picture, everyone's refusal to talk about his father's past, his father's behavior and near-desperate efforts to keep Trunks away from the Tik.

Vegeta had been a slave—a slave warrior as Lysibet had called him.

Trunks could hardly believe it, but somehow he knew it to be true. It stung somehow, that his father, a man so strong and so proud, had once been the _possession_ of another person—especially one as cruel as this Frieza person seemed to be.

Professor Catibi's voice drew his attention back to the lecture. "With these warriors at their disposal, the Cold Clan was almost single-handedly responsible for the extermination—or near extermination—of nearly 500 races. Among these, as you may already know are the Saiyans, the Taurans, the Osmecs, and the Celons."

Now there was whispering throughout the classroom. Trunks hardly heard it. His eyes were transfixed on the image of Frieza—his pen poised, unmoving over his paper.

_It was him._ Trunks' shocked thoughts flickered through is brain. _He killed them all. It was Frieza. That's why no one talks about him. It's because of dad._ Trunks suddenly wanted to be with his father. It was an odd urge, and one that a more logical part of his brain knew his father wouldn't appreciate, but Trunks wanted to hug his father and tell him…tell him what? That it would be ok?

It wouldn't be. It never would be. How awful it must have been for him to have lost his entire planet and race. Trunks had felt that pain for several hours, but with the knowledge that the dragonballs could set all to rights again, things like death and destruction never seemed entirely real.

Trunks continued to sit, enthralled, as the teacher began to speak of the Planet Trade and its rulers. He waited, nearly squirming, for some mention of his father. From what little information Trunks had already gleaned, he knew that his father played a large role in the fall of the Planet Trade and the Cold Clan. It appeared that today, he was going to discover just what that role was.

* * *

His black boots stirred a light purple dust into the air as he stepped off of the ship. Kurenai floated behind him, seeming perfectly at home in the desolate landscape.

"So…this is…a planet?"

"Yes…the closest planet to Iro." She finally took a look around. "I never could figure out why it was uninhabited."

"Can't you?" Vegeta sneered at the barren landscape. He couldn't imagine anyone wanting to live there.

"Yes." Kurenai continued as if she'd missed his sarcasm. "The atmosphere is perfectly inhabitable, and despite the cold season, it's a decent planet for most races."

"Yes, but…there's no food." The dust was stirred again as the ship they had arrived on lifted back into the air and then shot off into space.

"Yes, I supposed that is a good point. But some races don't require food."

"Hn."

Kurenai turned to stare into the night sky where their ship had disappeared. "Well then." She smirked and turned back to him. "We have the whole planet to ourselves. Shall we?"

Vegeta smirked viciously and crouched into a fighting stance. "I'll give you the first move. But don't get upset when I thrash you."

She just snorted. "Underestimating your opponent. Not very good strategy. I guess I'll just have to teach you better." And with that, she disappeared.

Vegeta blinked, and immediately extended his senses to search for her energy. He couldn't find it. He wasn't left wondering long, for a moment later, a blast hit his side and sent him flying into a nearby cliff face.

As the dust from the blast and the collapsing rock cleared, Vegeta coughed slightly and blinked in surprise. Interesting.

A few meters away, Kurenai was slowly lowering herself back to the ground. "Are you ready to take me seriously, or should I send you through another mountain." She motioned to the surrounding landscape. "There are plenty."

Vegeta scowled at her and crouched into a fighting stance. He couldn't sense the extent of her energy for some reason. Perhaps it was because she used magic. He wouldn't underestimate her again.

In a flash, he powered up to super saiyan 2.

"That's more like it." Kurenai called calmly. "Can we fight now?"

He narrowed his eyes at her, somewhat insulted that she was facing his power without so much as blinking. He would have to be careful, he decided, and he would have to use every resource he had available.

Taking a deep calming breath, he dug within himself to his largely untrained magic, and raised some of it around himself as a shield. That would protect him from most of her weaker-level magical attacks.

His magical repertoire was somewhat limited. Usually, he wouldn't mind that. He preferred to fight with fists and Ki blasts anyway. However, when faced with magic, as he had come to learn, it was necessary to respond in kind. For now, he would use it simply to ward off Kurenai's curses. Perhaps later, though, he would surprise her with the little trick he'd taught himself.

* * *

"It's creepy in here." Puar said, clutching Yamcha's shoulder. Their footsteps were echoing down the seemingly endless stone corridor, and what little light their flashlights were providing was only making the temple's innards all the more frightening.

"Yeah, I know." Yamcha responded, shining his light around at the high vaulted ceiling, the stone columns, the balconies and passageways that led off to who-knows-where. "What is this place?"

Something crunched under Goku's foot causing a loud sound to reverberate around the stone chamber. He jumped in surprise and looked down. It was a bone.

"Yeargh!" He leapt back, tripping over Goten and knocking into Yamcha, both of whom yelped as well. Puar, startled, let out a scream.

Yamcha stumbled backwards, his flashlight flailing around, and suddenly shining upon a hideous face. He and Goku screamed again, before they realized that the face they saw was just a stone statue.

Their yells echoed around the chamber long after they'd stopped yelling. Their pounding heartbeats were nearly audible, and the four were all breathing in gasps.

After the last echo finally died away, four looked at each other and shared a nervous chuckle.

"Just like old times." Yamcha said somewhat breathlessly.

"I think…" Puar started. "I think this is a tomb."

The two men tensed at Puar's statement, and Goten looked between the adults with wide eyes.

"Are we sure the dragonball's in here?" Yamcha asked, glancing longingly toward the entrance.

Goku looked down at the dragon radar in his hand. "I'm afraid it is." He said. "That way." He disappeared through one of the arched doorways. The other three followed closely behind, coming out at a surprisingly large chamber.

"But where?" Puar asked looking around. "I don't see anything."

"Hmm…" Goku walked farther into the chamber gazing pensively around. The entire place was dark. There was certainly nothing shiny and orange around. He looked down at the radar. It was pointing straight ahead. "This way…" He started walking, but suddenly, the stone that his foot landed on sank into the floor.

"Huh?" His confused murmur was cut off by the sound of an arrow being unleashed somewhere in front of him. "Get down!"

He grabbed Goten as Yamcha grabbed Puar, and the four flattened themselves to the floor. It was not a moment too soon. An arrow whistled above their heads and struck the stone wall.

"This place is booby-trapped!" Yamcha exclaimed, shining his flashlight at the arrow that had flown with such speed that it had impaled itself into the stone wall.

"Heh…heh…" Goku stared wide-eyed at the arrow, a bead of sweat making its way down his temple. "Yeah…just like old times."

* * *

"The same Prince Vegeta that you know today was born in the year 732. He was the first born son of the Saiyan King Vegeta, and he was born with an extraordinary power-level. By the  
time Prince Vegeta was born, Vegetasei had been under Frieza's rule for quite some time. If you recall, Frieza first approached King Vegeta and demanded the loyalty of the Saiyans in the year 725. After several months of stalling, King Vegeta was eventually forced to submit to Frieza's authority, and every saiyan warrior was then incorporated into Frieza's legion."

"As you may also recall, the Saiyans' loyalty to Frieza was highly in question, and there was no one who feared them more than Frieza himself. It was due to this fear that Frieza demanded for King Vegeta to hand over his son. Frieza's belief was that with his son and heir in his custody, King Vegeta would not dare to rise against him."

Professor Catibi paused for a moment. Trunks was on the edge of his seat. Although he knew the outcome, some part of him was still hoping that the professor would tell him of how the saiyans fought for their independence and his father stayed safe on Vegetasei. He would be disappointed.

"Prince Vegeta entered Frieza's army at the age of 6." The professor paused again for the justifiably shocked gasps and whispers that filled the room.

Trunks was stunned into a stupor. _6? As in 6 years old? That's not…How…How is that possible?_

He was pulled back to the present again when Han'nei's hand rested on his arm. His head whipped toward her, but he quickly turned it away again embarrassment. The sympathy and concern in her eyes was something that he hadn't expected.

"You dropped this."

"Huh?" He blinked and glanced back towards her.

To his surprise, she handed him back his pencil. He glanced back to his hand to see that it had indeed somehow fallen from his grip.

"Are you okay?" Han'nei asked him.

Suddenly Lysibet was leaning over close to him. "I'm sure the professor would understand if you wanted to skip this lesson."

"What? No…no, no." He felt his face heat up. "It's fine. I'm fine."

He wanted to stay. No, he _needed_ to stay. He had to know this.

Suddenly Professor Catibi was speaking again. "Prince Vegeta was, by all accounts, never loyal to Frieza. Many specialists suspect that Frieza knew this. Frieza certainly never suspected, however, that Vegeta would succeed in bringing him down. The circumstances surrounding the Prince's life in Frieza's ranks are often quite obscure, but what is known is that he was very harshly treated. Accounts from other former members of the Planet Trade often speak of Frieza's particular cruelty toward Vegeta—cruelty that included beatings and rather vulgar and horrific forms of torture. The reasons for Vegeta staying within the Planet Trade have only recently been made clearer. While suicide was the most popular method for Frieza's warriors to escape the service when they had nothing left to protect, some of the more clever warriors did manage to escape to lead frightened and paranoid existences elsewhere.

"However, aside from one or two rumored suicide attempts, there is no evidence that Vegeta ever tried to escape. According to his own testimony, and indeed the testimony of many other former Planet Trade soldiers, he remained in the army to keep tabs on Frieza's power. He apparently fully believe himself capable of taking Freiza down, and had decided, even as a child that he would survive to do just that—no matter what he had to do or what was done to him.

"As for Frieza's interest in keeping a known traitor alive within his ranks, that can be attributed to Frieza's complete disbelief that he could ever be defeated—especially by Vegeta. If at first, Frieza had intended to kill Vegeta along with the other Saiyans, he quickly changed his mind. Many specialists believe that Frieza wished to turn Vegeta into a mirror image of himself as the ultimate insult to the Saiyan King and people.

"However, from a young age, Vegeta proved to be remarkably resilient and a powerful and skilled fighter. He was just as capable of viscious slaughter as any of Frieza's most hardened warriors. Remember that Prince Vegeta was first and foremost a warrior, and he was expected to earn his keep. Even from his first days within Frieza's ranks, he was sent out on purges."

There were suddenly whispers again, and the Professor quickly inserted. "For those of you who are not familiar with the term, a 'purge' is a systematic eradication of one or all life forms on a planet. Planets were usually purged before they could be sold on the market."

The old Professor then cleared her throat and went back to her lecture. Trunks could only stare as he was bombarded with new facts and various candidly-taken photos of his father. Some were of him as a child, some an adult. Some were of him covered with other people's blood. In many, he was covered in his own. It was almost too much for Trunks to process. He didn't know what to think. His hand was shaking too much at this point to write. He didn't know how anyone could handle such physical and psychological abuse without being driven insane. Nor did he know how his father could have perpetrated such heinous crimes without at least expressing some sort of regret.

Trunks swallowed. He didn't know. He couldn't think about it right now. It was too much.

But he couldn't look away. He couldn't stop listening. There was more, and he wanted to hear all of it.

So with a great deal of effort, he turned his attention back to Professor Catibi.

"Some people contend that Frieza's treatment of Prince Vegeta worked, and that for a time, he was just as cruel and merciless as the tyrant himself. There are certainly millions of victims who can testify to his unnecessarily cruel methods."

Trunks sank down in his seat slightly. He felt positively nauseous. He ignored the small hand that rested on his arm.

Maybe if his head hadn't been swirling, he could have appreciated the sentiment in Han'nei's gesture. However right now, he barely even noticed it.

"The relationship that existed between Freiza and Vegeta was one of hatred and power. Frieza entertained himself by lording his power over his subjects, while Vegeta did his best to undermine Frieza's authority at every opportunity. Frieza frequently humiliated and beat Vegeta into submission, and Vegeta bade his time, suffering under the whip until the right time to strike." The professor paused, but only momentarily, before she began speaking again. "That time came in the year 761. Vegeta and his two fellow Saiyan warriors—named Nappa and Raditz—were sent away on a purge to a far-away planet. The entire trip was supposed to take them nearly two years. With that amount of time, the three saiyans had a good amount of leeway to begin their rebellion before Frieza saw that anything was amiss. And so Nappa and Vegeta headed off to purge the planet alone, while Raditz was sent off to an unnamed obscure planet in the North Quadrant, where Raditz's brother was supposedly living.

"Their plan was to have Raditz bring the other saiyan back to them, and together the four saiyans would take down Frieza. However, the plan backfired. For reasons that remain obscure, that saiyan killed his brother Raditz instead of joining him."

Trunks's feeling of nauseousness was replaced with a mild sense of confusion. Was she talking about the same other saiyan? Goku? Goku killed his brother? Impossible. Goku wouldn't kill anyone who was not an evil destroyer of worlds. He certainly wouldn't kill his own brother. And yet everything else that she said was true.

Trunks was apparently destined to have his world shaken today. He wondered what other surprises he may hear before the end of the day.

"Unfortunately for us, the details of Vegeta's rebellion remain obscure. All we know is that Frieza was finally defeated—by who is still unclear—on a small planet called Namek. The planet was destroyed in a grand battle taking with it all of the evidence of what happened there. All we know is that Freiza survived his defeat, and he and his father tracked down Vegeta and the other saiyan to the same obscure planet that the nameless saiyan had been living on before. It was there that Frieza, King Cold, and the Planet Trade met their ends."

The bell rang just on time. "Tomorrow, we will discuss the defeat of Cooler and the elimination of the remnants of the Planet Trade, so read chapter 35 in your text books." Anything else that the teacher had to say was drowned out by the excited voices of her students as they talked over the lesson and packed their things.

Trunks sat still in his seat for a moment. It took a few moments for him to realize that he was yet again being stared at.

He blinked and looked around. Han'nei, Tetch and Lysibet were all looking at him worriedly. He shook his head quickly as if to clear away some cobwebs, and then quickly began packing his things. He didn't know how to feel. He was embarassed, but he didn't know if it was due to all the attention he was getting or to what he'd heard today.

Was his father's past something he should be ashamed of? He wasn't sure. He wasn't sure of anything at this point.

Suddenly, anger was welling up in his stomach. His parents had known all these years. He was sure that his mom had known. And yet they hadn't told him. They hadn't said a word. Why had they kept it a secret? Why? It didn't make any sense.

Trunks shoved his notebook into his bag and slung his bag over his shoulder. He didn't want to talk to anyone right now. "I've gotta go." He mumbled to his concerned friends before hurrying out of the classroom.

* * *

"So, just out of curiosity, when you die…who takes over the Empire?" Two raging blasts were warring for dominance, and yet the attacks made no sound. It was so quiet, in fact, that the two could speak almost calmly over them.

"Midori, of course." Kurenai answered, and Vegeta nearly smirked at the slight hint of fatigue in her voice. However, her answer struck him a moment later.

"Midori?" He faltered, allowing her to gain ground, but he quickly pulled himself back together.

"Who did you expect?"

"I don't know…" Calling on more power, he sent the blast back toward her, and soon they were locked in a stalemate again. "Why don't you have any kids?"

"That's a rather personal question." He could swear that her face turned a darker shade of pink. "I've been busy."

He chuckled. "Is that so? You've had what…a hundred and fifty years?"

With a sudden flare of energy she threw him backwards. He lost his footing, and before he knew it, magical tendrils had coiled around him and bound him tight. He just managed to keep himself standing, but other than that, he couldn't do much. With a growl, he tried to pull an arm free, but couldn't so much as budge.

Kurenai flipped her hair out of her face. Like, him she was sweaty and covered in dirt, and her hair was sticking messily out in every direction. With a flick of her small hand, she sent more magical coils toward him. The coils lashed out at his back and arms, stinging and causing him to jerk against the binds. Kurenai circled him, as if studying her handiwork.

"How do you expect to defeat Hui if you can not break a simple bind, Vegeta?"

Vegeta coughed as the bind compressed his lungs. "This is hardly a simple bind." He complained. "I told you, I don't do magic!"

"Then it appears as though I'll just have to find someone else to defeat Hui for me." Kurenai said turning away, kicking up a small swirl of purple dust with the action, before casually adding. "I'm sure I can find someone who can replace you."

With a roar of outrage, Vegeta literally ripped the bonds apart. Kurenai spun in surprise, thrusting her hand out to send him flying backwards. With a burst of prowess that Kurenai did not expect of him, he swatted her attack away and flew at her, slamming his fist into her face.

"I am not a cheap replaceable pawn, you old hag!" He screamed, landing a spin-kick in her side. He relished the look of surprise and pain on her face. "You could never, never replace me!" He flew after her again, but she recovered in time to dodge.

She spun around, far quicker than someone her age should be able to and sent a crushing wave of magical power toward him. The blast hit him head-on, carrying him backwards and slamming him into a nearby rock-face. It took him a few moments to realize that the blast wasn't stopping. He was being pushed farther and farther into the hard rock. It was digging into his back, poking and cutting him. Suddenly, he burst through the other side of the mountain, but only a moment later, he was crushed into another one. The only way for him to get out was to throw off the blast on his own.

He closed his eyes tightly and willed every bit of energy he had—both magical and otherwise. There was no telling how long Kurenai could sustain the blast, and with the lack of air, Vegeta would only get weaker. He had to act fast.

Without a second thought, he let all of his energy explode.

The entire sky was lit with a blinding light, and suddenly Vegeta was flying through the air hurtling toward Kurenai. He got one glance at Kurenai's stunned face before his fist crashed gloriously into it. In a move that was born of pure instinct, he threw her to the ground, face-first and planted his boot on her neck.

The flash flickered out, leaving a heavily breathing Saiyan Prince, and one very stunned Krimzon Empress, staring at a sideways landscape and wondering just how she had ended up where she was.

A small amount of pressure to her already throbbing head dissuaded her from moving.

It was then that she saw—and a moment later, felt—Vegeta's finisher. A magical attack that she had known nothing about. The man was a treacherous snake if she ever saw one.

A magical scythe lowered itself just inside her line of vision and lingered there long enough for her to see the danger of it. Then, quick as a flash, it slipped under her neck. She could feel a strange sort of energy radiating off it. It wasn't cool, and it wasn't hot. It tickled and pricked at the tender skin on her neck, but it didn't burn.

She closed her eyes, wondering if this was her end. Would her unpredictable saiyan prince turn on her just as he had Frieza? Did he really look at Kurenai the same way he did that lizard tyrant?

She was pulled out of her thoughts by a mocking voice. "Are you ready to admit defeat, witch?"

Kurenai sighed. There was really no was around it. This was not a battle of pride. She had tested him, and he had passed the test—unfortunately for her, he had done it more easily than she'd anticipated. But while that may hurt her ego slightly, it was good for the universe as a whole.

"It appears as though I must." Was her calm answer. "Congratualtions Prince Vegeta on defeating an old woman."

"Don't give me that crap. You know well that this is quite an accomplishment. Has Midori ever handed your ass to you with so little effort?"

"I'd hardly call that a 'little effort.'" Kurenai grumbled.

"But I still beat you." He said, and suddenly the scythe was removed from her throat. Kurneai nearly sighed in relief, but Vegeta was suddenly talking again. "Maybe I should be the next Krimzon emperor." His boot suddenly removing itself from her neck surprised Kurneai enough to convince her to bypass her snort of derision. She quickly pulled herself off the ground.

"If you think that being able to fool an old woman with a surprise magic trick is merit enough to have you named emperor of half the universe then—"

"Cut it with the 'old woman' crap. You're belittling my victory." Although his nose was stuck haughtily in the air, the statement had been said in a playful pout. He was enjoying this far too much.

She dusted herself off and looked up at him. He was standing cockily, hip cocked to the side, magical scythe slung over his shoulder. Blood was dripping down the side of his face, and from his shoulder. His armor was cracked, his clothes torn. His entire body was caked in purple dust and much of it was wet with sweat.

It was an awesome sight.

She envied him his power, and not for the first time, she wished that she were younger.

She shook the thought away and from seemingly nowhere pulled out a communicator. Vegeta blinked at her as she radioed their ride to come pick them up.

"That's it?" He asked after she disconnected the call. "We came all the way out here for one spar?"

"Of course. We couldn't possibly fight on Iro, and this was the nearest uninhabited planet equipped with all of the Ki masking technology necessary for keeping our power levels and techniques from being sensed and seen by any undesirable people."

He just blinked. It made sense, he supposed. And he _was_ somewhat tired. Perhaps it was best to wait for round two.

"Oh, and before i forget," Kurenai said a little too lightly. "Tomorrow night, you'll be heading to planet Mantioch. They're having a problem with Tik forces there, and the king has specifically requested your aid."

Vegeta scratched his head. He was used to suddenly having these things sprung on him, but this time seemed a little more sudden than usual. It also meant that Trunks would be on his own until Vegeta returned. He would have to set some rules for Trunks while he was gone. He couldn't have Bulma calling and yelling at him for letting Trunks run amok around Iro with no supervision and guidance.

"Oh and Vegeta?" Kurenai was suddenly staring at him seriously.

The change in attitude threw him off. "Huh?"

"Keep that scythe a secret for now."

He just blinked.

* * *

"We've searched this whole room ten times, dad!" Goten whined. "It's not here."

"The dragon radar has never been wrong before, son. We're just not seeing it for some reason." Goku scratched his chin pensively. "But where could it be?"

"I don't understand." Yamcha said. "According to the radar, it should be right where we are standing. And even accounting for small errors due to the fact that we're underground, it should at least be in this room.

Goten sighed, as the adults began shaking and poking at the radar. He had imagined that hunting for the dragonballs would be fun, but this was just boring…and kind of creepy. He looked around at the dark room with its columns and statues and high ceiling. It was like something out of a scary movie. He'd been quite frightened of the place at first, but after a while the scariness wore off.

Also, it had been hours since they'd come inside, and he was starting to get hungry.

The four were standing in front of a large statue of a sitting creature. Its diamond eyes were staring forward at nothingness. One palm was held upward on its crossed legs. The other hand was closed into a fist. As his father, Yamcha, and Puar continued poking at the radar, Goten climbed up on the statue and sat on its large outstretched palm.

To his surprise, with the loud groan of stone scraping against stone, the hand lowered when he sat on it. "Huh?" The three adults, alerted by the noise, echoed his gasp of surprise.

"Goten, don't move!" Goku yelled, crouching into a fighting stance on instinct and looking around frantically.

Goten froze, expecting something horrible to happen, but aside from the lowering hand, nothing appeared to have moved.

It was Puar who saw it first. "Look! There it is! We found it!"

"What?" Yamcha looked to where Puar was pointing. "Alright! Way to go, Goten!"

"Huh? What?" Goten followed their gazes. In the statue's other hand, which had been previously fisted, was sitting the three star dragonball.

Goten hopped cheerfully off of the hand and skipped over to his father.

"About time!" Goku said, moving to pick up the ball. "I thought we'd never get out of here." He plucked the palm off the statue, and turned back to the others. None of them noticed the statues eyes glowing a faint white. In fact none of them noticed anything at all until the floor suddenly opened up beneath them.

"What the…Aaaaah!" Goku, Goten, and Yamcha were suddenly falling through a black tunnel.

"Wait for me!" Puar yelled, diving in after them.

It didn't take long for them to thump down on stone, but it was so slick and steep that they continued sliding.

"If I knew were this was going," Goku yelled. "This would almost be fun!" They were taken around a sharp turn.

"Fun is not the word I would go with." Yamcha called back. He bumped his elbow against a stone, and instantly felt the sting of a large scratch.

"It's almost like that waterpark that I went to with Trunks." Goten called. "Except, this is scarier."

Then suddenly the slope beneath them disappeared. The four flailed in mid-air for a moment before Goku, Goten and Yamcha plummeted into a lake.

They surfaced a moment later, coughing and brushing their hair out of their face.

"Yay!" Goku called, taking in their surroundings. The four were in a small lake at the edge of a cliff. The dense forest grew right up to the edge of the lake, but through a clearing in the trees above, they could see starlight. "We made it out!" He grinned widely, and thrust his fist into the air. The three star ball sat bright and orange in it. "And with the dragonball."

* * *

Trunks intended to wait for his father to get home. There was so much he wanted to say. So many questions that he wanted answered. He didn't know how to approach his father, though. It would be awkward knowing the things he knew about his past. But he knew that he needed to talk to him.

The rest of the school day had been almost torture. He hadn't been able to take a single note in any of his classes. Luckily his friends seemed to understand. It wasn't every day that all of your notions about one of your parents were completely overturned. Han'nei understood when Trunks backed out of their study group, and the rest understood when he didn't accompany them to the arcade.

He needed to be alone for a while. He needed to think. And he needed to talk to the one person who could answer his questions.

And so he sat on the dark leather sofa waiting for his dad to return. The TV was on, but he was just staring blankly at it. His dad was usually home by now, but it also wasn't uncommon for him to be out until very late.

He yawned. The lack of sleep from the night before was catching up with him, and it was quite late already. Defiantly, however, he kept his eyes open. He had to do this.

Despite all his efforts however, when Vegeta walked into the apartment only a few hours before dawn, Trunks was fast asleep on the couch.

Vegeta shut the door quietly and stared down at his sleeping son. Although most people would contest that Trunks had Vegeta's face, Vegeta always saw a lot of Bulma in the boy.

He snorted and brushed the thought away, lest he get sentimental. If he had taken the time to look more closely, he would have noticed that Trunks looked pale. If he had sniffed the air, he would have scented the salt of tears.

However, he was tired, and he noticed neither of these things.

He did notice that Trunks' Ki was slightly off, but he wrote it down as a bad dream. He briefly considered waking Trunks up, but then decided against it. Bad dreams were part of life. He could deal with it.

With a small roll of his eyes, he switched the TV off. Then grabbing a blanket from the nearby closet, he tossed it over Trunks before heading off to take a shower.

* * *

A/N: If any of you have any ideas for Trunks' and Vegeta's conversation, please let me know. I'm not quite sure how I'm going to approach it...or if they will talk at all about it.

I hope you enjoyed that. Sorry about it taking so long. It's been really hectic lately, and my busy schedule has been compounded with a case of writer's block. But it's finally here!

Reviews always appreciated!


	29. A Breach of Faith

Chapter 29- A Breach of Faith

Things had settled into a routine. Vegeta would leave the apartment early in the morning—often before sunrise. Trunks would wake up later, get his own breakfast, and then head to school. Trunks would return home in the late afternoon, often with Han'nei or another one of his friends in tow. If Vegeta came home within a few hours, Vegeta and Trunks would go to Pop's for dinner together. On the occasions when Vegeta was forced to remain late at the palace—or not go home at all—Trunks would go to the arcade for dinner with his friends.

The weeks had flown by since Trunks' arrival on Iro, and Vegeta had seen that Trunks was slowly becoming accustomed to living on the new planet. He no longer walked around fidgeting with his clothes, staring around nervously, and blushing whenever he locked eyes with someone. He didn't hesitate anymore when presented with a new dish. He knew Pop well enough to know that nothing he served would be unpalatable. He even went to school without grumbling—something that could not be said of the time he'd lived on Earth.

That was why Vegeta was puzzled that morning when Trunks had approached him looking downright terrified.

He'd appeared in the dimly lit kitchen with a simple word. "Dad."

Vegeta had turned in surprise to see his son awake so early. A quick glance out the large windows assured him that it was still before dawn. Vegeta was further surprised to notice that Trunks was already dressed for school. He furrowed his eyebrows and glanced at his watch, wondering if Iro had periodic days of night. No. It was before 1-H.

"What are you doing up so early?" Vegeta asked turning back around to see if his coffee was done brewing yet.

"I need…I…" Vegeta looked back toward his son, noting again his nervousness and pallor. His Ki was off as well. Finally Trunks managed a sentence. "Can I talk to you?"

Vegeta just blinked. He couldn't remember Trunks ever asking that particular question. It was disconcerting, and he didn't know what to say. The simplest answer would be "yes." Vegeta could see no reason not to talk to his only child. And yet something in Trunks' demeanor was telling him that he should just say "no" and quickly evacuate the premises.

Vegeta settled on neither. It was better to test the waters first. "About what?" He hoped that this wasn't going to lead to "the talk."

"My history class."

Vegeta blinked. And again. "What?"

Trunks shifted his weight. "Yesterday…in history class…we…the teacher…" He paused and swallowed before visibly squaring his shoulders. "We talked about you."

That was not what Vegeta had been expecting. He could feel his back growing rigid, his muscles tensing, and his hackles raising in defense at the mere notion of the conversation that Trunks clearly wanted to have. Now. It was too early for this. To early in Trunks' life…and definitely too early in the morning.

He glanced at his watch again before reluctantly giving Trunks props for planning ahead. There was no escape. Neither one of them had anywhere to be for at least an hour. Vegeta had no way out of the conversation—barring just walking away. But that would be cowardly.

Vegeta sighed, and turned his back on his son with the excuse of pouring himself a cup of coffee. In reality, he was finding it hard to look at the boy. He swallowed to try to quell the odd feeling that was building in his stomach before speaking evenly. "And what? Why are you telling me?"

"I…" They were going to get nowhere fast if Trunks kept pausing during each sentence. "I don't know. I just…I thought I should."

"I see." Well if that was all he wanted…

As soon as the thought flitted through Vegeta's head, Trunks was speaking again. "But…why didn't you ever tell me?"

Vegeta snorted. "Why should I have?" He tried to keep the bitterness out of his voice. "It was none of your concern. It's all in the past…" He paused and then reluctantly added. "And besides, your mother thought it would traumatize you or some such nonsense if you knew what I'd been."

"Mom knew?" Vegeta turned back to Trunks and leaned against the counter, nursing his steaming mug between his two hands. He narrowed his eyes almost harshly.

"Of course. They all do. Kakarott, Krillin, Piccolo. Even Gohan. They don't know everything. But they have a general idea."

He could see that his son was mulling over that last statement, biting the inside of his lip just as his mother sometimes did.

Vegeta let him think for a moment before speaking. "I have a feeling that there are other things you wanted to know besides why I didn't tell you." Some nagging voice at the back of Vegeta's head was telling him that it was better for Trunks to hear these things from him. There was no telling, after all, what strange stories Krimzon historians may have concocted. Still Vegeta wasn't quite comfortable telling Trunks the truth.

Trunks slowly raised his eyes to meet his father's darker ones and then nodded.

Vegeta sighed. "This will take a while." He concluded in a murmur that was mostly for himself. He could be late to work today. He would be doing Kurenai's bidding for the next week anyway. What would a few hours hurt? Vegeta nodded to the table. "Sit down."

The moment's hesitation Trunks displayed at the order earned him a growl and a snapped "Sit!" Trunks quickly obeyed, sliding into a chair. It wasn't lost on Vegeta, though, that the boy was still on guard. It was offensive

Vegeta took another calming breath. He hated this. He would have gladly fought against a hundred Majin Buus to avoid this conversation. Alas, it had to be done—even if the look of nervous uncertainty now present on Trunks' face would forevermore be the expression he donned when he looked at his father. Even if Trunks rejected him outright. There was no turning back.

"Before you ask anything, I want it to be clear that nothing that I say is to be repeated to anyone. Not to your mother, not to Goten, and certainly not to any reporters." He raised his eyebrows at his son as if waiting for his acknowledgement of the terms.

Trunks just nodded, the tenseness never leaving his shoulders and the wariness still in his eyes.

"You can stop being so nervous." Vegeta snapped bitterly. "Just because you know what I was doesn't mean I'm going to suddenly decide to kill you. If I haven't done it yet, I'll hardly do it now, don't you think?"

Trunks' face flushed and he looked somewhat guiltily down at his lap. "Sorry."

Vegeta just leaned back and took a sip of his coffee before reluctantly asking. "Do you have any specific questions?"

Trunks opened his mouth, thought for a moment and then closed it again before flushing and shaking his head.

Vegeta could judge from his demeanor and from his memory of the order of questions Bulma had asked him when he'd finally opened up to her, that Trunks was wondering one of two things. "Which would you like to know first: if I enjoyed it or if I regret it now?"

Trunks stiffened, and Vegeta knew that he had pegged at least one of the things that had been bothering the boy.

"Umm…the second one…I guess."

"I assume you want to know if I regret killing literally billions of innocent people."

Trunks tensed and swallowed, and Vegeta couldn't help but feel a flash of anger. Who was this boy to be so disgusted by his actions? When had he ever been put into a situation where he had to kill or be killed? This was why Vegeta never wanted to have this conversation. It was so easy for people who knew nothing of the universe he had lived in to stand on the outside and judge him for his actions. He hated it. He was tempted to leave—to just stand up and walk out. But that would be cowardly. Vegeta was many things—as Trunks would soon learn—but he was not a coward.

He had stood before armies of thousands of hideous creatures, all dead-set on killing him, and he hadn't batted an eye. He'd betrayed the most powerful warlord in the universe, and he'd done it from right under the ugly lizard's nose. He'd spent years wading through the wreckage of his life, with no friends, no family—with nothing but his enemies to keep him company. He'd finally come out on the other side, and found a better life. It was ironic that the fates threw this at him just when he'd been beginning to find peace. He would have to have a "talk" with the Kais the next time he saw them.

Vegeta looked back at Trunks. His pride had carried him through harder situations than this. It would support him now as well.

"What do you think?" Vegeta finally asked, before he could stop himself. "Would you?" A moment after he'd said it, Vegeta cursed himself. That was not the direction he wanted the conversation to take. He didn't want Trunks's sympathy or empathy or whatever the hell the Earthlings called it. And yet, Trunks's instant reply angered him.

Trunks nodded.

Vegeta cocked an eyebrow. "Even if it meant your own survival?"

Trunks hesitated.

"Would you have spared them at the cost of your own life?"

He almost immediately nodded.

Vegeta snorted a derisive laugh. "And that just shows how naïve I've let you grow up to be. I guess it can't be helped living on Earth, so far detached from the actual universe." He shook his head. "I thought you learned about this in your history class." He turned to stare out the window, trying to think of a way to end this conversation without actually divulging anything. It seemed almost impossible. Perhaps, though, if he hit him with the cold, honest truth, Trunks would be disinclined to question him further. "The people I killed were slated to die. There was no saving them. If I hadn't killed them, someone else would have. My dying wouldn't have saved anyone. So no. I don't regret that I chose to kill them."

"But—" Vegeta fixed his son with a challenging glare, and Trunks immediately shut his mouth.

"So you would have just thrown your life away rather than sully your precious little honor? In case you didn't know, in a world where there are no dragonballs, there are no second chances. When you're dead, you're dead."

Trunks didn't know what to say.

"I'm not trying to justify my actions. I had a choice, and I chose to kill rather than be killed. A person like you could never understand. You're spoiled rotten, and death means nothing to you." It was a low blow, but Vegeta wasn't above such things—especially at times like this.

He could see Trunks' face flush again, but this time not in embarrassment. The boy was angry now. His mouth opened, and Vegeta knew that he had to stop this before they both lost their tempers.

He just sighed and held up a hand. "I can see that you're not going to let this go. You're too much like your mother. Fine. I'll tell you all you need to know. And then after this, we do not speak of it again. Understand?"  
Trunks swallowed and nodded. His eyes were still narrowed, his jaw clenched, and his shoulders still tense. There was no mistaking whose son he was.

Vegeta stared at him for a moment and then realized that he couldn't look into the boy's eyes while to told him of what he had been. He couldn't risk seeing what the boy was thinking. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Trunks' opinion meant a lot to him. Trunks was one of the only two things that made his life worth living. He didn't know what he would do if the boy turned on him. The way this conversation was going though, it looked like that would probably be the case.

Vegeta crossed his arms and fixed his eyes on a spot on the wall. Then, he started to speak.

"When I was younger than you, I was given the choice of slaughtering the inhabitants of other planets or letting my father and everyone on my own planet be killed. I've never pretended to not be a selfish person. I cared nothing for the people on planets that I had never seen, and if it was to keep my family and planet safe, I had very few qualms in killing them. Even after my planet was destroyed, it was the thirst for vengeance that kept me doing what I was doing.

"Back then I regretted nothing. I knew what I was fighting for, and I knew why I continued to live in that hell-hole. I'll admit that I considered just giving up a few times, but it's not in my nature." Vegeta turned his gaze to the window, carefully avoiding Trunks' gaze again. Down below, the city was coming to life. Lights were flickering on, and trains were already whizzing between the tall buildings, carrying their tired passengers to their destinations. Vegeta saw none of it. His thoughts were elsewhere. "My father told me when I was just a boy—before he handed me over to Frieza—that one day, I would become a Super Saiyan, and I would defeat Frieza and save all the Saiyans from their bondage. After Frieza killed my father and destroyed Vegetasei, that was all I cared about. I would survive no matter what it took—no matter what I had to do and no matter what happened to me. I would become strong—just so I could kill Frieza and avenge my father and my people."

"So you killed billions of people for revenge?" Trunks asked.

Vegeta actually chuckled. "That was part of the reason, yes." There was no way that Vegeta would tell Trunks that the other part was that he wanted to be free from Frieza's rule. It was hard enough to admit to himself that he had once been almost entirely subject to that monster's will. He couldn't very well admit it out loud.

Vegeta couldn't see it yet, but he would later reflect that the conversation was getting out of hand. At the moment, his only concern was that Trunks became satisfied enough with the answers Vegeta gave him to never ask about his past again. He also wanted to make sure that Trunks didn't pity him. He refused to accept pity from a mere child—and especially from his own offspring.

"At the end of the day, I was just as evil as the next mass murderer. My reasons for what I did did not make up for what I was doing. I have no illusions about it. Both times I died, I was sent straight to hell with no questions asked."

Trunks tensed again, and Vegeta could see his knuckles turn white from being clenched so much. Oh well, today wasn't the day for coddling.

"And in answer to the other question, yes, over time, I did learn to enjoy killing." He couldn't help looking now. A quick glance confirmed that Trunks' face was white as a sheet, and Vegeta could detect a bit of red under his eyes. "Make no mistake. The Krimzon try to paint me as a martyr—as someone who suffered for years for the good of the universe and then came around to save it. That's all bullshit. I've never cared about the rest of the universe. I stayed alive to kill Frieza true, but it wasn't for the good of anyone but myself and my own people."

Vegeta's coffee was gone. He needed another. Standing, he crossed the kitchen to refill his mug. "I see things somewhat differently now. Life on Earth has changed me. I understand the value of life enough now to see the wrongness of taking it away. Back then, I couldn't see that. Life was just as much a hell as the afterlife was rumored to be, and I was too devoid of emotions to truly understand the pain of loss. In a nutshell, I regret that billions of innocents had to die." He paused a moment to think. "And yet, still, I can not regret what I did."

Even to his own ears, that last statement was wrong. What he'd wanted to say was that every single one of his actions—every beating he took and every one he dealt out—had brought him to where he was today. His life had turned him into a monster, but then it had somehow brought him back. It had brought him to Earth. It had gotten rid of Frieza and given him a family. It was more than Vegeta could have ever hoped for, and if he had simply given up and allowed himself to be killed, he would never have seen any of it.

Looking back at Trunks, though, he could tell that the boy didn't understand. He was only upset by what Vegeta had said.

Suddenly, Vegeta's communicator starting buzzing. He glanced down at it to see that it was Kurenai, and then quickly rejected the call. In so doing, however, his noticed the time. His eyebrows rose in surprise. Surely, they hadn't talked that long. He looked out of the window just to be sure. The sun was already rising, casting the early morning sky in a deep red and silhouetting all of the tall buildings in black. Everything was alive. Trains were whizzing between the buildings and disappearing under the ground. He was sure that if he opened a window, he would hear all the noise of the city. As it was, with his superior saiyan hearing, if he concentrated hard enough, he could hear the buzz of the trains below.

"We will have to continue this conversation some other time." Vegeta said, feeling relief suddenly wash over him. For better or worse, that torturous conversation was over. "You have to leave for school soon, and we have to set a few ground rules before you go."  
Trunks had apparently been deep in thought. His head snapped up at the last statement. "Ground rules?" Trunks blinked. "Go?"

Vegeta just nodded. He had a nasty feeling that after just having told his son of all the horrible things he'd done in his younger days, he was not a good figure to be setting rules. "I'm leaving today for another planet, and while I'm gone, you will be on your own."

Trunks just blinked. He was clearly still trying to process all of what he'd just heard.

As Vegeta began listing rules and emergency numbers, he could see his son's changed demeanor. He was no longer comfortable. No longer trusting.

It left him wondering if anything would be the same again. He would dwell on that later, though. At the moment, he didn't have the time.

It was with relief that he finally saw Trunks out of the door. There had been no well-wishes. No goodbyes. Without a word, the boy was off to school—no doubt to learn yet more information that would shake the foundations of his world. Vegeta should have been at the palace an hour ago, but he didn't feel like going now.

He rejected another call from Kurenai and dropped onto the couch in front of the vid chat. He stared at the black screen for a moment. He needed to talk to Bulma right now. He wasn't entirely sure what he wanted to say to her, but he hadn't liked the look in Trunks's eyes before he'd left.

Without even realizing it, he leaned forward and punched in a call to Bulma.

Bulma's face appeared on the screen. She was smiling that special smile that she reserved only for him. Vegeta couldn't find the time to think about that though. The minute she'd appeared, he blurted out. "I have a problem."

"Hm?" Her smile disappeared instantly. That was clearly not what she'd expected to hear the moment she answered the vid chat. As rare as it was for Vegeta to admit that he needed help, it was rarer still for him to admit it without hours of pestering. This must be serious indeed. "What's wrong?"

He just sighed and threw himself back into the soft cushions of his sofa, running a hand through his hair.

"Well don't make me guess." Bulma snapped after a moment. "Out with it! Is it Trunks?"

He rolled his eyes before reluctantly admitting. "Yes."

"What happened?" And then, she was leaning forward, pressing her face closer to the screen as if she might see her son somewhere just off-screen wrapped in a body-cast.

"He's fine. He just left for school."

"Well…then what…?"

Vegeta massaged the bridge of his nose, where a headache was already forming. "His history class is talking about the fall of the Kold Empire. Apparently, the Krimzon think that I played a large enough role in that to talk about me."

"Oh." Bulma looked at him sympathetically. She seemed to understand what that meant. "And…what did Trunks say?"

"Not much. He wanted to know why I never told him before. He also wanted to know if I regret it. I don't think he liked my answer."

"Oh, Vegeta." Bulma sighed.

"Don't be like that, woman." He growled. "I told the truth."

She took a deep breath and released it in a huff. "What exactly did you tell him?"

He thought for a moment. "That it's unfortunate that all those people had to die, but I don't regret that I killed them rather than be killed myself." He crossed his arms defensively. "It's not my fault that the boy's been so sheltered all his life that he can't understand that."

Bulma rolled her eyes. She knew that she had to tread carefully. This wasn't the kind of conversation that Vegeta excelled at, and he was agitated already. She closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again. "Vegeta, can you try to see it from his perspective. He probably feels betrayed that we never told him. It's possible that he thinks we tried to hide it because you were completely at fault. And I'm sure that your approach to the conversation didn't do much to convince him otherwise. Did you at least hint at the fact that you weren't given much choice in—"

He cut her off with a growl. "Woman, don't start…" His eyes were narrowed now.  
She held up a hand and plowed on. "Vegeta at some point you're going to have to admit that for a large part of your life, your actions were not entirely in your control. It wasn't really you doing those things because you had no choice in the matter. I know it's hard for you, but I think that admitting it—at least to Trunks…well, it will make things easier."

His communicator started buzzing again. This time, grateful for the interruption, he picked it up. "I have to go." He said. "I'm going off-planet, so you won't hear from me for a few days."

She huffed. "Again? Don't they have someone else to handle their problems?"

"Apparently not." He stood and dusted off his trousers.

"This conversation isn't over." Bulma warned, pointing a threatening finger at him. "I'll talk to Trunks, but when you get back, you need to sit down with him and tell him the full story. And then, you and I are going to have a nice chat."

He just snorted and, without responding, switched off the call.

* * *

A warm fire flickered cheerfully in the campsite. Parked several meters from the road—a long bumpy dirt path just wide enough for their vehicle to fit through—the dragonball hunters' trailer was alive with cheerful music, a warm fire, and enough hot cocoa to last all night. Despite the chilly wind, the four were sitting outside, laughing and chatting.

Thankfully Chichi had thought to pack marshmallows.

They were close to the fourth dragonball—close enough to smell it. They had tracked the ball to a lake nearby. The lake was full of large fish. They had caught some of them earlier. One particularly large one was roasting atop the fire. The ball, though, had eluded them. It was as if it was moving. They had searched and searched the lake until their fingers and toes were pruned and their lips were blue.

When the sun went down, disappearing with their last source of warmth, the four had called it a day and retired to camp. They would find the ball tomorrow. It had been quite a while since they had swum without their Ki to warm them. There was no point in risking falling ill.

The camp was alive with "do you remember that one time" and "ahh the good old days, when…"

Goten was slowly nodding off to the old stories. His belly was full, and even the promise of one last fish wasn't enough to keep him awake. Puar was curled up at his side, fast asleep and purring. Goten would dream that night of small blue emperors and giant monkeys, of strange martial arts tournaments held back before anyone knew how to fly, and of a mysterious martial arts master named Jackie Chun who had beaten his father once.

Yamcha nudged Goku when he noticed that Goten had finally succumbed to slumber. "Poor, kid. He's tuckered out."

Goku looked over, seeing Goten slumped over and lightly snoring. "Yeah." He smiled. "I remember when hunting dragonballs really took it out of you."

Yamcha laughed. "Don't I know it."

Goku chuckled along, and then leaned back on his hands to stare at the sky. His eyes adopted that look that Yamcha had been seeing a lot lately. It was the searching look. Goku was looking for something.

Yamcha figured that it was now or never. "Hey, Goku?"

"Hm?" Goku started as if he had just been pulled out of a deep reverie and looked over at his old friend.

"Umm…" Yamcha hesitated for a moment, and in the dim flickering light of the campfire, Goku could see a pink blush spread across his cheeks. He just raised a curious eyebrow, intrigued. Yamcha cleared his throat before speaking. "When uhh…when you go into space, would you mind if I tagged along?"

"Go…?" Goku looked surprised at the question for a moment, and then smiled a little sheepishly. "That obvious, huh?"

Yamcha chuckled slightly. "Everyone knows."

Goku seemed surprised again to hear that, but before he had a chance to comment, Yamcha was speaking again.

"When do you plan on going?"

His near instant reply let Yamcha know that he had been considering this for a while. He probably had everything planned out. "As soon as we've fought off this wave of Tik and the Earth is safe again." He turned his eyes toward the sky, where stars were shimmering cheerfully. "Vegeta was right from the start. There's no point in sitting here and trying to fight back wave after wave of Tik attacks. We'll only lose. We need to find Hui."

Yamcha nodded.

Goku pulled a knee up and laced his fingers around it. "It'll be nice fighting side-by-side again, don't you think? Let's just hope that Hui is powerful. It would be a shame to go through all this for nothing."

Yamcha couldn't help but laugh. "Well hopefully not too powerful. We wouldn't want to lose."

Goku grinned and glanced over at Yamcha. "We can't lose."

The confidence with which he said it almost made Yamcha believe him. At the very least, it gave him enough confidence to declare. "It's settled then. I'm going with you."

* * *

He stepped out onto the elaborately-colored landing pad in the Mantioch's capital. A large landing party was waiting for him, all wearing extravagant waistcoats and frills. Everything was a jumble of gold and bright colors. The walls of nearby buildings were all made of expensive-looking stone. Large marble statues of ancient and more recent Mantisi heroes and kings lined the pathway. Interspersed between the statues were large, colored glass sculptures. The explosion of color on the ground was oddly juxtaposed to the dull, gray sky. He could not distinguish clouds in the sky, and yet the very air seemed to be oppressive and dreary.

The bright surroundings and cheerful faces of his greeting party were not enough to brighten his mood. As soon as he'd safely cleared the landing area, the Mantisi king— Ethward, a tall man that greatly resembled a preying mantis—came forward to greet him. He was followed by three other Mantisis. Vegeta could not tell the males from the females, neither by their builds nor by their attire. Vegeta couldn't say that he liked the fashion of the planet. The inhabitants seemed to have a fanaticism for lace. He'd heard rumors—or jokes really—before of Mantisi style. Men and women alike bedecked themselves in frills, high collars, and wrist cuffs.

"You must be tired after such a long journey." King Ethward said, giving Vegeta a short bow. Vegeta was glad that hand-shakes were not the custom on this planet. He didn't know if he would have been able to touch the insect king. The very thought was revolting.

Vegeta responded with a short not and just enough cordiality to keep Mantioch-Krimzon relations in tact.

He was not in the mood for playing diplomat. His head was a jumble of dark thoughts, and he had a sort of nervous energy that he couldn't seem to shake.

And in any case, Vegeta did not much care for Ethward. The young king had no reputation for being a great leader, and Vegeta had heard nothing of him to incur much respect. Though Ethward's father was a stern but generous man, his son was rumored to be spoiled. Ethward was not a fighter—though Vegeta supposed that wasn't a sin in itself—but nor was he a scholar…or anything else really. He was little more than a lay about—letting his advisors run the planet and squandering the kingdom's wealth on personal pleasures. Since his father's death—a natural death due to old age—two years prior, the Kingdom had suffered.

Vegeta just nodded his head at the greetings of all the King's followers—advisors he presumed-but said nothing.

He was somewhat distracted. Well, "somewhat" might be the wrong word. The conversation with Trunks was fresh in his mind. For him it had only been that morning. He couldn't get his son's distrustful expression out of his head. He couldn't shake the feeling that his son now hated him, and there was nothing he could do about it. The whole situation was haunting him.

He hardly heard Ethward beckon him to follow him toward the palace. He managed to catch the phrase "…and we have prepared a feast for your arrival." Before he drifted back into his own thoughts. He ignored Ethward and everyone else in the landing party for the entire flight to the castle. It was by no means a long trip. The Mantisi all had wings, and were quite swift fliers.

The palace they arrived at was just as vibrantly colored as the landing strip had been. Purples, reds, golds, and greens, wrapped around the sprawling building, spiraling and splashed everywhere he looked. It resembled nothing so much as a castle made of candy.

Despite the bright colors, however, there was a sort of chill about the place. He'd known before that the planet would be cold, and he'd therefore worn his cloak. Though it wasn't nearly as cold as Frieza's home planet had been, Mantioch was known throughout the universe for its cold weather just as much as for its lace.

Vegeta was shown first to his bedroom—an enormous room draped in silks of far too many colors. Ethward began to describe the origins and value of the materials that made the room—the great stone fireplace, the plush furniture, the silken bed sheets—but when it because clear that Vegeta held no interest for such things, he decided to just escort Vegeta to the dining room.

Vegeta only paid enough attention during his walk through the palace to remember the way back to his room. He cared not for the intricate artwork and décor. With any luck, he would be off the planet in less than two days.

The only parts of the palace that were appealing to him at the moment were the dining room and his bed. He could use a good night's sleep. He hoped that the Tik didn't attack until late the next morning.

He was shocked out of his thoughts when his party reached a large set of double doors. The doors swung open in preparation of their arrival, and his nose was immediately assaulted by the smell of hot food.

His stomach growled, and all thoughts of Trunks and their conversation were momentarily whisked from his mind. At least until he remembered that he hadn't had breakfast before leaving because Trunks had interrupted him.

But the thought of Trunks fled just as swiftly as it had come, when suddenly Ethward appeared before him with what may have been a female Mantisi at his side.

"Prince Vegeta, I would like you to meet my sister, Anastis." The young king announced.

Vegeta stared for a moment before shaking himself and nodding politely. "Nice to meet you."

Anastis glanced nervously at her brother before turning back to Vegeta and saying a quiet, accented greeting.

The bug woman was somewhat wider than the other insect creatures, but Vegeta had no way of judging the race's standard of beauty. She seemed quiet and appeared to be perpetually nervous. Vegeta frowned. Even now, it was a reaction he often got from people. The Mantisi had been connected long enough with the outside universe to know exactly who Vegeta was and what he had done.

Vegeta supposed that he should come to expect some amount of fear from people who knew him as he had been.

He was grateful when Ethward beckoned him to the large table, laden with food.

"Here. Try this wine. It is a delicacy on our planet." Vegeta took it and downed it with little sophistication, accepting a refill almost immediately. Ethward smiled in apparent amusement.

"I must say, Saiyan Princes must be raised quite differently than Mantisi ones."

Vegeta didn't know how to take that so he just glared.

* * *

Trunks had gone about for the few days after his conversation with his father in a dark cloud. It was a shame. He had finally gotten accustomed to the new planet. He was finally able to chat with other students in the halls, and no longer needed to keep his schedule with him to find his classes.

He missed his mom sometimes, and was still quite jealous that Goten was out hunting for the dragonballs with Goku and the others, but otherwise, things were going swimmingly. He should have suspected that it was too good to be true, but Trunks had never really been a pessimist, and so he couldn't have known that some things were just too good to last. He couldn't have expected that the man he had called father—who he had almost worshipped when he'd been younger—would turn out to be…evil. A murderer. He'd admitted it. He'd said he didn't regret it.

Trunks was afraid. He couldn't explain why exactly. Perhaps he was afraid that one of his friends would find out the truth. Perhaps, he was afraid that his father would revert to the person he'd been before. Perhaps he worried that his father had never changed from his malicious ways. Or perhaps…perhaps there was a small voice in Trunks's head that reminded him that he was his father's son—that he would have done the same if he hadn't been raised on Earth.

He'd dwelt on it all for the past few days. He'd hardly talked to his friends at school. He'd hardly noticed their concerned glances. He'd only barely heard the worry in Han'nei's tone when he'd told her that he wouldn't be studying with her that night. They all knew that something was wrong. But Trunks wouldn't tell them what.

When Midori checked on him in the evenings, he was abrupt and monosyllabic. The woman didn't know him well enough yet to see that there was something wrong. He was grateful for that.

He'd even ignored the repeated vid calls from his mother.

He simply didn't want to talk about it. Not now. Not ever.

That was why, when the vid chat signaled that his mother was calling that evening—three days after his father had left—Trunks nearly ignored it. He almost passed straight by it and headed into his room. But something stopped him.

He kind of missed his mom. And even if his illusions about his father had been shattered, he knew for certain that his mom had never been a bad person.

It took him a while to respond, but he finally did.

He was sure to keep all emotion off of his face. If she didn't know already, he wouldn't clue her off.

But the minute her face appeared, he knew that she knew. He turned his gaze away and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't want to talk about this, mom." He said.

Her eyes narrowed in determination and she crossed her arms stubbornly. "Tough. Sit down. You need to hear this."

With a glare that left no doubts as to his parentage, he lowered himself onto the sofa.

"Now, your father tells me that the two of you talked a few days ago," She made no mention of what they'd talked about, "and that you didn't take it well."

"How could I take it well, mom. I just found out that my dad was a mass murderer. I tried to ask him what it had been like, and all he could tell me was that he doesn't regret killing billions of people. Am I supposed to just be okay with that?" He paused for a second. "And why are _you_ okay with it?"  
Bulma actually smiled slightly. "Oh Trunks, you know how your father is." He tries to make himself out as callous. He will even go so far as to accept the blame for things that aren't actually his fault. All simply because he doesn't want to admit that he wasn't in control of his own life. He doesn't want to be pitied. Especially not by us."

Trunks furrowed his eyebrows. "Why would I pity him?"

Bulma took a deep breath. "Why indeed? I've been trying to explain to him for years that there is a difference between pity and empathy and between pity and admiration. He can't understand it. It's the way he grew up. Surely you've noticed by now that it is difficult for him to let his guard down—especially when he is in a crowd. You've noticed that he'd different from the others. It's all because of his childhood—or lack of one if we're to be specific." She fixed a sad gaze on her son, and Trunks had the distinct impression that she was not seeing him anymore. "Trunks your father does not want me to tell you this, but you need to know it. I don't want you to blame him for what he's done, and I don't want you to hate him. You need to understand what his life was like."

Trunks furrowed his brows. Something in the statement was worrisome. But what more could she tell him? He already knew that his father was a slave to an evil psychopath. He already knew that he was ordered to kill people, and that he'd followed those orders. Trunks didn't think that she could shed much more light on the issue, but he held his tongue.

Bulma smiled that sad smile again and began. "For his entire life before coming to Earth, he was constantly surrounded by enemies. Nearly everyone around him hated him, and would have killed him in a heartbeat if they were able to. He always had to watch his back. I'm sure you've noticed that he is not keen on being touched. As a child, he learned to equate physical contact with pain. He didn't know what a hug was before he came to Earth. That's also why it's difficult for him to be close to people. You've also undoubtedly noticed that he can't joke around and laugh easily. Since nearly everyone around him hated him, they constantly mocked and insulted him. He can't take a compliment, because he still thinks that it's a veiled taunt."

Trunks laced his fingers together between his knees and bit his lip. "Why are you telling me this?" He grumbled.

"Because you need to hear it. Your father only told you part of the story. He told you the worst of himself without explaining the circumstances that turned him into what he was. Your father was never given a choice to become what he was. Yes, he killed many people, but it was either kill or be killed. The people he was assigned to kill were going to die anyway. It's a terrible situation, especially to be addressed so casually, but that's what happened. He survived for years, fighting through the worst situations imaginable, virtually alone. He had no friends or family to support him. He only had two allies. That was it. He was not allowed to show emotion. Any emotion was immediately exploited and turned against him. He was told where to go and when. He was told who to kill. He was punished and starved for disobedience."

She paused for a moment. "It was a harsh, harsh world, and it's one he doesn't like to share. I gleaned this information over the years. Years and years of small things dropped here and there. He tries to act like it's all in the past and that it should stay there. But it still haunts him. He can never forget what his life was like before. He is still wary of making friends, and he still has nightmares about his years working for Frieza."

"He doesn't like to talk of it, because he thinks that people will pity him for the harsh situations he was put in. Perhaps some people would. But those of us who do know—and there are few…Only Goku, Piccolo, and a few of the others know even half of what his life was like—we can't help but admire him for what he's lived through. Your father is a survivor, Trunks. He did what he had to do to stay alive, and his actions ultimately brought about a peaceful universe. If you have to judge him on his past, at least look at the whole picture."

Trunks was silent.

"Do you understand now?" Bulma asked.

He looked away before hesitantly nodding.

"Good. Now one more thing. Was it the fact that he said he didn't regret it that upset you most?"

Trunks nodded.

"Good. That's what I was hoping." Bulma smiled a little sadly. "When he says that, he doesn't mean that he does not regret killing innocent people. He means that he does not regret doing what he had to do to kill Frieza and get where he is today. If he had simply given up, Frieza could possibly still be alive. He would still be terrorizing the universe, killing people and destroying planets. Your father would have never gained his freedom, and would have never had a normal, peaceful life. He would have never had us."

Trunks looked away, seeming suddenly guilty. Bulma's last sentence had clearly hit his mark.

"He thinks I blame him." Trunks mumbled, his voice a bit hoarser than usual. "He thinks I blame him for his past."

Bulma shook her head. "Don't worry about it. I've told him to talk to you when he gets back. It'll be fine."

Trunks just nodded.

Bulma cocked her head, her brain racing to find a new topic to get their minds off the old one. "So how are things with Han'nei?"

Trunks's face flushed red.

* * *

The dinner had passed with far too much conversation in Vegeta's opinion. Ethwrd was apparently determined to make Vegeta feel comfortable on Mantioch. Vegeta was finding that a very hard feat, especially given the fact that he was essentially surrounded by giant insects. Anastis had sat beside her brother, darting nervous glances at Vegeta and around the room in general, as if she expected a hoard of Saiyans to suddenly jump out at her.

If Vegeta hadn't been simultaneously absorbed in his own thoughts and agitated by Ethward's constant comments, he might have cared enough to be insulted by her behavior. But as it was, he wasn't. He was only too happy to leave the woman's—and her annoying brother's—company and retreat to his room for the night.

Upon closer inspection, he realized that his room was quite nice. A large canopied bed, silk sheets, a fireplace, sheer curtains, a large balcony that overlooked the palace lake and garden. Vegeta could see that beyond the garden was a hedge maze. He wondered if his father had had a hedge maze back on Vegetasei. As a small child, he remembered getting lost somewhere, but he couldn't remember exactly where it had been.

The fireplace was lit, but Vegeta still felt inexplicably cold. He moved closer to it, and then tossed another log atop it for good measure. The first image of purple hair and a distrustful gaze began to dance in the flames when the sudden sound of a footstep caused him to whirl around in surprise.

A person was on his balcony.

His sharp eyes picked up the silhouette easily through the sheer curtains.

Tall, spindly, somewhat round. The person's wings glimmered as they retracted back into the exoskeleton.

Anastis.

The curtains fluttered in the breeze.

The princess stood silhouetted in the dull starlight. The light seemed to turn her silver shell purple.

He simply gazed at her, wondering what she was doing there.

A princess visiting a prince in his quarters in the middle of the night? It was highly reprehensible even if he wasn't sure that he could have figured out mechanics to actually soil her honor.

Anastis hurried inside, her footfalls making more noise on the marble floor than she'd probably intended. She knew that he'd seen her. The alertness in his eyes, in his stance, was clear, even from the distance at which she stood. But there were things he hadn't seen.

He turned fully toward her, his gaze clearly reproachful. "Why did you come here?" He asked brusquely as soon as she was inside.

"Please, my prince," She said nervously, casting a glance over her shoulder. "I must ask you to keep your voice down."

"And why?" He asked, crossing his arms. For a reason that he couldn't explain, he was starting to feel lightheaded. "This is highly inappropriate. If your brother knew—"

"No please!" She said, stopping him before he could head to the door. "You must not tell him. Ever. I have come here to help you."

He huffed. "As if I would need your help." He could feel himself starting to sweat even as he shivered from the cold, but was confused as to why.

"Prince Vegeta, please." She pleaded. "You must listen to me." She reached a hand toward him.

He backed away, but felt himself swaying. "What…" His vision blurred.

"Prince Vegeta." She cut him off. Her voice was a frantic whisper. "You must leave! You are in danger."

"Wha…?" His head was suddenly too hazy to process what she was saying. The room began to spin. He felt his knees go weak and suddenly he was on his side, on the floor, struggling both to stay conscious and to breathe.

The room was sideways, still tilting and heaving. He saw the princess's long silk skirt, her delicate shoes as she hurried toward him. But then he thought he recognized a vague click. The princess stopped in her tracks, looked toward the door, and then ran back to the balcony. Almost as soon as she was outside, she took flight.

Through his hazy thoughts, Vegeta wondered why. What had she been trying to tell him? Why had she suddenly left him when there was obviously something wrong? Had she gone for help?

The sound of footsteps, hard and urgent, got his attention, and he tiredly tried to focus on whoever was approaching him. He recognized the white kingly boots and golden coat of Ethward and the red coat of his guard. Vegeta stared up into their blurry faces in confusion. He wasn't entirely able to convince himself to feel relieved.

They weren't looking at him.

A third pair of boots made their way into his vision. Vegeta's eyes made their way up the thick, black-clad legs, to stare at the gray and black uniform, and then up into an unfamiliar face. A feeling of dread settled into his stomach. It wasn't at all caused by the face of the person he was staring at.

It was caused by the Tik insignia on his uniform.

* * *

A/N: A huge thank you to all of you who gave me suggestions about how to tackle Trunks' and Vegeta's conversation. Your advice was really helpful, especially since I couldn't seem to be able to write a scene that was both logical and in character. I must have written it ten times before I was satisfied with it. It was partially that that made this chapter so long in coming.

In the end, I decided to do "the conversation" in two parts—with this part being the more stand-offish one. Let me know what you thought of it and if you have any suggestions for part-2 of Vegeta and Trunks's conversation.

Thank you so much for your reviews. I really love to hear how many of you are enjoying the story.


	30. Shatter

**Warning! This chapter contains instances of torture. Beware!**

Chapter 30—Shatter

His head throbbed with every heartbeat. It pounded in his ears and seemed to echo off the dark, stone walls. He did not know where he was, and he could not clear his head enough to focus. He didn't know how he had gotten there. His eyelids fluttered a few times before he could keep them open long enough to get a good look around. The floor, walls, and ceiling were made of a heavy stone. Chains and shackles hung on the left wall. A matching set was strapped around his wrists, ankles and neck. His tail was awkwardly clamped around his waist, making it impossible to move. It hurt.

He remembered now. He'd been betrayed. Tricked.

He felt powerless. Either the collar around his neck or the shackles were draining his strength. He wasn't sure which it was. It could have been both.

A heavy door creaked open. The sharp noise screamed through his head threatening to split it in two. He bit his tongue to hold in a groan and tried to lift his head.

It was more difficult than he would have thought. The smallest movement sent shocks of pain through his system.

Footsteps boomed, closer, closer. Vegeta swore that they were causing the walls to shake.

Two black boots stopped just in front of him. Vegeta wanted to raise his head to see who his company was, but he couldn't.

His dilemma was promptly rectified. The person grabbed his hair and jerked his face upward. To his surprise, he found himself staring into the eyes of a woman.

"The poor little Saiyan had too much wine did he?" She asked tauntingly. "Didn't Kurenai warn you to be cautious? Personally, I think you let yourself be caught far too easily." She cupped his chin almost gently and knelt before him. Although his vision was blurry, he could make out some of her features. Light green skin, snake-like eyes, and a single knot of hair that fell to the right side of her face. "But don't beat yourself up about it. You'll get enough of that in the coming days."

He just stared at her.

"Nothing to say? Don't you want to ask how we caught you? It wasn't easy you know. It took months for our scientists to find a poison that was completely undetectable, and which could take down a Saiyan but not a Mantisi." Her dark green lips spread into a grin. "Oh yes, my friend, this was long in the making. The king of Mantioch has been in Hui's pocket since his father died. It's a pity Kurenai didn't pay enough attention to notice. And you...you should count yourself lucky that you were allowed to taste freedom for as long as you did." She trailed a finger down his face and then said almost distractedly. "You'll never see it again."

Vegeta spat on her. It took nearly all of his energy to do just that, and he had nothing left to defend himself against the heavy blow that followed as a result. His head whipped to the side, as blood began streaming out of the newly-opened gash on his temple.

As Vegeta hung limply from his chains, trying to clear the haze in his mind and push away the blackness that was creeping into his vision, the woman made a show of straightening her gloves.

"As I was saying…the poison. It is harmless to a Mantisi but quite debilitating for many humanoid species. Do not worry. You will not die from it, but you will be quite miserable for a while. A short while. During that duration, you will tell me everything I want to know about Kurenai and her troops. Understand?" She cupped his chin gently.

With energy that he did not know he had, Vegeta jerked his face away and sunk his teeth into her hand. The taste of her blood, warm and sweet, entered his mouth, and he savored it with relish.

The woman howled in pain, and a moment later, another heavy blow to the head sent him sideways. He was stopped from falling completely over by the chains. His vision swam, and he thought he might vomit. His head hurt so much, and all this extra movement wasn't helping matters.

The woman grabbed his hair again and pulled his face upward. "I can tell that you will be fun to break." She said. "Now let us begin."

Through the haze of pain in his head, Vegeta grinned back at her. This woman didn't know what she was getting herself into. With every limb chained down, Vegeta may be unable to strike back physically, but the Prince of all Saiyans would not go down without a fight.

* * *

Kurenai's face had been white as a sheet all morning. The gloating news of the Saiyan Prince's capture had been broadcast throughout the universe, and for the first time in a long time, her situation felt hopeless. The salvation that she had dedicated so much time and effort into shaping was now somewhere deep within enemy territory—likely being tortured into telling all of the Krimzon Empire's secrets.

Even if all her years of training—all those damned years of books, scrolls, teachers, spars, and billions of credits in training equipment—all came to naught because of one stupid spell, she had at least expected Vegeta to be able to take her place. It seemed like Hui always waited until victory was right within her grasp before snatching it away. It was infuriating, and in this case, quite devastating.

Perhaps she'd put too much stock in Vegeta, she reasoned as she stared down at the city below, but he had seemed like a messiah if she'd ever seen one. And as much as she'd tried to avoid it, she had grown to care for him. He was one of the most astounding people she had ever met, and although she was sure he wouldn't see it the same way, he was something of a friend to her.

She loved watching him fight. Every move was graceful, exact, magnificent. She'd grown fond of his infernal attitude, the cocky stance, the snarky comments, and the odd ingenious ideas. His mind was like a labyrinth, and his past a maze of betrayals, suffering, and perseverance. She even enjoyed his insults, playful or not.

Their fight had been phenomenal. Although she wished he hadn't taken her down so easily, she was glad that the boy could hold his own. And oh how she'd cherished the look of shock on his face when she'd gotten that first hit in.

She just couldn't believe that he got himself captured.

Her hands, clasped loosely behind her back, tightened into fists, and a shudder ran through her small frame.

She knew that the boy was no idiot. That was why she'd chosen him. He wasn't fool enough to think that the universe had just lied dormant for a decade and a half while he was vacationing on some little mudball in the north quadrant.

She knew—she'd seen it in his eyes—that he understood that with Frieza finally out of the way, potential power-houses survived to grow stronger. They fought each other. They shared techniques. They improved. She knew that Vegeta knew that. He knew that he was one of the strongest men in the universe, but he never discounted the possibility that someone could grow to rival him, that some new technique could harm him. To do so would be foolish, and would ultimately spell his death. That was why he was such an excellent warrior. He discounted no possibility. He had seen enough of the universe to know its dangers and prepare for them. She had thought that he, at least, would not be caught unawares. Oh, how she had been wrong.

And it hadn't even been a strong warrior that had taken him down. It was amazing just how many people in the universe would be able to rival Frieza in power now. Even without Vegeta's protection, they were no threat to her, of course. She had rivaled Frieza even when he was alive—at least she thought so. She'd never actually met him. After he'd died however, her father had begun strengthening his own empire—taking in planets that had once fallen under the Kold Clan's domain. Kurenai Kali had spent years afield—just as she'd done when Frieza had been alive—cleaning out scoundrels and convincing planets to join the Krimzon Empire. She'd needed to be strong—to continually get stronger—if she was going to protect her people against the ever growing threats around the universe. In a universe shaped and governed by Ki, she had needed to develop a Ki powerful enough to rival the strongest warriors and magical skills powerful enough to disable them.

As the Krimzon Empire expanded, she had gained access to new techniques—techniques to increase Ki, to control elements, to immobilize and destroy opponents. She had worked day and night, practicing under universally-renowned martial-arts teachers, and backwater witchdoctors to perfect every skill she could.

She had been groomed to be the leader of the Krimzon Empire, and she had not stopped there. She had seen what evil could do to people, and she would not let another tyrant hold the universe in fear. She would do anything she could to stop it. And she had. She had become the most powerful Krimzon leader ever seen. With her control of Ki, and her immense magical skill, she had become a creature the likes of which the universe had never seen. Her power dwarfed Frieza's. And Vegeta was her match. He had proven as much only days ago.

A small, whimsical smile touched her face.

If she had been surprised at Vegeta's increase in power, she had definitely returned the favor.

Although he had undoubtedly expected her to have improved at least some since their encounter on that planet so many years ago, he had clearly not expected her improvement to have been so dramatic. It had been his mistake, and only his immense skill as a warrior had saved him. Any lesser person would have been killed for underestimating her.

And yet…all of their power hadn't been enough. Vegeta was now in enemy hands with little to no hope of escape, and she…

She sighed lightly and shut her eyes, images of that day years ago flashing before her eyes. The day that she had almost won the war. The day that Hui had snatched victory from her hands and changed the fate of the universe.

With one spell—an admittedly archaic and complex one—Hui had nullified her power. The rumors were true. Hui and Kurenai, the two people who most of the universe believed to be the most powerful in existence, had to remain galaxies apart. It was hence that the stalemate had begun. Kurenai's one and only battle with Hui had nearly ended in Hui's defeat.

She had had his life in the palm of her hands. A long and grueling battle had ended with him lying at her weary feet. And she had hesitated. He had been so young—hardly more than a child. She could not bring herself to kill him. That was when he had struck. She remembered it clearly.

They had both been bloody, clothes torn. He had been on the ground, all gangly limbs and limp dark hair. She was standing over him, swaying with exhaustion, her every resource drained. His pale face was staring up at her in hatred—blood, sweat and mud were smeared across his cheeks. And he had whispered the words that would seal both their fates.

It had been in an old Ustinian dialect that hadn't been spoken for centuries. The words had been spoken so quietly, so hatefully, that she'd thought them to be a threat—the last promise of revenge of a person who knew they'd been beaten.

It was only afterwards, when Hui had begun to laugh triumphantly, that she'd realized what they were. Her power had left her immediately, and with his army nearby, she had been forced to flee. Flee back to her empire, far away, where distance and her troops would protect her.

She had checked and double checked the meaning of the words, but she knew that Hui had defeated her.

It was all there. _"In two, one. Shall our souls be forever bonded by the powers of heaven and hell. Shall death for me be death for you, and shall we never have the power to kill each other."_ All sealed up nice with a nice little bow. Hui couldn't kill her, but neither could she kill him. His death, even a natural one, would spell her death, but it didn't work the other way around. Her death would only mean one less protector and a maniacal emperor with free reign to take over the universe. She had to keep her distance lest one of his minions assassinate her while the proximity to Hui drained her power.

And, if the curse was reversible, only Hui knew the counter curse.

Those words would forever haunt her days. To know that she had been so close to ending the threat that Hui posed to the universe and that she'd failed was painful.

Kurenai's gaze never parted from bustling city below. She could feel the people's fear. They tried to go about their lives as if everything was normal, but now they were afraid. Midori shifted behind her. Kurenai could sense the young woman's despair even without looking toward her feet. Vegeta had been something of a friend to her as well.

Everything seemed dark and gloomy today. The lights of the buildings, and the whizzing of the trains seemed slow and depressed. Even the bright clear sky seemed somewhat dark and dreary as if nature itself was in mourning. It reminded her of the way things had been when the constant threat of Frieza hung over their heads.

Frieza.

It was a curious thing just how much revolved around Frieza. Even the war that was currently waging was the direct result of the clan's reign.

And now the two princes who were bred to defeat the tyrant—the one who'd succeeded and the one who'd never gotten the chance to fight him—were going to finally meet. And one would die. It broke Kurenai's heart that she knew which.

* * *

Trunks wasn't in the habit of watching the news. He certainly never read any newspapers. Therefore, he was clueless about the recent events. He left the apartment that morning at a run. His uniform jacket was unbuttoned, and his bag was dangling off his shoulder. He shouted apologies at the few people who were unbalanced by the gusts of wind stirred up by his sprint. He hopped on the train just as the doors were closing, and leaned against the rail with a sigh of relief.

It took him a few moments to realize that he was being watched. And not only by one person. Nearly everyone in the train car was darting him inconspicuous glances. He'd gotten used to the occasional glances. Even on Earth, he'd been the son of a celebrity. But the attention he was getting today was a little much.

He saw that people where whispering, but he couldn't hear what they were saying. Had he been on Earth that wouldn't have been an issue. Earthlings had such poor hearing that even a whisper was clearly audible to him—even if his saiyan senses hadn't been honed to perfection. But on this planet, many creatures possessed hearing even better than his. Even the races whose utterings he could pick up on often spoke in other languages, so he couldn't make out what they were saying. He wrinkled his nose in distaste at that fact.

While his first few days on Iro had introduced him to the fact that the universe outside Earth was far more colorful and diverse than he'd ever imagined, he'd learned other things as well. He'd learned that he couldn't think the same way on this planet as he did back home. The same rules didn't apply here. On Earth, everyone was the same. Earthlings spoke the same language, celebrated the same holidays, and had the same physical abilities. Trunks had been special because he had been more physically powerful than everyone else. He could fly and shoot energy blasts. He could fight super-powered warriors and withstand nuclear explosions.

But here, that didn't make him special. He had been surprised the first few days on Iro to discover that Saiyans weren't the most perfect race in the universe. Living with his father for so long, he had grown to think they were. To his surprise, however, there were many races that could hear better, see better, run faster, and even rival a saiyan in strength. He had been shocked when one of his classmates had beat him in a footrace in gym class, and perturbed when he'd realized that the ability to fly and speak telepathically was considered quite common. To his knowledge, he was still by far the strongest person in his school, but he still felt a little less special. Here, he was almost...normal. As much as he'd wished he could be himself and fit in on Earth, he was now finding that that was not all it cracked up to be.

He supposed it made sense. Saiyans couldn't have been the only race to have evolved special abilities after all.

He looked back around at all the different species that were riding in the train with him. The stares finally became too much for him, and he quickly looked down and took stock of his attire. No, he'd remembered his pants. So what on earth were they staring at?

The train slowed to a stop and the doors opened again. A few people shoved their way onto the car. They too were giving him odd glances.

He just ducked his head. He had no idea what he had done to draw so much attention, but he did not like their expressions.

The doors began to close again but just before they shut completely, a figure darted in much like Trunks had done several minutes before. The newcomer knocked into a young woman, and mumbled a breathless apology in response to her glare. The woman just turned her head away, leaving the two boys on their own.

Trunks stared at the panting boy before him. "Tetch?" He cocked an eyebrow. "What's wrong with you?"

"Trunks…" Tetch tried to catch his breath. "Are you…uh…" His face colored slightly, before he changed the subject. "I saw you in this car from way down the platform, so I made a run for it."

Trunks just cocked an eyebrow. "I see." He made himself a little more comfortable leaning against the rail, before asking. "Why?" He had a terrible feeling forming in his gut that told him that the answer wouldn't be good.

"Uhh…you mean you haven't heard?" Tetch was definitely uncomfortable now. "Don't you watch the news?"

Trunks just blinked. "No…" The terrible feeling intensified. "Why would I?"

Tetch looked away, and he too apparently noticed all of the other passengers staring at his friend.

"I…" He looked nervous now. "You should really watch the news, man…"

"Tetch…" Trunks felt a sense of panic overcome him. The expressions were all making sense now. Trunks just hoped that his suspicions weren't right. "What's happened?"

He just shifted, and pulled a small device out of his pocket. "I don't really want to be the one to tell you…" He said, quickly punching some buttons. "But you need to know." He handed the device over, and all of the blood drained from Trunks' face. He suddenly felt sick. The train car was too small, too hot, too crowded.

His hand tightened around the device, cracking it slightly. He hardly noticed.

"This isn't funny." Trunks said, his voice cracking.

"It's no joke. It's all over the news."

"It has to be a mistake then." Trunks said. "My dad wouldn't…he couldn't get captured."

"Emperor Hui announced it himself. They have pictures, video, everything. There's no doubt. I…" Tetch dropped his head. "I'm sorry, man." And Trunks could tell that he meant it.

Trunks swallowed around a lump in his throat. The train was coming into another stop. He couldn't think. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't remember the last thing he'd said to his father before he'd left, but he knew that it hadn't been anything nice. A wave of guilt washed over him, causing his eyes to water.

The train slowed to a stop and the door opened. Without even thinking, Trunks darted out. He heard Tetch calling after him, but he didn't care. He didn't care about anything at the moment. Not that he still had Tetch's device, and not that what he was about to do was technically illegal. He looked around wildly, trying to orient himself on the bustling train platform.

With all the tall looming buildings, Kurenai's palace was invisible. Trunks took one last glance at the device. On the screen were two pictures of his father. In one picture, his father was in uniform, standing proudly to Kurenai's right. In the other, he was unconscious, shackled to a wall. A green woman with odd hair was gripping his hair so that his face was turned toward the camera.

Trunks shoved the device into his pocket, and then not caring that everyone would see what he was about to do, he shot into the air.

* * *

Piccolo knew instantly upon his arrival at Mount Paz that only one person had seen the Krimzon news. Bulma was working in her makeshift lab. Gohan and Videl were lightly sparring in the yard. Tien and Chaotzu were some distance off, meditating near a river. Chichi was inside, reading. The smell of baking food wafted from the windows.

No, the only one who appeared to know what was happening within the Krimzon Empire was the Krimzon officer himself.

Shiro's jittery demeanor was much more tense than usual. He had fled the lab apparently, and was currently swathed in multiple, mismatched, colorful sweaters, struggling to complete calculations on a picnic blanket near the garden despite the fact that the wind would occasionally carry off one of his papers.

Thick clouds loomed in the distance promising the first snowfall of the year.

It was the time of year that Earthlings usually began to get excited. The time when the shops had their first holiday sales and Earthlings all rushed to malls and department stores to get the hot new items before they sold out. None of that would be happening this year. Cities were deserted wastelands, and people's lives had been too shaken by recent events to worry about such frivolous things as shopping sprees. Large technology corporations like Capsule Corp had all been obliterated, and the Tik invaders that still hovered above Earth's atmosphere, occasionally firing upon cities or hotspots, and the ones still holed up safely in their ships only coming out briefly to cause mayhem, had people terrified to venture out of their safe-houses.

Piccolo occasionally spotted people who ventured out of their shelters. Many families had moved into forests and the mountains, where the sparse population and cover of trees and caves gave them some protection from the invaders, and where the supply of wild game would not soon run out.

The change in the Earthlings' appearances would have been surprising to him if he hadn't expected such a thing. Clothes seemed much more faded than usual. They were patched and mismatched as fashion gave way to basic human necessity. Hair was less styled, wrists, fingers and necks less accessorized. Pants seemed to fit looser as waists got thinner. People walked around looking pale and frightened.

No, shopping for the "hot new thing" had ceased to be a priority for the Earthlings a long time ago. If their families survived into the holiday season, it would be enough for them.

Piccolo stored his hoverboard—damned machine…he couldn't wait to fly again—and sent a wave to Gohan in greeting. He then waited until the boy was properly distracted before approaching the nervous green alien.

He wanted to know the exact situation before he embarked on his daunting mission—breaking the news to Bulma.

"You haven't told them?" Piccolo asked without greeting.

Shiro had heard his approach despite Piccolo's light tread. "I…uhh…" Shiro swallowed and shook his head in the negative.

"Good." This had to be done delicately…and in such a way that no one was convinced to abandon the Earth to go into space in search of their missing comrade. As hard as it was, the situation on Earth was too dire.

Suddenly, Shiro was speaking again, snapping Piccolo from his thoughts. "I…I've heard from the squadron that is heading to this planet. They should be here in a few days. Bulma is supposed to supply them with capsule technology. She also hopes to find a way to encapsulate Tik and Krimzon ships, but all she has for the Krimzon ships at least are the schematics I've given her. It's a difficult project." He cleared his throat. "I've watched her since I've been here. For the most part she is a practical woman. But she is prone to bouts of…anger, and even depression…especially where Prince Vegeta is involved. These bouts can last for days, sometimes weeks. When she's angry, her productivity can actually increase, but when she is depressed, it can sometimes stop entirely."

Piccolo stared at the smaller green alien for a moment before speaking. "So you're saying she's too busy to know that her mate has been captured."

Shiro nodded hesitantly. Piccolo wondered briefly if the cowardly green alien was just worried for his own skin or if he actually cared about the fate of the planet he was currently residing on. He supposed it didn't matter. Shiro was suddenly speaking again. "That and that her work is too important for your planet. Sometimes the needs of the many outweigh the…why would she need to know exactly? How would knowing help her?"

Piccolo crossed his arms as he considered. The little man knew just how to speak to Piccolo's practical side. It was quite impressive. "When do you expect her to be done with her project?"

"At the rate she's going now, in two days."

Two days was nothing. Piccolo had taken Gohan for months without a word to Chichi. Goku had abandoned his family for a year, leaving them to think he was dead, without once trying to contact them or come home.

In this case, ignorance was bliss. Perhaps Vegeta would escape before the two days were up. He'd escaped from inside Majin Buu after all, so it was definitely a possibility.

"You make a good point." Piccolo concluded. "But we'll have to go a little farther than just not telling her. Bring me your communicator, or whatever it is you use to contact the Krimzon."

"You mean these?" Shiro held up his scouter and the device he used to read the news.

"Yes." Piccolo held out a hand for them.

"You aren't going to break them are you?" Shiro asked cautiously.

"No. Just the opposite." Piccolo took the two devices and held a hand out over them. He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again. "Lucky for us, the legislation allowing Earthlings to connect to Krimzon news is still being fought over."

"Why is that lucky?"

"Because the only people with links to Krimzon news are people I know."

He closed his eyes again, and suddenly, a small explosion could be heard from Bulma's capsule house, closely followed by Bulma's scream.

"Put those away, now." Piccolo said, handing the two devices back to Shiro.

Gohan and Videl were running across the yard to investigate the explosion. Bulma emerged in the Capsule house doorway a moment later. "Shiro!"

Shiro's eyes widened in surprise.

"Shiro, the communicator just blew a fuse!" She exclaimed sticking her hands on her hips. Her hair was disheveled, sticking haphazardly out from beneath an old baseball cap. The sleeves of the oversized sweater she sported were pushed up above her elbows. On her feet were large, fluffy pink slippers.

Yet even despite her comic appearance, Shiro was quite intimidated. "I…I…"

"What kind of shoddy equipment did you give me?"

"I…I don't know what happened. I've never heard of…" He suddenly glanced at Piccolo who was slowly walking toward Bulma. Realization dawned on him. "Perhaps the Tik have found a way to block our communication." He said quickly.

Bulma scrunched up her face. The answer had apparently been convincing enough. That or she was too distracted to think too much into it. "Oh those damned Tik! I swear. If it's not one thing, it's another." With that, she turned and stormed back into the capsule house, muttering and slamming the door behind her.

Piccolo glanced back at Shiro, letting him know with his gaze that he was not to say a word about what had just happened. Shiro swallowed and nodded.

Piccolo turned away again, heading toward his young protégé.

Shiro sighed and looked back toward his blanket. "Gah!" His papers were scattered all over the garden. With a sound of frustration, he hurried off to pick them up before the wind took them farther away. It would be no problem for him to keep Piccolo's secret. He hardly spoke to the Earthlings anyway.

* * *

Kurenai looked down at the young boy who had broken his way into her palace. He had managed to evade her guards for a full ten minutes before Midori had finally apprehended him and escorted him to Kurenai's throne room. It was better for him that Midori had found him. He would have never made it through all of the magical booby traps designed to keep unauthorized personnel out of the innards of the palace.

As she gazed upon him, for a moment she saw another child, one with darker eyes and a much darker past standing in his place.

This young man's face was pale, his eyes were watery, and his voice was hitched with emotion. "I'll do anything! Give me a ship!"

The floor blazed bright and pure at his feet. He had a power-level to rival any fighter in the universe, and a soul mostly untouched by pain and strife.

She stood and approached the boy. "Can you sense him?" She asked seriously. "Do you have a bond?" As she stood before him, it brought her no amusement to find that they were almost the same height. She was perhaps an inch taller than him.

Trunks closed his eyes tightly, trying to sense out his father. Although his mental capacities had developed in the years since the arrival of Majin Buu, he was not skilled enough to find his father through his saiyan bond, and wherever Vegeta was, his Ki was too low to sense from that distance. "No." His shoulders sagged. "I can't find him." It didn't surprise her when she heard a miserable sniffle. The floor beneath the boy's feet had long been a deep blue. "But…if you gave me a ship, I could…"

She cut him off. "How old are you?" She asked.

"Eleven." He informed her looking up through a curtain of lavender hair.

"And what is the legal age of adulthood on your planet?" When Trunks hesitated to answer, she nodded. "Is it safe to assume that whatever the age is, you have not yet attained it?"

Trunks narrowed his eyes, and Kurenai felt an odd pang in her heart. He looked so much like his father. "I've fought in more battles than you think."

"Undoubtedly you have." Kurenai said. "But this is not a battle." Trunks furrowed his eyebrows, and she clarified. "This is a war."

"That doesn't—"

"It does matter." Kurenai said, effectively predicting what he was going to say. "A war has different rules. A battle may destroy the body, but a war…wars can destroy everything. Their politics are something that your father was well versed in, and that is why I made him my right hand." She paused for a moment, studying the young boy. He was passionate, yes, and more powerful than his father had been, and yet he was not the warrior his father had been at his age. "It was Vegeta's wish that you be protected from the horrors of this war." She informed him. "And even to save him, I can not go against his wish."

"But…"

"Even if you could have sensed him, I would not have sent you to wander about in space to look for him."

"But I—"

She held up a hand, and that simple motion somehow stalled Trunks' argument. "I think you misunderstood me." Kurenai said, her wrinkled face looking tired and haggard. "You wouldn't have found him. We have no idea where he is."

* * *

Midori stared down at the young demi-saiyan solemnly. She had no idea what the boy must be going through. Vegeta's situation was such that no words could be said to bring the boy any solace. Would Vegeta be comfortable? No. Would he be well fed? No. Would his death be quick? Likely not.

While Vegeta had worked his way to the top of Hui's hit list, he had somehow wormed his way into Midori's heart. Even Chet looked depressed as he stared down at the dejected boy.

"I think one of us should stay with him…until his uncle arrives." Chet said quietly.

Midori nodded, swallowing convulsively. It would be odd being in Vegeta's home without hearing him whine and gripe about things. It was something she never thought she'd miss.

"Has anyone gotten in touch with his mother?" Chet asked.

Midori shook her head. "The planet where she lives has been under attack by Tik forces for several weeks now." She swallowed before continuing. "Just today, all of our communication with the planet was severed. Except…except for one scientist names Shiro, but he seemed like a bit of a nutcase when I spoke to him. According to our records, he works with Vegeta's mate, but he said that we couldn't talk to her. Wouldn't give a clear reason."

"Could it be…?" Chet's face paled slightly as his brain drew implications.

Midori just shrugged. If Trunks' mother had been killed as well, the poor boy would be devastated.

Staring at the boy's bowed head, Chet murmured. "Poor kid."

The train pulled to a stop and people began filing off. The seat beside Trunks was suddenly free.

Midori glanced at Chet and moved to take the seat. Chet just stared at the two of them, clearly unsure of what to do. Midori too, wasn't entirely certain, but there were some instincts that were fairly universal. So cautiously, she wrapped her arm around Trunks' shoulders. When he didn't pull away, she began speaking lowly to him

"Hey, don't lose faith. I know it looks bad now, but your dad has pulled himself out of some pretty tough situations." She cursed herself for giving him false hope, but at the moment, he needed some comfort. "He's a strong guy. And Kurenai hasn't given up on finding him. She's got her best people looking." Midori didn't mention, though, that it was likely that Vegeta was so deep inside Tik territory by now that even if they did manage to locate him, there was very little chance that they could get him out.

Trunks nodded, but she could tell his heart wasn't in it. At least he wasn't crying, though.

She couldn't even guess at what was going through his head at the moment.

In a few minutes, the train slowed to a stop at platform 84. The three morose characters filed off, drawing more than a few stares. The walk up toward Vegeta's apartment was silent, but when they turned onto the hall, they were met with a surprise. Five children, and one woman in uniform were sitting outside the door. When the six spotted the newcomers, the children shot to their feet.

"Trunks!" They stampeded him, shouting questions and uttering condolences.

"What are you doing here?" Trunks asked. Whether he was grateful for their presence was unclear from the tone of his voice.

"We came as soon as school was over." A pretty girl with pink hair asked.

"Where have you been?" Asked another. "When you ran off the train this morning, I had no idea where you'd gone."

"I was at Kurenai's palace. I had to talk to her."

"Oh…and?"

Trunks just shook his head and dropped his eyes to the floor.

"But you were gone all day." The pink-haired girl said again.

Trunks' face reddened. By the pitiable state of his attire, it should have been obvious that he had done at least some physical activity. In his case, it had been more of a prolonged violent meltdown. Thankfully, Kurenai's training rooms were made of some pretty tough stuff.

"He had to burn off some steam." Midori explained, and then, placing a hand on Trunks' shoulder, steered him toward the door. "Would you like to invite your friends inside?" Midori asked him quietly. He just shrugged.

"Actually, we all have to go home." The pink haired girl said. "With everything that's happened, our parents are freaked out and want us home before dark." The rest nodded in agreement, except for the little girl with tentacle-like orange hair. She just glanced up at the woman in uniform. Midori recognized the woman to be a KRIA officer.

So the girl was a refugee then.

Midori glanced down at Trunks to see that he was paying special attention to the orange-haired girl. Interesting.

She looked back to the KRIA officer. "Your charge can stay with us tonight. Take the night off."

"I…" The woman looked uncertain. "We're supposed to keep a more careful watch on them with…with what's happened." She explained.

"Don't worry. We're more than capable of keeping her out of mischief. You won't get into any trouble."

The woman just nodded. "I'll be back tomorrow morning, then." She said, and then nodding to her small charge, left.

The other four children stood awkwardly for a moment, before they decided that it was time to go. After once more offering their condolences, they all headed off down the hallway.

Midori and Chet led the remaining two children inside. Trunks was quiet, keeping his eyes glued to the floor. The little orange-haired girl was watching him carefully.

Midori turned away from the two, looking toward Chet for assistance. The moment her eyes left them, however, the strangest thing happened. The little girl threw her arms around Trunks squeezing him tight. Trunks' small squeak of surprise drew the two adults' attention back to them.

They both blinked in disbelief as Trunks hesitantly wrapped his arms around the little girl and dropped his head onto her shoulder. He definitely got this sort of behavior from his mother.

When they heard him sniffle, Midori and Chet decided that it was time to give the two their space. There were some things that required a close friend's support, and this was one of those things. Besides, if the girl was indeed rescued from the Tik, there was a good chance that she understood Trunks' situation better than anyone else.

Chet and Midori settled themselves into Vegeta's kitchen, occasionally glancing into the room to check on the younger pair as they sat silently, side-by-side on the couch, drawing comfort from each other's presence.

A few hours later, the two had fallen asleep, curled up side-by-side.

* * *

"Even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you." Vegeta growled, spitting blood onto the floor. If there was one thing he could ever thank Frieza for, it was for teaching him to hold up under torture.

He had no idea how long he had been in that place. There were no windows, and the dim light in the corner remained on all the time. At least it wasn't pitch black.

He had lost consciousness several times, and had woken up still chained upright to the wall, not having any idea if he'd been unconscious for minutes or days. Judging from his hunger however, he guessed it hadn't been the former.

When he'd awoken each time, he'd always been alone. In those few brief moments, he'd tried to free himself. Pulling on the chains served no purpose. They were huge and heavy, and only seemed to drain more of his energy each time he tugged. He couldn't squeeze his hands out of the shackles either. They were too tight, and even after beating his hand against the wall until his bones were broken and his thumb dislocated, he couldn't slide his hand free.

"I don't think you understand." The sweat-soaked, grayish man said. The woman had been replaced after Vegeta had head-butted her hard enough to smash her nose in. "You will tell me what I want to know."

"You sound confident." Vegeta snapped sarcastically. A moment later, his head whipped to the side, and blood flew out his nose.

"Do you enjoy pain?" The man asked.

"I can occasionally find a sick sort of pleasure in it." Vegeta grinned, revealing a row of blood-stained teeth. "Especially when it gets you so flustered."

The man took a deep breath and turned around, heading across the room to where a number of sharp and otherwise foreboding objects were laid out neatly on a table near the wall. The man surveyed the objects for a moment before nodding to himself and picking one up.

Vegeta didn't get a good look at what it was before the man had crossed back toward him. Without a word, the man reached up to Vegeta's right hand. A disgusting crunch followed by the sound of metal scraping against metal blended with Vegeta's surprised cry of pain.

Vegeta felt blood flowing down his hand, and his pointer finger throbbed with the pain. Sweat beaded his forehead, but he schooled his face into a composed expression.

The man held the top phalange of Vegeta's pointer finger up for him to see. Part of the bone of the middle phalange was visible, clean cut except for a jagged bit at the end. "You have twenty-seven more of these." He said, settling the bloodied sheers just under the first phalange of Vegeta's middle finger.

Vegeta clenched his teeth together. "Do it." He ground out. He wouldn't say a word. There was too much at stake. And he certainly didn't want to give this man the pleasure of breaking him. Frieza had tried for years and failed. This upstart certainly wouldn't succeed.

The man scowled, and a moment later, a second phalange fell to the floor. "I will kill you so slowly that you will beg me for death."

"I've been told that more times than I can remember, and it's never happened." Vegeta said, with a smirk. He was completely successful in keeping the pain out of his voice, and he smirked wider to see that the sweaty man was not very pleased about that.

"You have no idea what I've got in store for you. I'm one of Hui's best 'information gatherers.'"

"Well go on and get started." Vegeta goaded. He would never let this man see the pain he was in. He would not utter one syllable against the Krimzon. He would do nothing to give this man or any Tik officer pleasure. Despite his dire situation, a cocky grin tugged painfully at his split lip. "Give it your best shot."

* * *

Super-long A/N:

1) I have tried to tone down the torture aspect in this chapter, although I'd initially intended to have a bit more. The initial M rating of this story was put specifically for this particular arc because I'd imagine it to be quite gruesome. The reason I did this is because what I lack in creative inspiration for fair fights, I make up for in strange torture techniques. But I understand that not everyone has the same morbid fascination with seeing Vegeta hold stiff under even the worst forms of torture. I'd appreciate your opinions on this matter, so I'll know whether to keep it toned down or to let myself go a bit more.

2) I want to clarify a few things about the Vegeta/Kurenai fight because it's important for the rest of the story. This was actually one of the trickier parts that I've done for several reasons. First of all, I understand that it might be a bit hard to swallow that Vegeta actually broke a sweat taking Kurenai down. He is quite a beloved character and undoubtedly one of the most powerful people in the universe, and I had heretofore purposefully left it very vague how Kurenai measured up to the Z fighters. Hopefully this chapter has illuminated the fact that Kurenai (and by implied extension Hui) is not as weak as she was 30 or so years in the past when Vegeta first met her, and that she has quite a few tricks up her sleeves. The fight was also supposed to be an eye-opener (at least to Vegeta), that the universe at large had not been lying dormant while the fighters on Earth gained power exponentially.

3) Also, I got reviews saying both that the fight was too long and too short, but I want to apologize for not including enough detail in it. This is one of my weaknesses as a writer. I try to strike a balance between having enough detail, and not going on for too long, and sometimes I misjudge. It's true that I'm not very good at writing fight scenes due to the fact that I personally don't have a long attention span for them, and I admit that, despite my best efforts, they often turn up lacking. I will definitely try in the future to put some more detail into them.

As always thank you for your reviews. I appreciate all the time you put into leaving me suggestions and comments. Thank you for your support and input! Hope you enjoyed! :)


	31. Illusionary

**Warning: This chapter contains instances of torture. Beware.**

Chapter 31- Illusionary 

A small region in Earth's western hemisphere was treated to a show that night. Up in the sky, a bright light suddenly appeared as if caused by an explosion. Moments later, chunks of metal fell through the Earth's atmosphere, lighting up orange and red and resembling a small meteor shower.

Curious Earthlings, hidden in their cottages and huts in the wilderness, peeked from their windows to take in the spectacle. They had no idea about the significance of the lights.

Half a world away, however, a small group of the Earth's defenders knew. They didn't have to see the explosion to know that the Tik ship that had been orbiting Earth had just been destroyed in a shower of sparks. They had felt the Krimzon fleet approach, and they had felt the life forces of those few Tik fighters flicker out. Despite their inside knowledge and their extra senses, however, the group known as the Z fighters were just as befuddled as the rest of the Earthlings.

With the destruction of the Tik ship should have come the return of their powers. But their powers hadn't returned.

And therein lay a large problem. Without their Ki, the Z fighters could not attack the Tik ship still grounded on Earth without serious risk. They were still, though more powerful than the rest of the Earth's population, not strong enough to defeat the Tik soldiers should they arrive on their secluded mountain hideaway. Finally, without their powers, Goku could not use his instant transmission to bring Capsule Corp. technology to their newly-arrived Krimzon protectors. The Krimzon were still forbidden by the Earth's King to enter the atmosphere, all of the Earth's spaceships had been destroyed, and aside from one lone, secret scouter, all communication between the Earth and the outside universe was severed.

It appeared as if the only way to get Capsule technology to the Krimzon and fulfill Capsule Corp's end of the bargain was to get a space-able ship—something that only Bulma and Shiro could do—or go through the King. That route had already proven to be long and fruitless.

It was just this conundrum that resolved Piccolo to keeping Bulma in her peaceful ignorance, and it was the same issue that was on the mind of one Son Gohan on the night following the destruction of the Tik ship.

Gohan sighed for the fiftieth time that night. Videl had noticed his far-off, pensive look for some time now, but until now she had kept quiet about it. Gohan got into his brooding moods sometimes, and often it was better to just leave him to work things out on his own. Now, though she was curious.

Her position, lying atop the Son house's roof, cuddled into the side of her boyfriend was quite comfortable. Unfortunately though, she would have to move if she was to see his face. She propped herself up on an elbow and looked down at him. "What is it, Gohan?"

"Hm?" Gohan tore his eyes away from the vast expanse of stars and looked up at her. The starlight silhouetted her soft features and wide eyes. He couldn't help but smile a bit at the picture of beauty before him. "Just thinking."

"About the war perhaps?"

He sighed again. "What else is there to think about nowadays?" He mused sardonically. "The war has completely interrupted our lives. We were supposed to be freshmen at university now, working on projects and studying. And now look at us. We're hiding, constantly looking over our backs and wondering if tomorrow will be our last day together. And all of that because some emperor wants a little extra wealth to add to what must already be a huge fortune." He paused, focusing on one star that shone more brightly than the others. "And our greatest hope for finally regaining our lives is within reach, and our politicians don't even know it."

Videl had nothing to say to that. She just snuggled closer to him and followed his gaze upward.

"Lately…" Gohan started and hesitated before plunging on. "Lately I've been wishing that we hadn't kept our powers hidden from the rest of the world. I wish that we had just told everyone about all the times aliens invaded us. About Frieza and Cooler, and even Buu and Vegeta. Then maybe the rest of the Earthlings wouldn't be so confused about what's going on."

Videl looked up at him. "Gohan…"

"I just don't understand it. How can it take the king months to decide on such a simple issue. It's just 'do we let them land or no?' What's the hold up?"

"It's politics. It could take them decades to decide on it."

"I guess you're right…"

She frowned. "Gohan…"

"But he interrupted her again. "We can't wait any longer. It's taking dad and Yamcha too long to find the dragonballs, and the Tik on Earth are causing too much damage. If the king isn't going to do anything, we should."

Videl propped herself up on her elbow again. "Ugh, I've been waiting forever to hear you say that." She said with a bright grin.

"Huh?" Gohan blinked and turned his gaze to her. "What? Really?"

"Yeah. We've been sitting around here doing nothing for way too long. I'm ready for some action."

He smiled at her, but then his eyes caught sight of something behind her. His eyes widened slightly before narrowing again into a sort of serene look. "Videl." He said quietly, a small amount of wonder in his voice.

"Hm? It was the only reply she could formulate when he was staring at her like that.

"It's snowing."

She looked around, and sure enough, a few small flakes of snow were drifting down around them. And yet she didn't feel cold at all. "So it is." She said, and snuggled back into his side.

* * *

"I must say I'm impressed. You are really putting a lot of effort into this endeavor."

His mangled fingers throbbed with every heartbeat but he let on no sign of his pain. A large gash stood out on his cheek from where one of his "interrogators" had gotten impatient and lashed out with a whip. His ribs ached with every breath. Too many hits and kicks had left them bruised, but somehow not yet broken.

All of that was nothing, however, to this new form of torture. He was already cursing himself for letting the Tik "information gatherers" get a reaction out of him. It wasn't like he could help it though. Vegeta could keep from making any oral or facial sounds of discomfort. He could bear any hit, kick or burn with a sarcastic smile. However, he was unfortunately incapable of keeping his stomach from growling. Especially now after days of no food, and just enough water to keep his heart beating.

Now, four guards were sitting on the ground before him, a feast spread out between them. They were passing food politely, offering their comrades a taste of each delicious dish.

Vegeta kept his eyes glued impassively to the far wall, but his stomach was betraying him. The smell was tantalizing. Different spices, roasted meat, sweet desserts, even the stench of alcohol was calling to him. It contrasted sharply with the rotting scent of the dungeon, but for him it was still appetizing.

They'd said that it could all be his if he just started talking. He'd talked alright. He'd thrown a few insults, made a few sarcastic quips, and made a rather colorful remark about one of the guards' mothers that had left the man blue in the face—and resulted in another bruise on Vegeta's tender ribs and a rather nasty gash on his temple. Vegeta hadn't said a word, however, about Krimzon technology or abilities, locations, troops or strategies.

He wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing just how much discomfort he was in. They could do what they might. He hadn't survived as long as he had by crumbling under a little hunger. But oh, how he wanted them to leave.

An idea suddenly struck him. "I applaud you. It must be difficult to sit in shit and piss and act like you're enjoying eating." He paused before plowing on. "And to think of how many people died of horrible diseases right where your plates are—diseases that they picked up from the very filth you're sitting in now. It makes me feel quite important to know that Hui is willing to let four of his men die slowly of horrible diseases just to try to get a little information out of me."

One of the soldiers had stopped eating long ago. Two of the others seemed to have been quite impacted by Vegeta's words, and dropped their utensils with a green look. The fourth soldier was sitting rigid. Determinedly shoving food into his mouth with a stubborn glare.

The three who had stopped eating fixed pleading stares on their leader. He glanced up at them before barking. "Keep eating."

With shaky hands, the three reached for food. However one of them was unsuccessful in putting the juicy piece of meat into his mouth. He vomited across the four soldiers' feast. The three other soldiers jumped to their feet, swearing, and looking greener than ever.

Despite the noise and the disgusting smell that just invaded his senses, Vegeta couldn't help his triumphant smirk.

"Leave the food here." The leader barked, and ripped the door open to allow his three soldiers out. When they were out of earshot, he turned to Vegeta with a glare. "Don't think you've won this, Saiyan. You don't know who you're messing with."

Vegeta just grinned at him.

The door slammed behind the Tik soldier. The sound reverberated off the thick stone walls before succumbing to silence. Vegeta was finally left alone again.

He leaned his head back against the wall trying to ignore the smells of the ruined feast before him. Despite the disgusting substance now spread across it, the smell was still stirring hunger pangs in his stomach.

He exhaled deeply, wondering if he would ever make it out of there. Whether or not anyone was formulating a rescue attempt, he would sit and bide his time, waiting for a chance to strike back at his torturers. He didn't see the situation ending well for him. He had no idea where he was, and to his knowledge, neither did anyone else who may give a damn about him. Try as he might, he still couldn't free himself of his chains. He could always chew off his hands and feet and slip the bloody nubs of his limbs out of the shackles, but there was still the problem of the chain around his neck. That was the stumper, and for the life of him, he could not think of a way to get the thing off.

The door slammed open again, the sound seeming to shake even the stone walls. The chief interrogator stood in the doorway again, a belt with a variety of creative-looking devices strapped around his waist. He kicked the plates out of his way as he strode across the room toward Vegeta.

"Think you'll beat me at my own game do you, saiyan?" The man said. Pulling something from behind his shoulder. "Think you'll humiliate me in front of my men?" Vegeta eyed the object in his hand with some small amount of dread. "Well let's see how you like this. Do you know what this is?"

"A cat of nine tails, perhaps?" He asked, although he knew clearly what it was. Bits of glass and sharp metal caught in the dim light as they swung from the leather cords.

"Indeed." The man caressed it gently. "I've named her Scarlett. Can you guess why?"  
"Because you lack creative inspiration in naming your toys?"

The man chuckled, and a moment later, the sting of the weapon came down across his face. A second blow was sent to his chest, tearing his filthy shirt open, and leaving deep, bleeding gashes across his torso.

"I swear that I will make you regret being alive." The man promised. Coming closer, he found where a piece of Vegeta's skin had been flayed open. Grabbing it, he pulled sharply, tearing a strip of Vegeta's skin clean off. Vegeta flinched, but managed to bite back a hiss of pain.

After he caught his breath again, he licked some blood that was dripping down his face and spat it onto the floor. Looking up at the large man, he grinned a bloody grin. "You can try."

The guard smirked and pulled something else from his belt. Crouching down before Vegeta he held up the object. "And do you know what this is?"

"A spray bottle?" He hazarded.

"A _special_ spray bottle. Normally used for correction of disobedient pets. I've replaced the contents with something more fitting to the occasion. Acid." He sprayed it onto Vegeta's chest, and this time, he couldn't hold back a gasp. The acid seared his skin, causing his blood to bubble and his flesh to burn.

Vegeta shut his eyes, imagining a different place, a different time, where people didn't harm him. It was something he'd done as a child when things got too painful. It was sometimes a successful technique, but today, it didn't seem to be working. He would just have to bear it. Hopefully, he could do it with a bit of dignity.

He was unfortunately finding that he was left with only two options: wait for an opportunity to present itself for escape, or wait for a rescuer to arrive. Neither of those things seemed likely however. It was unfortunate that he'd never been an optimist.

Little did he know, a search party had indeed been sent out in search of him. Several days before, Kurenai had stood in the shadowy confines of her circular office before fifteen of her best intelligence agents and spies. She had been brief and to the point, charging the men and women with one task: find Vegeta.

And she had sent them off.

As of yet, no information had been returned to her. It seemed that Vegeta's whereabouts were a carefully guarded secret, even among the low-lives and those with known connections to the Tik.

She was running out of resources, and, she knew, time. Hui would not keep Vegeta alive long when he knew that Kurenai would send her best people to search for him.

She had one last trump card. She just hoped that he wouldn't fail her.

* * *

"Damn it!" With a growl, she slapped the side of the vid link. She'd taken a break from working on the capsules to try to fix the confounded Krimzon computer. The day was lovely outside. A light blanket of snow had covered the ground, and the sun was shining brightly across the mountains. Chaotzu was baking a batch of cookies, and trying to keep a sneaky Gohan out of the kitchen. Occasionally the smell of the cookies would waft across the yard and permeate the small capsule house living room where Bulma was working.

Shiro had sequestered himself in the other room to evade Bulma's wrath. He had insisted that he had no knowledge about the workings of such computers, and it would be pointless for him to try to help her fix it.

Gohan and Videl had disappeared somewhere, only emerging occasionally to try to swipe a dessert. Bulma would have been surprised that the young couple wasn't out enjoying the snowfall, but she was too preoccupied to worry much about them at the moment. She hadn't even noticed when Gohan had crept through the back window and swiped the blueprints of the Tik ship from her desk.

The task that was only supposed to take a few minutes, had turned into a few hours, and she'd only grown more and more frustrated as time wore on with no success. "I don't have time for this."

She slumped weakly to the floor and leaned against the table. Dropping her face into her hand, she let out a weary sigh. Outside, the snow was calling to her. It was the type of weather she loved. She loved playing in the snow, and then coming inside, curling up with a book and just watching the scenery. For the past few years, she and Trunks had made snowmen, and even on occasion dragged Vegeta out to join in the fun. If she closed her eyes, she could smell the hot chocolate that her mother made for them, feel the warmth of the fireplace, and maybe even a strong arm around her—when Vegeta was in an exceptionally good mood.

Now, she missed them more than ever. She had been too busy lately to enjoy what few pleasures came around. She had only gotten a few hours of sleep in the past three days. She was running entirely on coffee and will-power. She had been staring at capsule blueprints, Krimzon ship blueprints, and micro technology for far too long, and all she wanted was to talk to her husband and son.

But apparently that wasn't going to happen.

There was a light knock on the door.

"Come in." She called, trying to quickly straighten her messy hair and oversized sweater so as not to look like a wreck.

"Bulma?" It was Chichi's voice. "We're just back from the store. I got the coffee you wanted." Chichi came into the room, stomping her feet on the mat, and then slipping her shoes off. The instant her eyes alighted on Bulma they softened with worry. "Oh, Bulma, what's the matter?"

Bulma sighed. "That obvious huh?" She waved a hand toward the vid link. "I can't get this stupid thing to work."

"Oh." Chichi came around and stared at it. "You haven't heard from your boys since the computer went out?"

Bulma shook her head.

"Is there something else?"  
"I know it sounds crazy, but I can't help but feel like something's wrong."

"Wrong?" Chichi asked. "Like what?"

"I don't know. It's just a feeling."

Chichi lowered herself to sit on the floor next to Bulma. "I'm sure they're both fine. The planet they're on is one of the safest in the universe right? And besides, they're Saiyan after all. What could have possibly happened to them?"

* * *

He was shocked awake by the sensation of something biting his arm. He looked down and was instantly horrified to find that several large worm-like things were sucking on his open wounds, and biting at his skin. He barely withheld a shriek as he began bucking and twisting to throw the horrid creatures off him and squash them. However as he killed some, more seemed to appear.

"So the mighty Prince Vegeta is afraid of bugs is he?" The familiar voice of the chief interrogator—whose name Vegeta wasn't sure he'd ever heard—drifted over to him from the doorway. "I'd heard as much, but I couldn't believe it was true."

Vegeta swore under his breath. It wasn't that he was afraid of them per se. It was…well…they were disgusting.

"We have boxes and boxes of those things out here, and just so you know, they reproduce much faster than you can kill them. We have a round-the-clock guard duty set up right outside your door. Until you tell us what we want to know, we will keep these creepy crawlies coming." He leaned forward to add emphasis. "Imagine, all day. Everyday."

Vegeta swallowed the bile that had crept up his throat. "Go ahead." He was starting to think this wasn't worth it. He was not seeing any opening for escape. Try as he might, he still couldn't free himself of the chains. That was, after all, the first step.

And even if he could get the chains off, he still had the problem of having his Ki completely drained. He could sense the Ki of the warriors that were guarding him. Even with all of his experience and considerable skill. Without access to his Ki, there was no way he could defeat them. Evade them…maybe. Defeat them…no.

As humiliating as being rescued by Kurenai would be, he was beginning to welcome the prospect.

* * *

"Tarble." The second saiyan prince stood before her, looking pale and hopeful. His small wife hovered at his side trembling slightly. It had taken him a few days to reach planet Iro, and every moment of the wait had been painful for Kurenai.

Kurenai sent them both a look that told that she had no good news to tell them. Tarble's eyes dropped momentarily, before he seemingly steeled himself and looked back up at her. One glance at the floor, however, told Kurenai that despite his hard façade, inside the young man was in turmoil.

Kurenai had waited too long to beat around the bush. Time was of the essence. She plunged right in. "Your nephew mentioned to me that you saiyans share a bond, and that it may be possible to track someone using it."

Tarble's mouth dropped open slightly forming a small "o." "You want me to try to find Vegeta?" This was bad news. If Kurenai was going to such extreme measures, she was really desperate.

"Can you do it?"

The small saiyan glanced down to his wife, and she nodded supportively. "I can try."

"Do it." Kurenai ordered.

Tarble closed his eyes. There were so few saiyans left that he had very little trouble distinguishing between them. Trunks was the closest obviously, as he was on the same planet. He felt three others far off to the north. And then to the west, farther still, was one. That was Vegeta. "How far away is this planet from the Earth?"

"About a month's trip by an average speed ship."

"Vegeta is over twice the distance to the west."

"What?"

Tarble's eyes flew open, and his heart dropped to his stomach at the surprised and dismayed look on Kurenai's face.

"How did they transport him so far so fast?" She thought for a moment before growling. "It's those damned transmissioners! If I had known that the Yardrats and the Sliffers would give me so much trouble I would have sent half the army to keep Hui from taking their planets."

"The…who?" Tarble blinked at Kurenai, but the old woman had swept across the room and was now glaring moodily out the window. Tarble glanced at Gure, but she only shrugged.

A voice from behind them filled them in on what the problem was. "Both the Yardrats and the Sliffers were skilled in instantaneous movement. And in the case of the Yardrats, the skill could be taught. It seems logical that the only way that the Tik could have transported Vegeta so far away in such a short amount of time is by some form of instantaneous movement."

"Oh…"

Kurenai spun around. "You said he was approximately twice the distance as from here to the planet Earth, correct?"

"Uhh. Yeah, but it's really an imprecise…"

"That's all we have to go on for the moment…which direction."

Tarble closed his eyes again and concentrated on his bond with his brother. It was the same bond that had helped him find Vegeta on Earth years before…although following Vegeta's trail of destruction had been useful as well. "That way." He pointed to a spot on the floor to his right. He heard Gure gasp beside him and he opened his eyes to find that the room around him had disappeared and was floating in space. "Wha—!"

"Do not be alarmed. It is only an illusion. You are standing in a plot of the universe." He looked around wide-eyed and spotted Kurenai behind him, hands clasped calmly behind her back. "The Earth is here." One of the small star-looking objects around him began to glow brightly.

Tarble closed his eyes to discover that the cluster of Saiyans he felt would have been exactly in the spot that Kurenai indicated. He checked to make sure that he was pointing directly toward Vegeta, and then opened his eyes again. "Vegeta is that way."

Kurenai floated toward where he pointed and Tarble wondered if indeed it was only an illusion. How had Kurenai just floated through the place where the floor should have been?

She stared at one point for a long moment before floating back up.

Suddenly the illusion disappeared. Kurenai didn't say anything, but with a frown, she turned and walked back to the window to stare gloomily at the city below.

Midori stared between the two visitors and the Empress before hesitantly moving to stand near Kurenai. "Kurenai?" She asked hesitantly.

Kurenai slowly turned. "Tarble, I want you to train with your nephew. The boy is a powerhouse, but you have more maturity and patience. You can learn from each other. Just please…remember what I told you."

Tarble blinked. "And…what of Vegeta."

Kurenai exhaled sadly. "He is out of my reach."

"No! But how? We…didn't you locate him?"

"What you pointed to…is an entire galaxy." Kurenai informed him. "One of the most populated galaxies in the universe. All of it is under Tik control."

"But you…you're the most powerful sorceress...in the universe, right?"

"And Hui has proven to be a match for my power. He knows me well enough to predict my movements." Her voice dropped to nearly a whisper. "He has been planning this for a while."

Tarble took a hesitant step forward. "But surely there is something—"

"I have send plainclothes reconnaissance officers to try to at find your brother. I will redirect them to the area you indicated. Perhaps they can at least find out what planet he is on." She turned fully toward him, her hands still clasped behind her back. "But by the time they reach him, I fear it will be too late." She dropped her voice before adding. "It's probably already too late. Now, if you'll both excuse us, we have to take precautions in case our secrets are…" She paused, looking away. "Leaked." She looked back to them "I thank you for your help."

* * *

"So Pop." Trunks was sipping on his blue soda. He tried not to think about everything that had been happening—about the fact that his father had been captured a week ago and he couldn't get in touch with his mother or family. As hard as he tried to brush the thoughts aside though, they just kept coming back. Training in Kurenai's training rooms wasn't helping. It just reminded him of his father. School wasn't helping either. Just sitting in his history class reminded him of his father. It seemed that there was nothing he could do to ease the pain in his chest.

His school work was suffering, but at least his teachers were understanding. He had all but isolated himself from his friends at school. Han'nei had helped quite a bit, but even toward her, he'd grown cold. He was angry, often snapping at people when he didn't really mean to. He just felt so helpless. It wasn't fair. He was one of the most powerful people in the universe, and yet he could do nothing to help his father during his time of need.

Midori had tried to shelter him from the newspapers and emissions that discussed his father's capture and the very likely possibility that he would be tortured into divulging Krimzon secrets.

However, as far as anyone knew, Vegeta was already dead. If the Tik had gotten any information out of him, they had yet to use it. No ships were attacked, no weaknesses exploited. Nothing. The status quo had returned to how it had been before the saiyan prince had arrived.

Trunks tried to convince himself that that meant his father had somehow escaped, and was making his way back to Iro. The thought cheered him up, if only a little.

Pop, at least, was still his old cheerful self, except for the shadow that crossed his face whenever he looked at Trunks.

Trunks had taken to asking random questions just to keep his mind busy. "If you used to cook for royalty, why did you come here?"

"What do you mean, my boy?" Pop asked.

"I mean…you cook in the underground. Isn't that…uhh…?"

Pop laughed his hearty laugh. "The underground isn't all bad. This is one of the most famous restaurants around. And the Septagon is one of the best places in the universe to be a chef. All of the diplomats, dignitaries, and royalty in the empire eventually make it to this planet. When they do, the best place to stay is the Septagon. And when they stay in the Septagon, if they want the best food around, they come here."

"But it's…" He looked around at the dark room, with its unpainted stone walls, wooden floors and wooden tables. "It's not fancy at all. There are no table cloths. No candles. You don't eat off of silverware and porcelain."

Pop gave him a look which suggested that he was saying something crazy. "While I don't know what a table cloth or porcelain is, I can tell you that in no place in the universe do candles and silverware affect the taste of food. A good restaurant isn't made by pomp and circumstance, my boy. Maybe it is on your home planet, but here good food is good food."

"But if it's the best food around, why is it so cheap?"

Pop shook his head. "I've never understood planets that hierarchize food. If it's good for the king of Irdun and the Prince of Vegetasei, it's good for old Auntie Ting that lives down in the slums. And I don't think that Auntie Ting is less deserving of a bowl of hot Pato than you are, do you, young prince?"

Trunks shifted. "Uhh…no. I guess not. But…if you think everyone deserves good food, why cook for kings."

Here, Pop laughed heartily. "Well I don't think that the Prince of Vegetasei is less deserving than Auntie Ting either. Also, I said that the prices are low so that everyone can afford it. I never said that royalty weren't encouraged to tip." Suddenly, Pop looked up over Trunks' shoulder, and his round face took on a disquieted expression.

Trunks turned to see what had caught Pop's attention.

Two black-cloaked figures had just entered the room. Everyone had gone silent, and most of the patrons were casting nervous glances at the two people. No one walked around completely shrouded as these two people did unless they had something to hide—usually, it was something dark.

Trunks, like everyone else, stared at the two. He couldn't see their faces, but he recognized the Ki. A bright grin lit up his face. He hopped off the chair and ran across the room. "Ojisan!"

"Hi, Trunks." The taller of the two greeted in saiyago. "Imagine finding you here. We were just looking for a bite to eat before we went up to the apartment."

"Yeah, well I don't cook, so I eat here all the time. It's the best place around." Trunks said, somehow knowing that the conversation should be spoken entirely in saiyago. If his uncle's appearance was any indication, his visit here was a somewhat clandestine one. Just then, the other black, cloaked figure emerged from behind Tarble.

"It's been a long time, Trunks." The language was accented, but the voice was clearly Gure's.

"Hi Auntie." Trunks greeted her as well, before looking between the two. "What's with the weird get-ups?"

"Well, we are supposed to remain out of the public eye for the moment."

"Uh huh." Trunks looked around at all the others in the pub. Most of the patrons had gone back to their dinners, drinks, and conversations, but several were still glancing nervously at the two cloaked newcomers. "Well, in that case, how about you just order out and we can eat upstairs." Trunks suggested.

"That…" Tarble looked around at all the suspicious looks, "is a great idea."

It didn't take long for Pop to produce two large bundles of food, and slide them across the counter. Despite Trunks' apparent familiarity with the two people, the old man had a long-ingrained suspicion of anyone who would not show their face in public. It was closed-minded some would say, but the fear had served him well on several occasions—it had even saved his life a few times. The universe was a dangerous place after all. In Pop's humble opinion, he could never be too cautious.

And in any case, the two mysterious people were disturbing his customers. He wouldn't have anyone driven away due to them. And so with speed and efficiency borne of decades of service, Pop had served the two and sent them and Trunks on their way.

The walk up to the apartment was short and silent. After the initial joy of seeing his uncle had died off, the realization of why he came sank into the young demi-saiyan and turned his attitude somber again. Tarble seemed to feel the same as Trunks, for he rarely so much as glanced at the boy as the three made their way upstairs. It wasn't until they reached the apartment that anyone spoke.

Trunks had just shut the door and directed the two toward the closet where they could hang up their cloaks.

Carrying the two bundles toward the living-room table Trunks began sorting through them. He ignored the quiet conversation held between his aunt and uncle, and tried to focus his attention entirely on laying out the food. When that was completed, he finally turned around.

That was when his eyes landed on his uncle. Trunks froze. "You look…"

Trunks now knew why Tarble, at least, had had to wear the cloak. He was…

Tarble nodded somewhat solemnly. "I know."

Trunks took a step forward. His face still bore a shocked expression, as if he didn't know quite how to process his uncle's appearance. "But…how?"

Tarble shook his head. "Kurenai."

"Why?"

He just shrugged. "No idea."

* * *

He had formed a ring around himself of bug carcasses, hoping that the squished corpses of their comrades would be enough warning to the other bugs to keep away. His plan wasn't exactly working.

How long had he been doing this? He had no clue. From the way fatigue had set in, and his eyes kept drooping closed, he suspected that it had been a few days. He was used to going a day or two without sleep, but it had been quite some time since he had been this exhausted. Despite the fact that he was fairly certain none of the insects were poisonous, they were clearly flesh-eating, and the very idea of allowing them to crawl on him—of letting them close enough to leave their slime on him or bite him—was appalling. And so he stayed awake…for hours…days, fending the small terrorizers off and trying to find some way to protect himself against further onslaught.

Nothing worked. His head was starting to grow fuzzy from the lack of sleep combined with hunger and blood-loss. He was seeing shadows in the corner. They had been darting around there, into his vision and back out of it, for some time now, but lately they had been getting more solidified. Although he was fairly certain that they were hallucinations, they caused his heartbeat to speed up, and his back to grow sweaty.

One of the shadows seemed to dart across the room. The others drew into it, meshing with it, and after a moment of wiggling the shadow morphed. Vegeta's breath hitched, as he took in the strange shadow creature. It looked like nothing so much as a giant cockroach. The giant shadowy bug hovered in the corner near the ceiling for a few seconds, watching him, threatening him with its look, before it suddenly dissolved into a hundred smaller bugs and disappeared into the cracks between the stone.

An inordinate amount of terror had seized him. Vegeta's gaze darted around the room but he noted nothing else odd. "It's a hallucination." He whispered to himself._ Caused by lack of sleep. Pull it together! It's just your mind playing tricks on you. _His mind screamed. But the feeling of dread didn't leave him.

There was a whisper of noise beside him. Vegeta turned his head to see that the giant cockroach had stuck its head out between the flagstones and was twitching its antennas toward him. Despite his resolve to let nothing get to him, he yelped in surprise, thrashing against his chains to get away from it.

How a creature the size of a large dog was managing to maneuver itself between the flagstones, he had no idea. It didn't make logical sense. And yet, he saw it, clear as day—a large black cockroach, with red eyes fixed straight on him, only a foot away from him.

It stared at him for a few moments, opening its mouth and closing it without making a sound.

And then the cockroach dissolved again, disappearing back into the wall. Sweat was now drenching Vegeta's shirt, and his breaths were coming in short pants. His eyes darted around the room, trying to find where the creature had gone. He couldn't see it anywhere.

Darkness was creeping into the edges of his vision and his heartbeat was pounding in his ears.

Suddenly, a large, pointed claw grazed his cheek. Little hairs tickled his face.

He jumped away, shrieking, but another claw came around from the other side, wrapping around his chest, and piercing the skin there slightly. With an unnaturally strong grip, the creatures claws dragged him back against the stone wall. The claw-like thing on his face, forced his head upward.

His breath caught in his throat. The giant cockroach's head was mere inches away from his face. Its beady eyes were staring at him, and its antennas were brushing against his temples.

Its strange mouth opened and shut again, sending a horrified shiver down Vegeta's back.

Its feelers touched his face, and suddenly the two claws that were holding him, plunged into his skin.

A silent gasp escaped his lips, and darkness invaded his vision.

He was pulled back to consciousness a few moments later by a sweet voice. His terror was suddenly and completely forgotten, and he could easily brush away his clipped memories of a giant cockroach as a feverish hallucination.

"Vegeta." Her voice fluttered over him like butterflies. As someone who was awakening from a deep sleep, he cracked his eyes open slightly. He was greeted with the sight of Capsule Corp's garden. Mrs. Brief's flowers were in full bloom.

"What were you dreaming about?"

"Hm?" He stared up at the leaves of a tree, fluttering gently in the wind. Fluffy white clouds passed overhead. The bright sun left him feeling warm. He was tempted to shut his eyes and take a nap, but a voice grabbed his attention.

Bulma was sitting near him, her legs crossed and an old worn-out paper back resting in her lap. She was fixing him with a curious glare. Vegeta nearly smiled at seeing her. For some reason the moment seemed too good to be true—like he wasn't supposed to be there. There was a small feeling of dread still, holding him, but he could ignore it quite easily.

"Vegeta…"

"Huh?"

"You mentioned the queen of Barava. How do you know her?"

"Uhh…" The name only vaguely rang a bell.

"You said that she had minerals on her planet." She cocked her head to the side, and a light breeze danced in her hair. Vegeta reached out to brush a stray lock off her face, but she backed out of his reach.

Confused, he dropped his hand to his side.

"Where are they?"

"Huh?"

"The minerals. Where are they? How are they guarded?"

"How should I know?" He asked and reached up again. "Bulma…"

"You know." She stated, her eyes narrowing in disappointment. "I know you know. Tell me."

Something was wrong. The smell. The sweet smell of the flowers, of his wife…none of it was there. Instead, it smelled…putrid.

He sat up and moved away from her slightly. "Why?"

She backed off slightly, seeming to sense that he was growing suspicious.

This was wrong. It couldn't be happening. He couldn't be here with her. He couldn't remember why, exactly, but he knew that the situation that he'd found himself in was impossible.

He stared at her, and then around at the manicured Capsule Corp. lawn. Everything was as it should be. The flowers, the trees, the pool. All of it was there, exactly where it had been when he'd left. And yet, even that seemed impossible.

Something was bugging him—a small memory flittering in the back of his mind just out of reach. Why couldn't he remember?

The smell of rot, of vomit, and decay reached his senses again. Why did this situation feel so familiar? And why would that feeling of dread in his stomach not go away.

He shook his head. "This is wrong."

"I agree." Bulma quipped. "You shouldn't keep secrets from your wife."

"No." He blinked at her, as the realization suddenly hit him. "You're not Bulma. You're not real."

Her eyes narrowed angrily. "How dare you!"

"I don't know who you are, but I know that you're not Bulma. I know that I'm not on Earth either. This is an illusion."

He shut his eyes and tried to will himself back to the present.

"If you're going to be like that Vegeta, fine!" He heard Bulma yell, but the shout was far away. "You can just stay in that Tik prison until you die!"

That was it. The memory he needed was right there. He remembered where he was, and the situation was clearing up.

He pulled his eyes open and was almost relieved to find himself back in his cell. The familiar sting of the shackles tearing at his wrists, and the pounding in his fingers grounded him. He looked around the cell. No giant shadow insects, no people who shouldn't be there. Not even any small bugs to bite at him.

Come to think of it, that was a little odd. The guards had been standing at the door ever since the bug idea had been thought up. There was no way that they would leave it unguarded or give up on that plan, especially since the idea was so successful. But why wouldn't they be there?

Vegeta was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of the cell door unlocking. The door swung open slowly, and that familiar feeling of dread and horror came over him again. A figure strode in. It was a boy, silhouetted by the bright light coming from the hall. Even though Vegeta's brain was exhausted by going days—weeks?—with so little sleep, he recognized him instantly.

"No."

"Father." The boy said coming to a stop a few feet in front of Vegeta.

"Trunks." He stared at his son, horror spreading through his veins. Trunks was dressed in the gray and black of a Tik uniform. A hard look was set on his face—it was the look that Vegeta had once worn so long ago. The look of a young boy who was carrying a burden far too heavy for his small shoulders. "No…how…"

"I tried to rescue you." A moment of regret flickered across his face, but an instant later it was gone. "I was caught." He pulled down the neck of his shirt a little to show Vegeta the collar he wore. "I now belong to Hui."

"No, Trunks. You…you have to escape."

"I can't do that dad. I won't leave you. Hui has promised not to kill you as long as I serve him faithfully. He has even promised to stop attacking the Earth."

Vegeta was slowly shaking his head. History could not be repeating itself

"But you can make this better for both of us, dad." Trunks said, hurriedly. "Just tell Hui a few things. Just a little information, and…" He swallowed, and his expression suddenly grew ashamed. "Dad, he hurts me." He said in a miserable whisper.

Vegeta's heart stopped for a moment, and a feeling of utter despair overcame him. After all he'd done to protect his son, it was so ironic that Trunks had been caught trying to protect him.

"He's sick, dad. He does things…" The boy shuddered and looked away. "He said that he'll stop…that he'll never do it again, if you'll just cooperate a little."

Vegeta swallowed. "Trunks…I…" How he wanted to do something to help him. "I can't."

Trunks' eyebrows drew down into an angered glare. "What?"

"Trunks you have to get out of here. Run away while you still can. Don't worry about me."

"No dad. Time is up. I can't leave. You're my only hope now. Just tell Hui what he wants to know."

Vegeta dropped his head. "The truth is, Kurenai never trusted me with the information that the Tik want. I want to help you. But I can't."

Trunks took a step back. "You're lying."

"Not with your life on the line, Trunks." Vegeta said. "My own life, I can sacrifice, but not yours. Please, please try to escape. I can't do anything to help you."

Trunks seemed to consider for a moment. "You've never done anything to help me, dad. It's your fault I'm here. Why don't you make it up to me now? Tell them what they want to know." Vegeta was already shaking his head. "Don't you care about me?"

"You know I do, son." Vegeta locked eyes with his son, and let all his barriers drop. The honesty was evident in his expression. There was no doubting him anymore. "But I honestly don't have any information that would get us out of here. You have to go without me."

"Is that it then?" Trunks dropped his head and glared at Vegeta through his purple bangs. His hands fisted at his sides. "You were just Kurenai's little dog that she sent out to do her dirty work. She never trusted you enough to give you any information."

Slowly, Vegeta nodded. "I'm sorry, Trunks."

"Tch." Slowly Trunks' body began morphing. Vegeta pressed himself back against the wall, confusion washing over him, as Trunks grew. His purple hair changed color, and his crisp black and gray uniform changed to torn white robes.

The hideous face of a Xiee stared back at him. _Do not be sorry for your son, Saiyan_. The Xiee seemed to say, although Vegeta couldn't see his mouth move. _Be sorry for yourself. You have no information for Hui, and therefore you are of no use to him. Prepare yourself for your execution._

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the terribly long wait. I've been super busy lately. I hope you enjoyed that. Thank you so much to all of you who reviewed. There were a few of you who didn't particularly care for the dismemberment, but surprisingly, the overwhelming majority of you were. While this chapter was perhaps a bit dark, I don't think that it was particularly gruesome. Hopefully it satisfies all parties. As always, I appreciate your opinions and input, so let me know what you think.


	32. Go Not Gently

**Warning! Please read! This chapter contains torture, violence and character death. Proceed cautiously.**

Chapter 32- Go Not Gently

"Pull him out. He's had enough. We wouldn't want to kill him too soon." The burly guard began cranking a pulley, and a disheveled, bleeding figure was pulled gasping and shuddering out of a pool of water. His hands were chained above his head, and his feet were shackled together preventing all form of movement.

In the dark dungeon room, not much could be seen of the man's features. Yet the raised red slashes and darkened bruises on his back and chest were clearly visible. His black hair, hung limp in his face, as if mirroring his weakness and defeat.

The man shuddered again as he tried to pull air into his burning lungs.

"He looks submissive enough to me." One of the guards, the sleeves of his uniform wet and bloodied from having to deal with the prisoner looked to his superior.

"Hm…" The chief guard, noticeably dry and seeming quite comfortable to be where he was, walked closer to their victim, apparently studying him. The prisoner wore nothing more than a pair of gray pants. Water rolled off of his muscled, yet emaciated chest and stomach. The guard reached forward and pulled a fat leach-like creature from the man's neck. It left a large purple mark, but the man made no response to the action. He didn't seem to notice much of what was going on. The only sound in the room was the prisoner's ragged breathing and the constant drip of water that fell back into the pool. Small, slimy creatures flitted around in the water as if begging for another go at the prisoner.

The chief guard flicked the creature away before cupping the prisoners chin and bringing his glassy black eyes to meet him.

"Dear Vegeta," The guard grinned mockingly. "Are you tired?" Indeed the saiyan prince's eyes belied an exhaustion that was born of weeks of inadequate sleep, injuries and poor nourishment. "Are the nasty bugs and the Xiee _still_ keeping you awake? Aww."

He dropped Vegeta's chin, and then backhanded him roughly. Whether Vegeta felt it or not, he made no response.

The chief guard grinned. "Oh yes, it took longer than we anticipated, but he's ready now. I'll go and tell the emperor the good news."

* * *

"I can't believe we're doing this." Videl said. It was windier than usual that night, and the cold air was whipping through the various layers of clothing that they wore.

"Why not?" Gohan asked, glancing back to his co-conspirator. Videl thought he looked quite sexy in his solid black attire. His hair stuck out a bit from under the black beanie he wore, and the two black streaks on his face made him look positively dangerous.

"I dunno…it seems just crazy. Illogical. Dangerous."

Gohan chuckled lightly, and the sound seemed to momentarily dance in the cloud that his breath had emitted before being whipped away by a fierce gale. "Yeah, I guess so. I'll admit, I've never done anything quite so…risky before, but…it needs to be done, and we couldn't ask the others to help. They'd never do anything without my dad. They would have stopped us."

"Are you sure that's true?"

"Well maybe I'm exaggerating a bit. But…I feel like, in this situation, they definitely wouldn't be convinced to attack the Tik ship without my dad's help. And dad's just…" His eyes darkened slightly. "Sometimes he makes you wait too long."

Videl just nodded. She had noticed his sudden change in attitude, but chose not to comment. She would ask him about it later—if they survived that was. From her position behind a rock outcropping, she could see the shadow that consisted of the Tik ship. "How many soldiers are there?"

"Not many." Gohan said. "Just a handful really. We can handle them ourselves. Well except for the one. His power level is easily a couple hundred times what we've got access to right now. But as long as we reach the Meiyochi before that guy finds us, we'll be ok."

"And in case of emergencies?" Videl asked.

"I've asked 17 to keep tonight open. He knows what we're doing, so he should be around." Gohan glanced over his shoulder to the mountains in the distance as if he may get a glimpse of the dark-haired android.

"Wait, he knows?" Videl was suddenly alarmed.

"Yeah."

"What if he tells on us?"

Gohan chuckled again. "Don't worry. 17 doesn't really talk to anyone much. He won't tell. Tomorrow morning, the Tik soldiers will be gone, and no one will know who did it."

Videl smiled. She was so excited.

"Ready?" Gohan whispered. The excitement was evident in his voice as well.

Videl nodded.

"Let's go then!" With that he jumped over the rock and began sprinting through the darkness toward the ship.

They knew exactly where they were going. With the plans that they'd stolen from Bulma's office, it was easy for them to maneuver themselves into and around the ship. It was rather lucky for them that all Tik ships were built in the same way. Otherwise they would have become completely lost.

"This way." Videl whispered, when she and Gohan came to an intersection. Gohan nodded, and the two of them veered right, ducking beneath a security camera before continuing along the hall.

Suddenly, Gohan ducked into a doorway, pulling Videl back with him. "There's someone coming."

Videl nodded, pulling her weapon out silently.

"Stay here." Gohan mouthed to her, and crept up along the hall toward the person. Videl frowned at being left behind, but she knew that arguing would only put them both in more danger. She would have a little chat with Gohan about this later though.

Gohan pressed himself back against the wall just a moment before the person rounded the corner. Then suddenly, Gohan was a blur of motion. He ambushed the soldier, sending a punch straight into his neck. The man stumbled back and fell to his knees, gagging and choking to try to find air. Gohan didn't allow him to. With a swift round-house kick, he had thrown the man into the wall. The Tik soldier slumped to the ground unconscious.

There was a moment of silence while the pair wondered if the noise of the struggle had tipped off any other soldiers. Everything was quiet though.

"Is he dead?" Videl asked after a moment. Her heart was pounding. It seemed as if the reality of what they were doing was only just now sinking in.

"No." Gohan answered, breathing heavily. "Just unconscious."

"Should we kill him?" Videl's next question shocked even herself.

"What? No! Why would we do that?"

"Well, what if he wakes up before we can turn off the Meiyochi and he tells everyone we're here?"

Gohan frowned. Clearly the thought hadn't occurred to him. He headed back to the door they had passed and opened it. "We'll just put him in here." He reasoned.

"Do you know how to lock the doors?"

"Uh…" Gohan fiddled with the door's control panel a moment. "No."

The two grabbed the man's limp body and dragged him into the room.

Videl was still nervous. "Gohan, we've got to…"

"No!" Gohan snapped. "We're not killing him."

"Then what…"

"I'll just…make sure he won't wake up."

Videl cocked an eyebrow.

Gohan looked down at the unconscious man with a guilty expression for what he was about to do. Then drawing his foot back, he kicked the man in the head. The soldier's head whipped to the side, and his body twitched slightly. Gohan shut his eyes tightly and kicked again. A cut opened along the man's forehead, and blood began leaking onto the floor.

Gohan looked up at Videl. "There. Happy?"

Videl just blinked. Her heart seemed to clench, and there was a strange burning in her eyes. The sudden thought flickered through her mind. _This was a bad idea._

* * *

His father had never been gone this long, and he was beyond the point of worrying. Days had passed. Then weeks. And no word from Vegeta.

No word from his mother either, although from the news reports, the Earth was still putting up a fight. Somehow though, the communication between the Earth and Iro was still jammed.

Tarble and Gure were still there, and Trunks was glad of that. Tarble and Trunks sparred every day after school. It wasn't like sparring with his dad, and every time he stepped into the sparring chamber with his uncle, he felt that familiar pang of loss.

Even if Tarble looked almost identical to Vegeta, the two brothers couldn't be more different. Whereas, Vegeta was one of the strongest people in the universe—_the_ strongest in Trunks' opinion—Tarble couldn't even match up to Trunks. He was improving, but Trunks could still beat him easily. Tarble couldn't even go super-saiyan!

And so Trunks often watched his uncle performing katas that somewhat resembled his father's, but with much less passion. It was clear that Tarble took little real joy in fighting. It was odd to see someone who looked like his father but who so completely lacked passion.

Gure was nice. She—and Tarble—cooked breakfast and dinner so that they didn't need to eat at Pop's every day. Trunks still went hang out with Pop though. He was one of Trunks' few real friends on the planet.

There always seemed to be someone around him. Either Midori or Chet checked up on him daily. Sometimes Chet stayed for a video game. Trunks spent his days at school, his afternoons training with uncle Tarble, and his nights either playing video games or doing homework. There were only a few times that he'd come home and Gure hadn't been there. Those times were the worst.

When he returned home at night to an empty house, he couldn't pretend to be cheerful. He knew that the longer time passed, the less chance there was that his father would return safely. He knew. He knew that the illusion of peace would shatter soon. And how right he was.

The first tip that something was seriously wrong was Midori. Midori had been tense when his father had first been captured. Apparently the possibility of his father having information about the Krimzon was quite real. If his father had cared enough, he could have very well gotten access to a plethora of information. As the weeks wore on though, it appeared as though his father was either quite good and holding up under torture, or…that he simply hadn't cared enough about Krimzon politics to get informed about what was going on.

Midori apparently believed the latter to be true, and it became one of her sole sources of amusement in the whole situation. Midori had been normal at first. Even after Vegeta's capture, she usually remained cheerful, somewhat clumsy, and quick to make fun of Trunks when he did something unusual.

But that had changed about a month after his father had disappeared. She didn't say why, but he suspected that it had something to do with Vegeta. On the ride back to the Septagon, Midori avoided talking about him. She remained staring gloomily out of the train window, and rarely even glanced his way. When Trunks questioned her, she told him they still hadn't given up hope. Trunks suspected otherwise.

His suspicion was confirmed that night.

* * *

It seemed almost surreal. Actually, just about everything had seemed surreal to him for the past few weeks. Sounds seemed to come to him from far away. His vision swam constantly, and creatures and people who he was sure were not actually there constantly talked to him, touched him. He hadn't slept in…how long had it been? Besides the occasional short slumber from when he'd collapsed from sheer exhaustion, his eyes couldn't close for more than a few moments without something biting him, something touching him, someone calling to him.

He could hardly stand. He was so tired, so hungry, in so much pain. And yet he was somehow numb to it all.

Vegeta's mangled hands were bound behind his back as he was led through the stone corridors. The sounds of his ten guards' booted feet echoed eerily in the dim space. Strange, curious, hollow eyes peered out from holes in the heavy doors, watching him as he passed.

He had no illusions about where he was being taken. His jailer has as much as told him. He didn't care. Anything was better than that cold, rotting dungeon he'd been sitting in for who-knows-how-long. It wasn't exactly the "out" he'd wanted, but it would do.

It was all he could do to keep from stumbling. He was so tired, so hungry. His body hurt so much. He found that it was hard to walk when his feet were completely mangled, but he refused to be dragged. So he put one throbbing foot after another, and walked with his bruised and bloodied head held as high as he could.

He tried to keep from breathing in hitching gasps, tried to keep from coughing up too much blood. He knew that one of his lungs was punctured. Hell, all of his insides were nothing more than a bloody mess at this point. The Tik had seen to it that he would not have enough strength to be anything more than a meek, broken mess during his execution. They had done a damn good job of it too.

He had given up hope on getting out. He had always known that he was nothing more than a weapon to Kurenai. He was disposable, just as he'd always been. She had treated him well when she thought that he would be of use to her. But, as his inquisitors had repeatedly told him, it would take too much time and effort for her to try to save him, and he just wasn't…worth it.

He would never admit it to anyone else, but it hurt more than the torture he'd endured to know that someone he'd respected—trusted even—had abandoned him to this fate so carelessly.

But he'd dealt with disappointment and betrayal before. This was just one episode in his tortured existence. And just when things had been starting to look up. He should have known.

And yet, the saiyan prince had kept his promise. He had told them nothing. Not one strategy. Nothing. Not he knew much anyway. He'd never particularly cared about Kurenai's business. But he did have a few secrets to tell—not exactly the ones Hui was looking for—but they might have saved him a little pain.

The doors opened, and he heard the roar of a crowd. The bright sunlight blinded him for a moment, and the feeling of an enormous power-level washed over his senses. It shocked some of the haze out of his head. He was dragged on, up some steps, even before his vision cleared. Blinking spots out of his eyes, his first image was of an enormous stone stadium. It was packed with people. On the stadium floor was a virtual sea of people—a throbbing, churning mass. They were spectators. High above the spectators was a lone floating rock, decked in gold and silks. It was from this rock that the high power-level was emitting. A name flashed through his head. Hui.

His indignation grew at the whole ordeal, giving him strength that he wasn't sure he had. They were all here to see him. Vegeta straightened slightly and regarded them stonily, as if they were all collectively nothing more than an unfortunate bug that he had stepped on.

One of the guards behind him had apparently noticed the change.

Vegeta was suddenly shoved roughly forward, and he managed to catch his balance before he stumbled. He turned his head to glare at the guard who had pushed him, before turning his attention back to the stage he was on.

In front of him was a row of tables. The tables were liberally slathered with blood and small bits of meat. In front of the tables was a row of crates. Vegeta could see blood leaking out of the bottoms of the crates. Beside each crate was a spear, standing up like a flag. On each spear was a severed head.

The table in the middle was clean. The crate in front of it open. And the spear beside the crate was free…waiting.

Vegeta knew that the table was for him. He regarded it stonily, stoic to the fate that awaited him. Suddenly there was a voice in his head. It was one that he remembered, but one that hadn't graced any of his recent hallucinations.

As he was led toward the table, the crowd's cheers grew louder. So did the voice. He knew that he'd heard it before, but it had been a while, and he couldn't remember who exactly it belonged to. He tried to ignore it and to keep his attention on what was going on around him. Now was not the time for a full-fledged hallucination.

"_Vegeta! Listen to me!" _The voice finally broke through. Typical.

Vegeta's face settled into a glare as he finally placed the voice. _"What the hell do you want, Supreme Kai?" _

"_You can't go down like this! The universe needs you!"_

"_Well they should have thought of that before they decided to leave me to rot in prison for…for…however long that was."_

"_They tried to—"_

Vegeta cut him off._ "Save it. I don't really care. I'm tired of all this shit. You're just a hallucination, anyway. And if, by chance, you are the real Supreme Kai, why don't you come here and get me out of this mess."_

"_You know I cannot meddle in the affairs of mortals unless the fate of all existence is at risk…Vegeta think of your family."_

Vegeta stiffened slightly. That was always the trump card that got his attention. Kakarott knew it, and now apparently, this hallucination of a Kai did too.

"_You have to fight. At least for them."_

Vegeta wanted to. He really did. But as he looked over the sea of people, felt the enormous power of the person sitting in the Emperor's box, he knew that there was no way he would be able to get off this planet alive.

The hot, sticky air blew over his face again. It smelled salty, musky. The sweat of the thousands of people below him mixed with the irony smell of blood from the people who had lost their lives earlier that day. The smell was familiar to him. The smell of violence and hopelessness that had accompanied him for the first half of his life. He couldn't say he'd missed it.

No, he decided, he couldn't go down without a fight. He may be killed, but at least he wouldn't be remembered for being killed easily. His head was surprisingly clear, now. Maybe it was the sunlight. Maybe it was just adrenaline. He couldn't say.

He surveyed the table he was expected to lay on, and suddenly an idea formed in his mind.

He straightened, and jerked himself away from his escort. They protested, clearly worried that he might escape. Vegeta just raised his head and marched toward his table. He stopped in front of it, and then turned expectantly to the guards.

"Go on." He ordered imperially, motioning with is chin to the chains that would hold him down.

The guards glanced at each other worriedly before one of them cautiously reached down and uncuffed Vegeta's hands.

The moment his hands were free—the first time in weeks—Vegeta attacked. He moved like lightning, knocking the guards away from him and pulling the spear out of its stand. His fingered were mutilated and throbbing painfully, and so his grip on the spear was shaky. It was good enough though. Turning, he rammed the spear through the throat of the guard that had tortured him. He pulled it out and put it through the eye socket of the one next to him.

The crowd was now shrieking in fear.

The hot wind blew over his sweat-covered, bloodied back and ruffled his hair. His bruised face was set into a determined scowl. He crouched down surveying his prey for a moment. The other eight guards, clearly more powerful than he was, were afraid. His predatory senses were screaming. He smelled their fear.

Vegeta was a caged animal. He was legendary for his power and brutality. And now they were face-to-face with the most dangerous man in the universe. With an animalistic yell, he charged again. His muscles and bones screamed with every movement, but he hardly noticed. The guards' strength and good health gave them no advantage over his skill and determination. He swept and slashed, stabbed and hacked at everything in his path.

In seconds, all of the guards on the stage had been killed. With a feral grin Vegeta turned toward the crowd—or more precisely toward the VIP box where he figured Hui would be sitting. He knew that there was no escape. Guards were already hovering around him, afraid to advance. There were hundreds of them, maybe thousands. Even if he made it out of the stadium, he couldn't make it off the planet.

But to hell if he wasn't going to go out with a bang.

"HUI!" He roared standing imperially in front of the table where he was about to be executed. Despite his thin, weakened frame, his prisoner garb that consisted only of dirty gray pants, the cuts and bruises covering his body, and his mangled face, hands and feet, he looked every bit like the prince he was. "THIS ISN'T OVER!" He yelled. His voice wasn't strained. It was clear and confident and carried across the stadium. The crowd had grown quiet in fear. "You can kill me, but you can never—NEVER!—kill the people's desire for freedom! You threw everything you had at me, and you still couldn't break me! You won't break the Krimzon either! You're a coward, and now you have me in chains because you won't stand up to me like a man! Are you that afraid of me? Or are you just that afraid of Kurenai." He grinned, staring straight toward the VIP box. A figure shrouded in black was standing there, staring back at him. It was too far away for Vegeta to see his face. "YOU'LL DIE FOR THIS." He promised.

And then, he turned the spear on himself. He was exhausted. His head was swimming. He felt like he'd die right there on the spot if someone didn't come and put him out of his misery. He pulled the spear tip toward his chest awaiting the pain and the blessed release.

The spear was swatted away, just milliseconds before it would have plunged into his heart. Instantly, guards surrounded him, battering him, and lifting him off the ground. Within moments, he found himself strapped to the table.

His arms and legs were strapped down until he was lying spread-eagled on the table. He stared up at the sky, awaiting his fate. Despite all of his big words, he wasn't sure of his promise. He had no idea if Kurenai—or hell, even Kakarott—would avenge his death. He didn't know if he wanted it avenged. He'd had enough. He'd been abandoned for the last time. He would leave this plane and all its horrors. He was tired.

* * *

It wasn't until after they'd incapacitated the third Tik soldier that the alarm was sounded. They were immediately on edge. The two drew their weapons and made a mad dash toward the room where they knew the Meiyochi would be. They were almost there. It was lucky for them that there were only a few Tik soldiers left on the ship.

They reached the control room with no further opposition. The hallway was flashing red and the siren was blaring.

Gohan smacked the control panel on the door, and the door slid open. A moment later, a Ki blast flew toward them. The two jumped back. "Videl, look out!" Gohan yelled, pushing her toward the wall, as a second Ki blast flew past them.

Pressed against the outside of the door frame, the two Earthlings had the advantage of the wall's protection. They fired blindly into the room, only hitting their targets by sheer luck. When they glanced back into the room, the two Tik soldiers were lying in crumpled, bloody heaps on the floor.

"Hurry!" Videl yelled. "Get inside."

The two ran inside the room and froze. The very air around them seemed to freeze in shock.

"Wh…"

"Gohan!" Videl's voice was frantic. "Where…where is it?"

Gohan blinked, horror clear in his expression. "It has to be here. It's the only place it could be."

"It's not here, Gohan!" Videl was near tears now. "The Meyochi isn't here."

He turned toward her and grabbed her arms. "Don't panic." He said.

She was shaking at this point, her breaths coming in hitched panicked gasps.

"Videl, calm down. It's ok."

"What are we going to do?"

"_You_ are going to find a way to lock the door to this room._ I_ am going to figure out a way to turn off whatever's blocking the Androids. Okay?" He pulled her into a hug and kissed her on top of the head. The feeling of guilt was gnawing at him. How could he have miscalculated so badly? Still there was nothing to be done now except plow on. They were too deep inside the ship to turn back. "We'll make it out of this."

She nodded, though her eyes seemed a bit shinier than usual. With one shuddering breath, she ran to the door.

Gohan spun and ran to the control panel. "Okay, okay. I looked over all of this before. Something's got to work." The language on the keyboards and buttons were completely foreign to them though.

"Gohan, hurry!" Videl yelled. "I feel someone coming."

Sure enough. Gohan felt it too in that moment. The powerful soldier was on his way.

"Shit!" Gohan hissed, spinning back and surveying the control panels again. Sweat trickled down his temple splashing onto the green and red buttons. "I don't know." He whispered. "I don't know any of this. Kami, why did we come here?"

He slammed his hands down on the control panel. One of the machines in the room sputtered before coming back full force. Gohan's eyes widened, and slowly, as if more time might strengthen the odds of his next action working, he pulled out his gun.

"_Hurry_!" Videl yelled again from beside the door.

Gohan glanced back at her, and fired at the control panel, then at the machine next to it. He wouldn't stop until every machine in that room was destroyed.

* * *

Up in the mountains, a dark-haired figure sat with his back against a rock. His legs were stretched out in front of him crossed at the ankle. His straight black hair was being whipped this way and that by the strong wind, but he hardly seemed to notice. He popped another piece of chocolate into his mouth and went back to playing games on his phone. The phone had been a present from his sister, who knew just how prone he was to succumb to boredom.

Suddenly his eyes narrowed. The odd feeling that buzzed in his chest when he was in any proximity to the Tik ship had suddenly lifted.

"Finally." He took a few moments to save his progress before pocketing the phone. Standing up slowly, he stretched and brushed himself off. Turning around, he glanced down at the Tik ship below. Red lights were flashing in all of the windows.

"Hm." He cocked his head. "That's interesting." And then he dove off the cliff.

* * *

There had been no warning. The door had simply exploded inward. Gohan had reacted first, just in time to pull Videl out of the way before she would have been blown apart by the blast. The two landed in a heap in the corner of the room. Debris rained down over them, and blood was now dripping from a large cut on Gohan's forehead and the place where a piece of shrapnel had imbedded itself dangerously deep in his chest.

"I should have known." A large woman said, her heeled boots echoing as she made her way into the doorway. The red light flashing behind her made her seem all the more hulking and intimidating. "Another damned saiyan." She took a step into the room. "It's your smell that gives you away, boy. Don't feel too proud of yourself for having killed so many of my men. I never liked them anyway. But I have to hand it to you. You're pretty good. I'd bet if the Meiyochi weren't in effect, you would be quite the impressive fighters." She eyed them both. "I can see that I'm right. What do you say?"

"To what?" Videl snapped.

"Join us."

"Never." Their reply was simultaneous.

She chuckled. "Come now." She looked at Gohan. "And here you are on the verge of gaining your freedom from that mongrel of a prince." Gohan furrowed his eyebrows. "Oh, haven't you heard? He's—ugh!" The woman stumbled forward suddenly at the force of something hitting her back. Light exploded from her stomach, and when it died down a moment later, a gaping hole went clean through her chest.

With a choking gasp, she turned around to see her attacker. She never did. Android 17 spun in like a tornado, literally ripping the woman to shreds, and splattering her blood across the walls of the room.

Gohan and Videl blinked. "Was that really necessary?" Gohan asked, raising an eyebrow at the older man.

17 just stared around the room at the blood-splattered walls. "Yes. I've dealt with her kind before. They regenerate." Was all he said. He fixed his eyes back on Gohan. "You're bleeding." He noted with no real concern in his voice.

Videl finally noticed the large chunk of metal sticking out of Gohan's chest. "Oh Kami!" She immediately began rummaging through her pockets for the senzu beans they'd brought.

While Gohan admitted that the injury was making him quite woozy, there were more important issues. Slowly, he pulled the shrapnel out of his chest, hissing at how it stung. Then, he fixed his watery gaze on 17. "The Meiyochi isn't here."

17 raised an eyebrow and looked around again. "Does that mean I have to serve as your bodyguard for even longer?"

"This is serious."

"Ugh!" 17 spun on his heel and made his way out of the control room. "You people are always serious. It's such a turn-off." He paused in step. "Oh look. The cavalry's coming." He pointed upward with his finger.

"Oh no!" Gohan buried his face in his hand. He felt them all. Piccolo, Tien, Chaotzu. Even his father and Yamcha were on their way. Gohan sighed, trying to imagine everyone's reactions to what he and Videl had done. He knew that he was in for it.

* * *

Trunks had been watching one of his favorite TV shows when suddenly the screen had gone black. A moment later the image of a large stone stadium and platform had appeared on the screen. _"Hello Krimzon citizens and Empress Kurenai." _A mocking voice purred. "_I am pirating your televisions for the afternoon to bring you the latest news in the search for Prince Vegeta."_

Trunks' heart had leapt to his throat as the image of a pale, bloodied Vegeta had been led onto the platform. _"He has been found, but unfortunately, like your search party,"_ The image on the TV changed on one of a mutilated corpse being hacked to bits and then panned out to show ten other similar scenes. _"He will not return to you in one piece. I will give you some pieces though, so don't worry."_

The screen turned back to Vegeta. The next few moments seemed like an eternity. Vegeta seemed dead inside, as if it were all he could do to keep himself standing upright. And then suddenly, he was moving, hacking apart his guards one my one.

Trunks' feelings were a mix between horror and pride. Vegeta continued to fight. Trunks couldn't explain the strange feeling that he'd felt when his father had killed all of the guards on the platform. He couldn't explain the surge of pride he'd felt when his father stood up, battered and bruised in the face of thousands of enemies—and defied them all.

But all of his pride had fled him when his father had been strapped to the table.

He didn't understand it. He'd been free. Why didn't he keep fighting? He was Vegeta, the Prince of all Saiyans! Why didn't he stop? What was he thinking when he'd stopped fighting and turned the spear on himself?

The young man's mocking voice could be heard again through the screen, but the image did not change. _"A nice display, don't you think, Kurenai?" _The voice said mockingly. _"I've torn him limb from limb and he's still deluded himself into thinking that he has some control. It's pathetic." _

Trunks' blood began to boil. No one—_no one_—called his father pathetic!

The young man chuckled and continued with a smooth, bored tone. _"But then that's just like you, Kurenai. You just don't know when to admit defeat. But oh look. The show's about to start."_

A man with a black hood covering his face approached the table. A long, curved saber was held in his hand. The man raised it, and then brought it down sharply…on Vegeta's wrist. He brought it up and hacked again in the same place. The blade was dull.

Trunks couldn't take the sight. He jumped to his feet and stumbled across the room. He had just enough time to make it to the garbage can before he spewed the contents of his stomach inside it.

"Trunks?" Tarble's voice sounded outside his bedroom door. "Are you alright?"

Trunks coughed and vomited again. Hot tears were streaming down his face.

Suddenly, he heard someone coming down the stairs. It was too late to prevent it. "Trunks, what's going on? Are you sick?" Tarble asked worriedly, rubbing a hand on Trunks' back.

Trunks sat back shakily. Tears continued to flow down his face, but his eyes seemed hollow and lifeless.

"Trunks!" He shook him. "Trunks, what's the matter?"

A loud cheer sounded from the television, and Tarble glared at the offending noise. He did a double take though, and then slowly let go of his nephew's shoulders. He stood and took a few steps to get closer to the tv. He swallowed. "Trunks…what is this?" His question came out as a whisper. Trunks didn't answer. It was just as well. Tarble already knew. "_Who_ is this?"

Trunks hiccupped and then sobbed. "Its dad."

Tarble stared in shock at his beaten and bruised brother, and the hooded executioner above him. His brother's eyes were open and staring at the sky unseeingly. Tarble was oddly entranced by the sight. He'd never seen anything so barbaric in all his life…and to see it happening to his brother. It was beyond horrendous.

"Trunks." He started, not taking his eyes off the screen. "You shouldn't be watching this."

Trunks was silent for a moment, but then he said. "I have to. He deserves that much." He didn't know why he felt that way, but he did. He couldn't leave his father alone like that.

"I…" Tarble hesitated, and then as if surprised at himself, said. "I understand." And he did. He knelt down in front of the tv. "Then come here."

Trunks hesitantly came forward kneeling beside his uncle.

"Tarble? Is everything ok?" Gure's voice called from upstairs.

"I'll be up in a bit, Gure. Don't wait up for me."

"Oh." Gure seemed to think nothing of the answer. "Okay. Goodnight."

"Put your hands like this." Tarble showed him how to do it, and Trunks recognizing the pose from something his father had done on several occasions, instantly knew the significance of it.

And Tarble began chanting something. It was in a very old dialect of saiyago that Trunks wasn't familiar with. And yet, he understood the meaning. It was a hymn to a fallen warrior.

After a while, Trunks picked up on the words, and he began whispering them along with his uncle, his voice hitching every so often. The experience was nothing short of surreal.

He was in his peaceful room with his uncle who resembled his father so much. While his father was slowly, brutally approaching death.

It lasted nearly an hour, and Trunks' only consolation was that Hui hadn't gotten what he wanted.

Hui had intended to scatter Vegeta's body to the four corners of the universe as a warning. But when the executioner had landed the fatal blow, Vegeta's body had simply faded away. It was like poetry. The silence that followed the disappearance of Vegeta's body, had been complete as if he had taken all of the Tik population's spirit with him. The rowdy throng of spectators had frozen in terror. Even Hui hadn't had anything to say. It seemed just that Vegeta's death had seemed to strike more fear into the heart of the emperor and his followers than anything else he'd done. In that moment, the emperor's commentary had stopped, as if all of the Tik had then realized that they were messing with forces beyond their comprehension.

All of this was lost on Trunks. He stared at the screen in shocked incomprehension as if waiting for it all to be revealed as a joke.

He had seen it. He'd seen the whole thing. From the moment his father was dragged, dirty, sick, but still proud and fighting onto the platform, to the moment his body faded away.

Beside him, Tarble was silent.

It was over.

* * *

A/N: Terribly sorry about the long wait. I recently moved to another country and I've been getting throttled by bureaucratic incompetency. It's been taking a lot of my free time trying to get all my information straight, and at the end of the day I'm too drained to be very creative.

Also, as was probably obvious, this was a pretty challenging chapter to write. Hopefully no one is too offended or appalled by the execution, but this was actually a major milestone in the plot and one of the first bits of the story that I wrote. So why the heck did Vegeta have to die? You'll find out later.

As always, thanks to all of my lovely readers for your support, and inspiration. Thank you very much for all of you who reviewed. You really keep me on my toes, and inspire me to write better. And as always, let me know what you think. ^-^


	33. Thine Broken Soul

Chapter 33—Thine Broken Soul

Their song-like chant died down with the realization that it was over. Hot tears were streaming down Trunks' face. He couldn't even look at his uncle right now. His heart felt as though it would burst. His stomach was empty. He had vomited three times, and then continued to dry-heave over and over. His hands were balled tightly into fists, his nails were cutting into his palms, and blood was leaking steadily between his fingers.

He hiccupped.

"Dad." The sound came out as a miserable croak.

He pulled his knees to his chest, wrapped his arms around them and began to rock. A moment later, he began sobbing loudly. "Dad!" He choked. "No!"

Tarble's arms were around him a moment later, and Trunks could feel that the older man was shivering. What would his father say if he saw them now? Something crude and offensive no doubt.

But Trunks couldn't stop himself. How could anyone do something so horrible?

His father was dead.

Dead!

It was the thing he had been horrified of since three years ago when his father had died fighting Majin Buu.

Trunks suddenly stopped shaking. Inspiration hit him.

The dragonballs.

He stared forward for a second. He was still stunned from all that had happened, but he knew that he needed to pull himself together. And fast. He was his father's son after all. He wouldn't cry. He was a saiyan. He was strong. He was smart. And he was able to solve this problem.

He would wish his father back. And then together they would get revenge. His father wouldn't keep him on the sidelines this time. Trunks was determined. He would never let his father fight alone again.

"Trunks?" Tarble held Trunks at arms length to look at him better. "What—?"

"I need to get to Earth." Trunks' s statement was flat and brooked no argument.

"Oh."

He stood up and began rummaging around his room for his storage capsule. "I need to talk to my mom."

"Oh…of course. I can talk to Kurenai and…we can catch a ship first thing in the morning."

"No." He popped open the capsule and began throwing things into the storage container.

"No?"

"No. It's too important to wait. I have to leave tonight. Now."

"But, Kurenai won't let me leave the planet. She called me here on assignment." Tarble argued. "I'd have to convince her—"

"Don't worry about it." Trunks said. "I'll go on ahead on my own. Once you've convinced her, you can follow me if you want. Or you can just stay here. Once I'm home with my mom, I'll be safe." _Maybe._

* * *

The white tiles shone brightly in the strange lighting. He could see no light source, but everything was as clear as day. Yellow clouds floated beneath the long winding pathway, beckoning him to dive in. He nearly did. He knew that he would be there shortly.

He knew which way to go. The faint feeling of some powerful force drawing him in the right direction was easily ignored, however. He stepped to the edge of the pathway and stared down at the clouds.

"You shouldn't do that."

Although the voice was unexpected, he wasn't startled. He didn't think that anything could really move him at the moment. He felt completely numb. He remained staring down at the clouds for a moment. "Why?" He asked softly.

"Hm?" The old woman rocked on her ball before shaking off her surprise and righting herself. She floated around to be in front of him. "It's not a nice place down there."

"I know." He answered in that same soft voice. The voice wasn't calm so much as it was…dead. Not in the sense that he was dead. It was empty, devoid of emotion and energy. "I've been there. Twice."

"Well let's not make it a third."

He finally drew his eyes away from the clouds and gazed upon the woman. "Why are you here?" He asked. There was no hostility in his voice. No real curiosity. It was just a simple question as if he could not fathom why King Yemma's emissary would be hovering around him. Surely there were other souls to guide.

"The Kais and King Yemma wanted to make sure that you made it safely to the check-in station."

"And so they sent you." He turned away again, to gaze this time upon the endless clouds in the distance. He hadn't meant it to be insulting. It was merely the statement of a fact. And yet, it ruffled her feathers.

"Well excuse me if they didn't roll out a red carpet."

He didn't respond to that. His thoughts were drifting elsewhere. He was neither amused nor irritated. He simply…was. He didn't care anymore. He wasn't sure at what point he'd stopped caring. It was probably around the same time as he'd realized that he had indeed been abandoned to his gruesome fate.

"Come along then." The old woman's voice broke him from his thoughts. "This way."

For a reason that he couldn't quite explain, he followed her.

* * *

His space pod wasn't in his room. It wasn't anywhere in the apartment in fact. He and Tarble had scoured the entire area, eventually waking up Gure and asking for her assistance. And still, they couldn't find it anywhere.

"You can take mine." Tarble finally said. "It's an older model, but it's good. It's docked at the spaceport."

Trunks's grateful reply was cut short by a knock on the door. Without waiting for a response, the visitor swung the door open and strode in. Her face was pale, her eyes a little redder than usual. She did a double-take upon seeing Tarble, but then seemed to remember who he was. Her expression darkened slightly in pain, before she turned her gaze to Trunks. As she locked eyes with him, Trunks could see all of the regret, all of the pain in her gaze. She was taking this harder than he was, and Trunks suddenly remembered that for the rest of the universe, death was final.

She gazed at him for a moment before taking in the sight of the bag beside him.

"You know then?" They all nodded. "And you've decided to go home." It was less a question than a statement. Trunks just nodded again. "Kurenai thought you might. We'll have a ship ready for you by the time we reach the palace."

Trunks nodded again. "Thanks, Midori." He mumbled, ducking his head. His eyes were suddenly burning for some reason, but he couldn't exactly explain why.

"Are you ready to leave now?"

"Yes."

Midori nodded and pulled out her scouter. She had a quick, quiet conversation with someone before turning back to Trunks. "Ok then, come with me. Kurenai would like to speak with you before you go." She looked to Tarble and Gure. "You two should stay here." She ordered.

The two glanced at each other before nodding.

When Midori turned back to Trunks, he had already encapsulated his bag and stuffed the capsule into his pocket. He quickly said his goodbyes to his aunt and uncle, both of whom looked more than regretful to see him go. Then, he silently followed Midori out of the apartment. Midori led him down the familiar path to the train platform, but instead of waiting for the train, she brought him to a small car. Trunks was ushered into the car, and a moment later, it lifted off.

The flight to the palace was quick and silent. The city looked dead down below. No trains moved. No people walked the streets. The children were kept inside. Venders had closed their stalls. It seemed as if the entire planet was mourning the loss of its savior.

The car touched down on a small private landing pad—probably Kurenai's own, and Trunks was ushered out of the car. From there, it was only a short walk to her palace. Guards lined the halls, all looking dire and ready for any attack. Trunks felt their eyes on him as he quietly walked by.

The great double doors swung open silently as he and Midori approached them. The throne room was large and dark and seemed all the more empty now. The doors swung closed behind them. Trunks glanced back at the small sound it made, and instantly realized that he was alone with the empress and her aide.

The small empress was standing across the room at the window. Her hands were laced behind her back. The room was silent for a moment, and then she turned to face him.

Even in the dim light, Trunks could see that her face was pale. Trunks realized with a jolt that she must have felt something for his father. Camaraderie? Friendship? Her expression was that of a person who had just lost someone they cared very deeply about.

It seemed to pain her even more to look at his face. Trunks had always been told that he resembled his father. Clearly the resemblance was a bit stronger than he had previously thought.

Kurenai's low and almost shaky voice reached across the room to him. "I wanted you to know that I tried my best."

Trunks dropped his gaze, hardly noticing the light surrounding his feet, and nodded.

"I sent my best reconnaissance team to find him. As you probably noticed, most of those men were caught and executed as well tonight. I want you to know that I will do everything in my power to keep you and your mother safe until this war is over. I know that nothing I can say or do can undo what happened. Nothing can bring him back—" She cut herself off abruptly and glanced down at his feet. Her expression changed and eyebrows furrowed suspiciously. It was almost frightening.

"Why?" She questioned, a hard edge suddenly in her voice. She took a step toward him. Trunks was unnerved to say the least at her sudden change in behavior. "Why do you think that's not true?"

"Wh…what?" Trunks had no idea what she was talking about. There was no way she could have known what he was thinking was there?

Kurenai looked at his feet again. "You know something I don't, and you don't want to tell me. You still hold out hope, even after what you have seen? Tell me why."

Trunks nearly gasped, and he shot a glance down at the floor. So that's what the colorful light was for. She was reading him.

As the realization struck, a sense of nervous dread came over him. The light at his feet instantly changed color.

"Trunks, if you know something important…"

"I…I…" Trunks swallowed nervously, and glanced up at the woman. Suddenly images were forcibly pulled to the forefront of his mind—images of Majin Buu, of him receiving the news of his father's death. Images of him reuniting with his father after the ordeal was over. He gasped. "No!" Suddenly he was a super saiyan. The force of his Ki shocked the small sorceress, causing her to stumble back, and breaking her link into his mind.

Silence echoed in the large room, as two powerful sorceresses stood staring in surprise at a suddenly shaking demi-saiyan. Then a small tap, as Kurenai took a step closer again.

"Your father has died before, and he returned to you." Kurenai concluded. "He told me that he died, but I wasn't sure if I could believe him. According to your memories, he did indeed die and he was revived. Tell me how."

Trunks looked away. His mind was racing to come up with an explanation that would appease her.

"Does it have something to do with the fact that his body disappeared when he died?" Kurenai prodded. "Is he really immortal?"

Trunks swallowed. "He…when a person dies, if they have done great acts during their lifetime, they are allowed to keep their bodies in the next dimension." He said. "My father did die. It was when…when Majin Buu and Bobbiti invaded Earth." A shadow crossed Trunks's face, and it was clear to the two older women that the scars that that event had left on the boy had not yet faded. "Dad sacrificed himself to kill Buu, but…Buu survived. " Trunks took a deep breath. He knew that he couldn't mention the dragonballs, but how could he…

"And your father met the Kais."

Trunks's head snapped up for a moment in surprise but he quickly ducked away from Kurenai's gaze. He nodded. "The Supreme Kais wanted my dad and Goku to defeat Majin Buu together. Dad and Goku were both revived during the final battle."

"I see." Kurenai said, her voice deflating slightly. She looked at Midori. "Midori, please see Trunks safely to his pod." Kurenai looked back to Trunks. Her expression was solemn and clearly remorseful. "Young warrior, I wish you the best in life."

Trunks bowed politely and then turned away. He cast one more glance at the old empress, before following Midori out of the circular chamber.

Kurenai turned back to the window, watching the skyline. Not even ten minutes later, a black Veet pod shot out of her personal hangar and blasted into space. The boy would be home in only four days. She was sad to see him go, but a child his age needed his mother. Perhaps when he was older, she would consider recruiting him. But not for a while. He was hardly more than a baby, and she would not disrespect Vegeta's memory by recruiting his son when he was underage. No, she would keep the boy as far away from this wretched war as she could. It was the life that his father had wanted for him. It was the least she could do.

The door to the chamber opened silently after a few minutes. "Do you think…?" Midori's question trailed off, but Kurenai knew exactly what she meant.

She sighed. "Legend has it that Majin Buu made his way to the spirit realm and massacred the Kais thousands of years ago. It seems logical that the Kais would go to extreme lengths to get revenge and to prevent it from happening again. Hui has made no such offense. We cannot expect the Kais' intervention this time. They made no effort to stop Frieza after all."

Midori came to stand beside her. Swallowing miserably, she nodded. "So what do we do?" She asked.

Kurenai was silent for a long while. Then finally, in the faintest whisper, she said. "We move on."

* * *

The small band of warriors had barely touched down in the clearing before a sharp voice rang out. "Gohan, what did you think you were doing, son?" Son Goku never raised his voice at anyone in his family. His mild manners and general good cheer extended to just about every situation. Goku's angry tones were rarely heard within the small circle of elite martial artists. Even less was it heard directed at one of their own. Now was one of those few times.

However, faced with the news that his eldest son had not only snuck out of the house on a suicide mission, but that he'd dragged his girlfriend along with him, the cheerful Son Goku was positively livid. Any hope that he'd held that he'd been misinformed about the situation instantly disappeared when he arrived at the site to see the two youngsters sitting almost idly on the gangplank of the ship.

17 and 18 had already arrived and were talking in hushed angry whispers near the edge of the clearing.

The sun had risen only a few minutes before and the bitter chill of the night was still lingering in the air. For the Z fighters who had rushed to dress and head out to the scene of the action, each light breeze was like an arctic gale that ripped through their jackets and stung their faces. It did nothing to improve their moods.

Sitting on the ship's ramp, Gohan could clearly see the faces of his comrades as they dropped one by one onto the ground. He stood quickly, feeling Videl do the same, and waited for them.

The grass crunched beneath the newcomers' feet as they each slung their hoverboards over their shoulders and made their way toward the two errant teens. They looked like an angry storm blown in. Each was dressed in black—the unofficial new uniform born of necessity in their guerilla-style war of attrition. Their eyes were tired and angry. Their faces, reddened by the wind. Well-toned muscles, the fruit of endless hours of training, were taught with anger. Gohan could see the tensed shoulders even under the men's jackets and cloaks.

Gohan's gaze automatically locked onto his father, and he was momentarily frightened. The expression of disappointment, mingled with latent fear and anger was enough to make him take a step back. It didn't help that the expression was mirrored on the face of his old mentor, and on the tall monk, his little friend, and the ex-bandit.

A small voice in the back of Gohan's head told him not to back down. He forced his spine to straighten and took a few steps off the gangplank toward them. He glanced to Videl momentarily. Her head was hanging low, and she already looked thoroughly chastised. Gohan didn't like the look. They were both adults after all. He didn't need his father's or anyone else's permission to do what was right.

"I was doing what none of you would do." There was a bitter edge in his voice, and although it was low, he knew that they could all hear him. He kept his eyes glued to the ground. He wished that he could raise them to meet the eyes of his father and mentor, but he found that he couldn't. The men were both still quite a bit taller than he was, and looking up at them made his small fluttering feeling of manhood disappear.

"But why didn't you tell us something?" Tien came forward, and Gohan briefly sent a guilty glance his way.

"Because I didn't want you to stop me, and I didn't think it could wait until dad came back." He quickly looked for a way to change the subject. Although he was convinced that the Z fighters all deferred to his father's leadership and opinion, saying so outright seemed wrong somehow. "I'm sorry to have caused you all to come way out here, but we are both adults and this was our decision."

"You could have been killed!" Piccolo yelled.

Gohan flinched. It had been years since Piccolo had used that tone with him. He swallowed. "We were aware of that."

"How could you bring Videl along, Gohan. You knew it was dangerous."

Videl's head snapped up at that. "He didn't 'bring me along.'" She said, sounding offended. "It was my idea as much as his."

While Goku was processing that, Yamcha stepped forward. "You're just lucky that 17 showed up in time to keep you from being killed."

"Correction." A cold voice came suddenly. The men all turned to see 18 standing behind them. A slightly amused 17 hovered behind her, his hands in his pockets. "17 was in on it too."

"Wha…" Goku was honestly flabbergasted. "How could you…not tell us?" He asked, looking honestly hurt.

17 shrugged, a small smirk playing across his face. "They made a convincing argument." He said. "I don't know why you're so upset." He continued. "Your planet is now Tik free. Too bad we still have no idea where the thing that's keeping your power suppressed is."

Before anyone else could say anything more about Gohan and Videl's actions, Piccolo cut in. "Wait, what? You mean the Meiyochi's not here."

"Correct." 17 cocked his head and a lock of dark hair fell across his face.

"Are you sure?"

"We searched the whole ship." 17 confirmed.

"I don't understand." Piccolo said, more to himself than to the others. "The Krimzon destroyed the other ship. That was the only other place it could have been."

"Are you sure about that?"

Piccolo turned warily to lock eyes with Android 17 again.

"Is it not possible that they took it off the ship?"

Gohan seemed to catch on. "He's right." He said, reluctantly drawing the attention back to himself. "They have been just sitting on Earth for weeks. If the Meiyochi had been in this ship all along, then they could have hidden it anywhere."

The group fell silent, and finally Piccolo sighed. "So how do we find it?"

17 just shrugged as if he didn't care.

Videl stared around at the older warriors. Their faces were all pensive. They were clearly trying to imagine where the Meiyochi could be. Suddenly, she had an idea. "Couldn't…couldn't Bulma make a radar for it? Like the dragon radar?"

As one, the other fighters turned surprised, wide-eyed stares at her.

"That's…a brilliant idea…" Tien finally mumbled.

"Yeah, but instead of talking about it here, can we go back to Goku's place." Yamcha said hurriedly. "It's freezing out here."

There were murmurs of agreement, and soon the small group was on their hoverboards on their way back to Mount Paz.

* * *

"Next." King Yemma called, as he stamped another good soul's paperwork and sent her on her way. His desk was a little untidy, and large stacks of paper surrounded him. Honestly, you'd think that after hundreds of years, the Kais would allow him to retire…or at least hire an assistant to do all the stamping.

"It's us, King Yemma." A familiar voice called.

The large, red man looked up from the folder he had just grabbed—an unusually large one, especially given the fact that most soul's records consisted of one page—to regard the two newcomers.

"Ah yes." He should have known. He straightened his purple suit slightly, nervous at being faced with this particular man again. "I was expecting you."

Clearing his throat, he flipped open the file, with a sigh. "These special cases, I swear. Nothing but trouble. Can't people just stay dead?" He thumbed through the pages, marveling at how many new ones had been added since the last time. "The others, I don't mind, but this one…always complaining and shouting and…" He blinked and looked up, wondering briefly if he'd been mistaken on who he was checking in.

The man before him didn't make a sound. No smart comments, no snide remarks or threats. The large ogre leaned over the desk slightly to get a better look.

"Well you look like Vegeta." He said. The man made no response, not even to point out the senselessness of the remark. He simply stood in the middle of the oversized check-in station, arms hanging by his sides, his head dropped slightly. His frame was gaunt, and he wore nothing more than gray pants. His aura of superiority and confidence was gone, leaving in its place a hollow defeated man.

Confused, King Yemma flipped through his paperwork some more until he found the page he was looking for. 'Cause of death.' He skipped over the first two and all the special notes, looking for the new addition at the bottom of the page. His eyes widened slightly when he found it. "Execution." He said in surprise, before reading on to the notes. "Several near-death experiences during a month long captivity ending in public execution by dismemberment. Died a martyr, withholding all Krimzon secrets and unknowingly saving 14,500,347,098 lives."

King Yemma looked up at him again. He understood now. He had only some of the details, but it was clear to him that the man standing before him was not the same one that he had sent back to Earth to fight Buu. Something had happened to this man to turn him into the shell of what he had once been. Given all of the trials that he had overcome in his early life, King Yemma could only assume that it had been something horrific.

But died a martyr? Never would he have imagined that the belligerent saiyan that he had sent to Hell twice would be named a martyr.

Even during all of King Yemma's scrutiny, Vegeta didn't move. It was as if he weren't entirely there.

"He's changed." A wise voice spoke from just over King Yemma's shoulder.

He glanced back to see the small woman floating on her ball behind him. "He's shocked." King Yemma responded. "You would be too, I imagine." He pointed to the cause of death and the notes below them.

The old witch took a few moments to read the paper. "That's horrendous." Baba whispered. "I'll never understand how the universe can be filled with such brutality."

"Some would say he deserved it."

"No one deserves what was done to him. I'm sure that the truth of it is much worse than what it says on your paper."

"Hmph." King Yemma snorted.

"What do you suppose the Supreme Kais wanted with him?"

"Undoubtedly to send him back to fight again." King Yemma replied. He entirely missed the way the saiyan flinched at the statement and ducked his head lower. King Yemma just went on, mumbling. "And give me more paperwork." With that, he began flipping again through the folder, glancing at papers before moving on.

The dark figure stood like a shadow in the middle of the room. His thoughts were growing darker by the minute, and images of his death began flashing through his brain. He tried to forcibly push them away.

Finally, King Yemma found the paper he'd been looking for.

"Well I'll be damned." In his surprise, his voice came out in a whisper.

"What?" King Yemma pointed to the page he had just read. Baba's eyes briefly scanned it before widening.

"Well, Prince Vegeta, so as to avoid having this affair take any longer than it has already, I'll just give you your sentence now." Vegeta didn't even budge. "It appears as though your actions within the past three years have come to outweigh the crimes you committed in your youth—especially as more consideration has recently been given to the notion that your actions were not entirely yours to control during your time under Frieza." A small nod at the mention of his crimes was the only response he got. "Do you have anything to say?"

His slow headshake was nearly imperceptible. Even though his loud voice was booming over the room, Vegeta hardly heard a word the large red man was saying. He was merely nodding when he felt it was appropriate. His head was a jumble of thoughts and flashes of violence, and he was trying his best to suppress them. He only caught small phrases of King Yemma's speech here and there. Therefore, he missed it entirely when King Yemma gave him his final sentence.

It was only after a few moments that he noticed that the room had fallen silent. He didn't particularly care. He couldn't honestly say that he cared about anything just then. But still, it was curious. He was just about to raise his head when suddenly King Yemma cleared his throat impatiently.

"Well go!" He shouted.

Vegeta snapped his head up in mild surprise and confusion. Vegeta didn't know it, but he looked like nothing more than a lost child just then—vulnerable and in need of help, but too afraid to ask for it. His expression was enough to cause King Yemma's eyes to widen and a small flicker of shame to cross his face. The large man shuffled some papers nervously.

When his voice came again, it was much softer. "Just follow the guide to your plane."

The broken saiyan prince blinked and then dropped his gaze again. He nodded slightly and headed off in the indicated direction, looking just as empty as before.

He should have felt happy. Eternal paradise was the soul's one true longing. And yet, he seemed to feel nothing. King Yemma and the old witch stared in confusion after him.

Vegeta hardly noticed them. He put one foot in front of the other, carefully concentrating to keep his mind free of all thought. Even the dull ache of betrayal was being smothered and washed away by a deep pit of emptiness and apathy. He simply didn't have the strength anymore to care about things. And so he followed without a word.

* * *

"What were you thinking?" Chichi yelled, running out of the house the minute they dropped into the yard. She was still wearing her robe, and her hair was down. Her feet were bare, but she hardly seemed to notice the cold. It was much colder on top of the mountain. A light layer of snow still covered the area. The clouds in the distance promised another snowfall very soon. "You could have both been killed."

Piccolo sighed. He didn't particularly feel like listening to this entire conversation again. And in any case, there were more important things to worry about. The planet was temporarily safe, but without access to their Ki, it couldn't stay that way indefinitely. Unfortunately, Bulma seemed just as upset as Chichi about Gohan and Videl's little stunt, and was impatiently waiting her turn to yell at them.

Piccolo turned around and caught sight of Shiro standing in the door of the second capsule house. The slender green alien's face was paler than normal. His eyes were imploring. Piccolo looked back at the others. Their attention was focused completely on the two young marauders. Piccolo quietly slipped away from the group.

His feet crunched in the snow as he made his way across the yard. A chill ran down his spine, but it had nothing to do with the cold. A sudden foreboding feeling had come over him. "What is it?" Piccolo queried quietly as soon as he was sure he was out of the others' earshot.

Shiro merely reached into his pocket and pulled out the small computer that served as the Earth's only link to the outside world. He pressed a few buttons and handed it to Piccolo. Piccolo took one glance, and his face paled as well. "No."

"I've confirmed it. By all accounts, he should be dead." Shiro blinked. "It's the weirdest thing though. His body disappeared. It just faded away the moment he died."

That almost made Piccolo smile. _Vegeta, old friend, you've really become one of the good guys. How you must hate that._

"You're not upset?" Shiro asked. "Wasn't he a friend?"  
Piccolo blinked, his mind racing for an explanation. How could he tell Shiro that Vegeta would probably be alive again by the end of the week? With Goku and Yamcha closing in on the last dragonball, it was only a matter of time. And yet, he needed some kind of explanation. Shiro would no doubt get curious if a dead man suddenly revived before him.

Piccolo cleared his throat. "You say his body disappeared?"

Shiro nodded.

"Then there's probably nothing to worry about."

"What?"

"Don't worry. Keep this under wraps." He glanced over at Bulma. "We still need our resident 'genius'." He said the word with only a trace of scorn.

"But what…"

"Just don't worry. Things may not be what they seem."

Shiro cocked his head.

Piccolo turned away from him, but added quietly over his shoulder. "It's not over."

* * *

"Krillin!" Krillin blinked. His nap under the shade of a large tree had been peaceful up until the moment the rotund King Kai came bounding over to him.

"Hi King Kai. What's up?" Krillin sat up and scratched his head lightly.

"You have to hurry. It's serious."

"What?" He asked, suddenly alarmed. "What's serious?" It was hard to think that anything could be serious in the perpetually sunny, warm paradise for warriors. A butterfly fluttered by his head as if illustrating that point.

But he'd been wrong before.

"The Otherworld Tournament! It's in three weeks, and he's refusing to fight!"

"Huh?" Then again, maybe not. "Who?"

"Come on. There's no time to waste!" King Kai started leading him away from where most of the other fighters were congregated. Krillin cast a longing glance over his shoulder to where ancient warriors were sparring using techniques that he'd never even imagined could exist. The short amount of time he had spent there had been nothing short of amazing. It was no small wonder that Goku had decided to stay dead for seven years.

"You have to convince him." King Kai's frantic voice broke him away from his thoughts. "I can't let West Kai beat me again!"

"Uhh…okay but…" Krillin was quickly interrupted.

"Not after the last tournament!" King Kai continued. "I'd never live it down!"

"Umm…"

"There." King Kai halted abruptly and pointed toward a large tree near a lake. Krillin could just make out the bare foot of the person sitting beneath it. "You're the only person here who can do it. Go."

Krillin blinked and turned. "Uhh ok." With hesitating steps and many confused glances back toward King Kai, he slowly trekked down the hill to the tree. "Umm excuse me." He called hesitantly as he rounded the tree. It was then that he recognized the person sitting there.

Black, hollow eyes locked onto him. Krillin froze staring into that emotionless face. "Vegeta."

* * *

A/N: So I finally updated within a decent time-frame. Yay! I hope you all enjoyed. I'm still trying to figure out just how much the execution and the thought that he was abandoned to his fate will affect Vegeta's mental state, and I'm open to suggestions about that. I'll delve a little more into that in the next few chapters. I'm sure a lot of you will have figured out by now where this is going, but don't worry, I've still got a few surprises in store.

As always I welcome all of your opinions and ideas. You all definitely leave me some great ideas, and I'm looking forward to trying to tie them into the story. I was really touched to hear how many of you were moved by the last chapter. Your reviews really motivate me and help me develop this story. So thanks a bunch to all of you who have stuck with me this long and who take the time to leave me such great reviews!

Also, for those of you who were wondering what happened to my other two stories, I took them down a while back because I wanted to remake them with fewer OCs and more solid plots. If I ever get around to completing that project, I'll repost them. Sorry to those of you who were looking for them.


	34. Necessary Abuse

Chapter 34- Necessary Abuse

To say that he was surprised would be an understatement. To see one of his friends dead without so much as a whisper of his death was enough to catch anyone off guard. And then that friend was Vegeta…Nothing personal, but Krillin would not have expected to see him in paradise. "How…how long have you…I mean…King Kai said the Earth hasn't heard from you in weeks. Have you been here all this time?"

There was something off. Those sharp eyes were deadened and lifeless. There were dark circles under his eyes and his face was pale.

Krillin quickly glanced over at his comrade. He was too thin. Old scars stood out in unnaturally pale skin, and he was dressed in nothing more than rags. There was a sort of despairing emptiness about the man that made Krillin's soul cry out to help.

Vegeta didn't answer his question. He just stared back blankly for a moment before turning his head away.

Krillin hesitantly lowered himself to the ground. He had never grown comfortable around this man, but he could clearly see that something was wrong. He supposed that he was already dead. There wasn't much else to be afraid of. And the saiyan clearly needed a friend.

"What happened? I thought everything was going good in space. Trunks was going to stay with you because it was safer there. Though…last I heard, no one on Earth has heard from Trunks in a while either."

Vegeta's head shot up. "What?" Finally that brought some energy into his eyes. "Why? Where is he?"

"Uhh…I…don't know." Krillin said, scooting back on the grass a bit and holding his hands up. "But…heh heh…If something were really wrong, I'm sure he'd show up here sooner or later."

Vegeta's eyes narrowed dangerously.

Krillin began to sweat and backpedaled a little farther. "I mean…You could ask King Kai if you're really worried. He always gives me the latest news…Come to think of it, you should probably ask King Kai if you can contact Earth. As far as I know, no one knows that you're dead. They don't know to wish you back."

Vegeta slumped back against the tree and grumbled a barely-intelligible. "No."

"No?" Krillin asked cocking his head. This was probably the longest conversation that he'd ever had with this man—and then it only consisted of six words—and he was finding that his "Vegeta-speak" was severely lacking. Bulma and Goku were right. It did take practice to understand him. "Ummm 'no' what?"

"I'm not talking to the blue man." He clarified, and for once, his voice wasn't laced with annoyance. It was a simple statement. It sounded dead coming from him.

"I'm sure he'd do it though. Especially if you fight in the tournament." Krillin leaned back on his hands and gazed over to where King Kai was anxiously awaiting the delivery of his prized fighter.

He didn't notice the way Vegeta had bristled at the remark, but when he turned back, he could tell that his mood had soured. "_You_ fight in the tournament." Vegeta grumbled with very little venom. He sounded…tired. "Or better yet, let the fat catfish fight in it himself."

Krillin chuckled nervously. "Ehh…ahem…" This was certainly not what he'd signed up for when he'd agreed to help King Kai. But…a friend in need…

He quickly tried to change the subject, but his curiosity was killing him. He had to ask. "So…what are you in for?"

Vegeta's face darkened, and a haunted expression crossed it. "None of your business."

Krillin frowned. Normally such an expression would have made him back off in fear. But he was feeling strangely emboldened. Perhaps it was the fact that Vegeta hadn't chased him off yet. "That bad, huh?" He began pulling up blades of grass. "Well I was shot—a pretty clean death actually, all things considered. I didn't feel a thing. One minute, I was trying to protect Goku, the next, I'm here."

Vegeta was silent for a moment. Krillin thought for a moment that he may not have heard. Krillin was just about to get up to leave when Vegeta spoke again. "So I assume that since you're the only one here, they've managed to get rid of the Meiyochi?"

"Uhh…no…not exactly…" Krillin began shredding a piece of grass into little pieces.

Vegeta frowned but didn't comment.

"I wonder what's happening on Earth now." Krillin mused. He stared off into space for a few minutes, but eventually, as if by some unseen force, his gaze drifted back to Vegeta. The saiyan's arms were crossed loosely, his head was bowed, his shoulders hunched as if he were cold and searching for warmth. Krillin finally stood up and dusted off his backside. "Well if you don't feel like asking King Kai to call Earth, I can do it for you. Lemme know if you—"

"No." The word was barely more than a whisper, but Krillin heard it and instantly went silent.

"Huh?" He asked after a moment.

Vegeta seemed to debate something for a moment before he swallowed and elaborated. "Don't call Earth on my behalf. I appreciate the notion, but I won't be wished back."

Krillin just blinked. "Wh…what do you mean? This is your only chance. If they use the dragonballs to wish me back and not you, then the balls will deactivate for a year and you'll stay dead forever."

"That's the point." His eyes were hooded in shadow. Krillin couldn't see them. He could see, however, the way Vegeta's arms tightened, as if the very thought of returning to the living world caused him to shudder.

"But…I don't understand. What…what about Bulma and Trunks."

He bowed his head and looked away. _They'll be better off. _The thought rang unbidden, loud and clear in Vegeta's mind. And he instantly knew it was true. Vegeta remained silent, hoping that Krillin would get the hint and go away. Kakarott's friends had never been known for their intelligence though.

After a few minutes, he was forced to speak again. "You don't understand, so I'll make it simple. If I were wished back, I would not live happily ever after on Earth. I will be hunted again and harassed until I return to fight for Kurenai. Even if this war wraps up soon and cleanly, I will not be let go. I will be retried and sentenced, and will probably spend the rest of my life serving Kurenai or in chains. And in case you're still confused, they're basically the same thing." Krillin was astounded. Not at his words, but at his voice. It was so void of the usual energy and passion with which Vegeta normally spoke. Usually everything Vegeta did, he did passionately, from fighting to eating…and apparently to loving if he could believe the grapevine gossip. And now here he sat, just a hollow shell of himself, all of his energy and fire somehow extinguished. Krillin wondered how.

Vegeta's voice snapped him back to the conversation at hand. "Even you know that I was sent to this Warrior Paradise by mistake, and I'm smarter than to hope that Yemma will make the same mistake a second time. This is the best that I'll ever get. What would you choose?"

Krillin honestly couldn't answer to that. It was hard to put himself in Vegeta's shoes when he knew practically nothing about the situation he was in. But still, for the sake of his argument, he needed to say something. "But what about B—"

"If you're so worried about Bulma and Trunks, you take care of them."

Krillin's mouth hung open for a moment before he snapped it shut.

"And I already told you…even if I'm wished back to life, I won't be able to stay on Earth. It would be pointless for us to even try to maintain contact with each other. It's better to just let them have a clean start."

That last notion ignited a righteous rage within Krillin's chest. He knew not from whence it sprang, but he knew that one moment he was astounded, and the next, he was mad. Very mad. "I can't believe this!" Krillin snapped. He had seen how much it had hurt Chichi and Gohan when Goku decided to stay dead. And Vegeta saw it too. There was no excuse for him to make the same mistake—and a mistake it was. As much as he loved his old friend, part of him couldn't forgive him for abandoning his family.

Krillin would not let it happen again. Bulma was just as much a friend as Goku, and Trunks needed a father. Krillin stood up, unknowingly raising his Ki a bit, and strode in front of Vegeta. Never in his life had he had this much courage in front of the man. Perhaps it was the fact that Vegeta already looked so weak and broken that gave him the strength. Perhaps, though it was a small voice inside that told him that nothing but bravado and strength would gain him the results he wanted.

"I can't believe that the Prince of Saiyans, the man who is always bragging of his strength and heritage, is taking the coward's way out."

"I hardly can either," Came the tired, quiet reply. "But that's what's happening."

"Huh?" Krillin's rage evaporated instantly. He didn't know how to respond to that. He'd at least been expecting Vegeta to snap back…or react. He dropped down onto the grass beside Vegeta with a sigh. "I'm out of ammo." He said.

Vegeta actually chuckled. "Well put." He said. "I guess for once we are on the same page. So am I."

Krillin sighed. "I don't understand you."

"Few do."

"It's odd that I've known you for over ten years and this is the first real conversation we've had."

"Is it?" Vegeta mused. "Well if you came out of your cowardly shell more often, we may have talked more."

"There's still time…" Krillin started, but Vegeta calmly shook his head, a familiar expression on his face.

Krillin had seen that look before. He'd seen it so often on 18's face when he'd first met her that he didn't think he could ever forget. The sadness. The fear of trusting others. And something else. The man sitting beside him had been hurt deeply. With the reminder of his wife came the realization of what was truly wrong with the prince. "You feel used."

Vegeta tensed, and his face darkened. Krillin's eyes widened. "I'm right." He said astounded.

Vegeta didn't respond. The muscles on his shoulders were twitching, and he was staring off away from Krillin.

Krillin continued to stare. It was as if the universe had finally come together. Vegeta's harsh attitude, the animosity toward others, the fear of letting others close. Krillin had seen glimpses of that same expression on the man's face over the years, when people cheered him for aiding them in a battle, while they avoided him as soon as they were off the battlefield. Vegeta had been used his entire life. He'd been nothing more than Frieza's pawn. His plaything. And to an extent, most of the Earth warriors considered him one of their greatest warriors…but not a friend.

"Vegeta…" The saiyan wasn't listening. His face was dark, and in that moment he seemed to be in an entirely different world. Krillin stared at him for a moment and then looked back toward where King Kai was waiting. No, King Kai would just have to suffer not having Vegeta to win his tournament for him. It was too unfair.

Krillin stood up again and made his way toward the chubby Kai. Pikkon had apparently wandered over, curious to see whether he would have competition this year.

"I'm sorry King Kai, but I can't convince him to fight." He said, noticing the way King Kai's face dropped. "What happened to him? He looks so…"

It was Pikkon who answered. He looked almost sympathetic. "He only showed up here recently. According to West Kai, he'd been captured by the Tik, and tortured for quite some time."

"Tortured?" Krillin glanced back toward the tree beneath which Vegeta sat. In all of his years, he had seen many things. He'd seen bloody fights, and horrific deaths, monsters and cruelty from the far corners of the universe. And yet the idea of torture seemed so foreign to him. So barbaric. He looked between Pikkon and King Kai. "And…how did he…how did he die?"

"Execution." Pikkon supplied somberly. "He was chained to a table and hacked to pieces while he was still alive." Bile rose in Krillin's throat at the very thought. Pikkon's dark eyes lowered to regard Krillin. "He died to the music of thousands of cheers." He paused. "It wouldn't be fair to ask him to fight. Not when he has been forced to fight for others for so long."

Krillin glanced over his shoulder toward the tree where his comrade was sitting. "He doesn't want to be wished back to life." Krillin said, mostly to himself.

"I wouldn't either if I'd been left to die like that."

"Left to die?" Krillin queried. "What do you mean? Did Kurenai abandon him?"

Pikkon shook his head. "I don't know. He apparently thinks she did, and that's all that matters. I would think that one of the most powerful people in the universe would be able to get him out, but apparently she didn't even come close."

He turned to King Kai. "Do not worry yourself, King Kai. He is by far the strongest soul here. I will not fight in the tournament if he will not participate." Pikkon then nodded to Krillin and without another word swept away.

King Kai blinked. "Hm…well I guess that settles it" He said, turning to leave.

"Wait." Krillin stopped him. "Aren't you going to do anything about Vegeta?"

"Do what?" King Kai asked. "Oh…to cheer him up? No. Don't worry. Vegeta's been tortured plenty before. He'll bounce back. He always does. He just needs time."

And with that, King Kai toddled off, his heart significantly lighter than it had been a few minutes before.

Krillin was left standing alone, staring after him, his mouth slightly agape. There was an odd, defensive feeling growing in his chest, and he felt that he needed to protect Vegeta from those who would use him carelessly. The feeling confused him for a moment, but then he realized that he would do the same for any of his other friends. Because that's what Vegeta was. A friend. It was high time that he treated him that way.

Krillin was about to walk back toward the tree when a body suddenly materialized before him. His first thought was that it was Goku, but a moment later, he saw the purple coloring and red garment of the Supreme Kai.

"Hello, Krillin." The Supreme Kai said.

Krillin flinched back. It was definitely nerve-wracking being on a first-name basis with the supreme ruler of existence. "Umm…Supreme Kai." He gave a slight bow for lack of a better idea.

"No need for that." The Supreme Kai said. "I have come to ask you a favor." His eyes strayed to the figure beneath the tree for just long enough for Krillin to guess who the favor pertained to. "I need you to convince Vegeta to return to Earth when he is wished back."

"He doesn't want to be wished back."

"I know."

"He was hurt."

"I know."

"He doesn't think there's anything good to return to."

Kibito Kai hung his head for a moment. "I know that as well, and…that may well be true, but…if he does not return to the living world, the entire universe will fall to Hui's control in only a few short years. My elder has forbidden me to journey to the living world since Hui doesn't threaten the fabric of existence itself but…well…he doesn't exactly know I'm here either." To Krillin's surprise, the Supreme Kai blushed.

"I don't know…" Krillin said, surprising himself again by his gall. Was he really standing there arguing with the Supreme Kai?

"There are dark days ahead, Krillin, and the only person who stands a chance of dethroning Hui is Vegeta. Don't ask me how I know this, or how it will be done." The Supreme Kai raised a hand. "Just trust me. Not even Goku can do what must be done." Again his eyes strayed to the man under the tree. "There's not enough time to teach anyone else what they would need to know. It has to be him."

Krillin's brain was racing, after just discovering a friend in the man, after just swearing to protect him from being used, Krillin was being asked to convince him to return to the living world to complete a task that…according to the Supreme Kai was too difficult for anyone else. "What about…what about the…"

"The Hyperbolic Time Chamber?" The Supreme Kai prompted. "Even if it were rebuilt, the knowledge needed is not born of a year, but of a lifetime…his lifetime to be exact." The Kai's eyes became hard. "Please Krillin. For your family. If Hui gets to Earth, it _will_ be eradicated."

Krillin shut his eyes tightly. "Fine. I'll try." He conceded. "But I doubt there's anyone in the entirety of Otherworld who could convince him."

The Supreme Kai thought for a moment, and suddenly his face lit up.

"You stay with him and keep trying to convince him." Kibito Kai said. "I've got an idea."

"Huh?" But a moment later there was nothing but air before him. Krillin just blinked. "Well that had better be one good idea." He mumbled, and then turning he headed back toward the tree.

Vegeta was in the same place he was in when Krillin had left him. He was staring at the ground unseeingly. Krillin thought that the sky could fall and Vegeta wouldn't notice. Krillin sunk to the ground beside him. For now, Vegeta needed a friend, and Krillin was determined that that's what he was going to be.

* * *

"Piccolo." The young guardian's smooth voice was laced with concern as he slowly approached his older friend.

Piccolo knew without asking what had the young guardian concerned. It had been years since one of Piccolo's identities had been Kami of the Earth, but he still had a heightened sense for the planet. He'd focused that sense more lately, searching for any alien ship that entered the atmosphere. "I know."

"Is it…"

Piccolo uncrossed his arms and turned slightly to regard him. "It's Trunks."

"Oh." The young guardian's face lit into a smile, but after a moment his eyebrows furrowed. "But I thought—"

"I'll explain the situation to you later." Piccolo said turning away again.

"Situation?" Dende asked.

Piccolo didn't elaborate. Closing his eyes, he began to concentrate. _"17, 18."_ He called.

"_What the fuck?" "Piccolo?"_ Came the simultaneous reply from the android siblings. _"Get out of my head, green man!" "Are you communicating telepathically with us?" _

"_17, shut up!"_ Piccolo snapped. _"And yes, I am communicating with you telepathically." Kami, they're dense. "I need the two of you to come to the lookout. We have a situation, and it would be better if I explained it to you in person."_

"_I would, but the old man and the pig are out, and I have no one to look after Marron…unless you'd…"_

"_Yes, fine. Bring her along. There's no danger."_

"_Who said I agreed to come?"_

"_Oh can it,17." _Came 18's snappish reply_. "It's not like you have anything better to do."_

Piccolo cut the link with a sigh before the two could begin arguing. He pinched the bridge of his nose before noticing that Dende was still standing behind him.

"Piccolo?..." Dende's question trailed off, but Piccolo knew what he wanted to say.

"Just wait." He answered before turning away to do just that.

A few short minutes later, the pair of Androids dropped onto the lookout.

"Hey!" A cheerful, high-pitched voice called. "I remember this place!"

"Yes, honey, you came here when you were very small."

The two Nameks turned to see Android 18 heading toward them holding her 6 year-old daughter's hand. 17 was trailing a step or two behind them.

"Well?" 18 asked.

Piccolo looked down at the little girl who was staring up at him curiously. "She probably shouldn't hear some of this." He said.

18 raised and eyebrow but looked down at her daughter without further question. "Marron, why don't you go play in the garden? Don't go too close to the edge of the lookout."

The young girl looked between the adults, but seemed to understand that the situation was important. Without complaint, she did as she was told.

As soon as she was out of earshot, two sets of cold blue eyes, and one pair of black turned upon Piccolo.

"Will you tell us what's going on, now?"

"Yes, and we don't have much time, so I'll have to make it quick." He paused for a second. "Vegeta is dead." He heard a small gasp from Dende, but ignored it. "He was executed four days ago. The execution was public and was broadcast throughout the entire universe." He glanced around at the two mildly disturbed expressions, and the now pale, tearful young guardian before looking away from them all. "You've probably noticed by now that the Earth's communication with space has been down for quite some time…"

"Yeah," 17 cut in. "So how did you know—"

"I jammed the transmitters myself so that no one here would learn of his capture." Piccolo confessed with all the certainty that he was right in doing so. 18 made a sound of outrage but Piccolo cut her off before she could comment. "The only communicator that works is in the possession of the Krimzon technician…Shiro."

"What's this got to do with us?" 18 asked.

"Trunks is returning to Earth. His ship is entering the Earth's atmosphere as we speak. You need to get to him before he is attacked by fearful inhabitants—or worse, the remnants of Earth's army."

The two androids nodded in understanding.

"One more thing." Piccolo continued. "You need to explain to Trunks that he must keep Vegeta's death a secret for now."

"What? Why?" 18 asked.

"We don't know how Bulma will react to the news, and we need her to build a—"

"Are you insane? You can't use people like that!" 18 snapped. "She has a right to know that her husband is dead."

Piccolo sighed, suddenly regretting bringing 18 in on this. "I'm not having this conversation." Piccolo announced.

"Yes you are. When were you planning on telling her?"

"When we wished him back."

"You conniving—"

"18, shut up and think for a moment. If Bulma can create a machine that can detect the Meiyochi, we can turn the tide of this war for good. Making her sit around grief-stricken for a few days won't help anyone, and it certainly won't bring Vegeta back." He stepped forward to tower over her. "I won't have you jeopardize the fate of the entire planet because of your own confused ideals."

She clenched her jaw and narrowed her eyes at him. "And if he can't be wished back?" She pressed.

"We've never had that problem before, but if that's the case, then I'll explain the situation to her myself."

18 glared coldly at him but did not argue. "Fine." She said. "But just know that what you're doing is wrong." She turned to her daughter. "Come on, Marron. It's time to go."

* * *

Trunks awoke confused and bleary. The remnants of hypersleep still had him firmly in their grasp, and he had to think for a moment to figure out where he was. Then suddenly, he remembered. He was in a spacepod, heading back to Earth.

His father was dead, slaughtered to the cheers of millions.

Trunks clenched his eyes shut for a moment at the sudden pain in his chest. It wasn't fair. But he would soon make it right. His father would be alive again soon. Hopefully he made it in time.

The spacepod jolted as it entered the atmosphere. Trunks opened his eyes and looked out the port window. He watched with an odd sense of detachment as the ground hurtled up to meet him. Closer, closer…

It landed with a crash that could be heard for miles around. Trunks was jolted at the impact, but his safety harness kept him firmly in his seat. In all, the landing wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as he thought it would have been.

Outside of the window he could now see nothing but dust. He wasted no time waiting for it to settle, but instead wrenched off his safety harness and began searching for the button to open the door. He found it a moment later. The door opened with a hiss, and fell forward.

Trunks stumbled out, blinking the dust out of his eyes and coughing slightly as it entered his lungs. He tried to levitate out of the dust could but realized suddenly that his Ki was being suppressed. That meant that the Tik were still around.

Trunks' heart rate suddenly sped up and his fighter's instincts kicked in. His landing was less than inconspicuous. Any Tik soldier that heard it would surely come to investigate. And upon finding a Krimzon ship…

Trunks extended his Ki sense, but all he could sense were several low-powered life forms. They seemed familiar though. But still, he couldn't risk it. He backed back into the pod and began searching for some sort of weapon. At least the pod would shield him from most attacks. With the limited visibility, he would not have seen any shots being fired at him until it was too late.

"Come on!" He hissed, digging under the seat. "There must be something here."

"What's taking so long?" The sudden voice behind him caused Trunks to gasp and jump up. Unfortunately he hit his head on the edge of the door in his surprise.

"Ack!" He clutched his head and fell backwards.

"Good thing I wasn't an enemy." The voice said with a hit of amusement.

Trunks finally recognized it. "Hi, 17." He said, rubbing his head. He now recognized the faint life energy that 17 and 18 exuded. He'd never really understood how they could be so powerful and have nearly inexistent Ki until Goku had explained to them that they were once people, and that they had been cybernetically enhanced. Their ki was too low to distinguish from normal humans—which had apparently made them impossible to detect when they had been attacking the planet all those years ago. However, as they were technically still alive, they had to have some sort of energy.

Trunks turned to regard the dark-haired man, and suddenly remembered the last time he saw him. 17 eyes were less cold now, and they held none of the anger that they had when he had saved Trunks from his own stupidity. There was even a touch of…sympathy.

"You…you know?"

17 blinked, but then nodded. "Yes. Come with me." He grabbed Trunks around the waist and a moment later, the two of them were standing at the top of the crater.

"Trunks!" A cheerful shout cried out. Suddenly a pair of small, warm arms were wrapped around his waist.

He blinked down at the blonde-haired girl. "Hi Marron." He said, a small smile lighting his face. "Long time no see."

"Mama said you went to live in space. Does that mean you're an alien now?"

Trunks scratched his head, sending dust raining down on the both of them. "Well technically I was kinda one before."

She stared up at him and wrinkled her nose. "You're all dirty." She jumped away from him and began patting down her blue dress.

"…Yeah."

"Hello, Trunks." Another voice said.

Trunks looked up with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Hi, 18." He suddenly remembered his mission, and his eyes widened. "The dragonballs. You haven't…"

"We haven't used them yet." She confirmed quickly. "Goku and the others have nearly located the last one. It's all under control."

He nodded.

She hesitated a moment before speaking. "Trunks…" She looked away, and a sudden anger flashed in her eyes. She suppressed it before turning back. "We are sorry about what happened to your father."

Trunks quickly ducked his head at the reminder, and willed his eyes to stay dry.

"But…"

His head snapped up again in panic. _But? But what?_

"You can't tell anyone what happened."

"What…what do you mean?"

"No one on Earth with the exception of us, Piccolo, Dende, and the Krimzon technician know that Vegeta is dead."

Trunks furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "You…you haven't told them? Why?"

"It wasn't my idea. Piccolo just informed us of the situation a few minutes ago. Apparently he severed the communication between Earth and the rest of the universe so as not to have your mother and the others get distracted by your father's ordeal."

Trunks's mouth dropped open. "I…I don't understand."

"I do." 17's cold voice said from behind him. "It's cold, hard logic and practicality. There was nothing any of us could have done to save him. None of us can even get off of the planet. There was no point in us fretting over something we couldn't help when we have our own problems to take care of."

Trunks's eyes narrowed in anger. "So my dad wasn't important enough for your concern."

"Don't shoot the messenger, kid." 17 said flippantly.

18 glared at him. "As much as I disagree with what Piccolo did," 18 started. "I still must ask you to cooperate. Your father will be wished back soon enough, and we can talk all we want about this issue then. For now though, time is of the essence. We don't know exactly how long it will take them to find the last dragonball, and we need your mother to create a radar to track the Meiyochi."

"A radar?"

17 came around to stand by his sister. "We have destroyed all of the Tik on this planet, but the rest of the fighters are still powerless against any future invasions. The Tik are too smart for their own good. They're overcoming everything we throw at them. They have found ways to nullify all of our power, and I have no doubt that the next ship they send will have something even more devastating in store."

Marron had moved to stand in front of her mother, and 18 rested her hands lightly on her daughter's shoulders. "We've devoted every resource we had to get rid of the Tik ships that came here before, and it still took us months. We only destroyed the last of them four days ago."

Trunks found that he couldn't meet her eyes at the cold way his father's plight was dismissed.

"Trunks…" 18 started, and sighed. "Piccolo didn't hide what happened to your father because he doesn't care. You see that right? He hid it because…"

17 stepped in to help her. "Because he knew that Goku, your mother, and the others would have stopped at nothing to find him…even if it meant abandoning the Earth. Piccolo did what was best for the planet."

Trunks swallowed a lump in his throat and nodded. "Fine…" He finally conceded. "I won't tell."

The Android siblings shared a glance before looking back at the young man. "Your mother is still staying at Mount Paz. We will take you there."

Again, Trunks just nodded solemnly.

* * *

"Pass the rice, please." Chaotzu called trying to be heard over the friendly argument that was leaving the table in periodic fits of laughter. Within the Son house, life continued with a semblance of normalcy, if you didn't count the odd consortium of participants of the evening meal.

The air, however, seemed to sparkle with excitement. Old, much-used holiday decorations were carefully strung up over doorways and placed in every available nook and cranny. A small winter pine had been dragged in, and was decked in colorful bobbles and garlands. There were no gifts beneath the tree…not yet anyway. Many promises had already been made to rectify that situation immediately. The holidays were still weeks off, but in their joy of finally not having the Tik threat hanging above their heads, they had plunged themselves into their festivities early.

There was another reason for joy as well. The last dragonball was near to being found. It was only a matter of days—maybe even hours. And then their old friend, Krillin, would soon be among them to share in their joy.

"I'm just saying that you didn't have to break Yamcha's leg." Bulma said, grabbing the bowl of rice and passing it over. "You'd already pretty much won the match. Do you know how much time I wasted sitting with him at the hospital listening to him whine?"

The room erupted into laughter as the decades-old friendly argument between Bulma and Tien continued.

"What's it matter? You were rooting for Pamput anyway."

Bulma blushed. "I was not! How did you even know that?"

"Well in any case," Bulma continued after swallowing a mouthful of chicken. "At least you did it at that tournament and not the next one. I would have hated to miss Chichi strong-arming Goku into marriage."

Chichi choked as the room broke into laughter again. "Strong-arm?" She cried in outrage, once her coughing fit had subsided.

"I believe it." A cool voice came from the doorway. The room froze, and, as one all eyes turned to see the new visitor. In the doorway stood 18. Android 17 was a few feet behind, balancing Marron on his shoulders. The little girl was using her new height advantage to study the star at the top of the Christmas tree.

However, it was the presence of the fourth member of the party that caused surprise. Bulma rose from her seat. "Trunks?"  
The young boy looked up at them, a momentary flash of pain crossed his face, before he ducked his head. When he looked up again, the expression was gone. "Hi mom." He said somewhat timidly. There was a slight catch in his voice, but Bulma dismissed it as him being nervous to see her.

"Is it really you?" She stood slowly as if afraid that moving too quickly could cause him to disappear. She blinked at him for a moment before suddenly launching herself across the room and grabbing him in a hug. "What…how did you get here? Where have you been? I've been trying to call for weeks."

"I took a space pod…I know…all of the Earth's connection with Iro was cut." He said. His face was pale, and his eyes were somewhat dark.

Bulma pulled back and took a good look at him. "Honey, are you ok? Is something wrong? Where is your father?"

Trunks nearly flinched but held himself together well. "I'm fine, mom. Nothing's wrong." He said, repeating what he'd been told to say. "Dad's been sent away on business and since he won't be back to Iro for a while…I got sent home."

"Oh, honey. You could have...tried to contact us some other way…King Kai—"

Trunks cut her off. "Sorry mom. It was kinda spur of the moment."

She just nodded and brushed the dampness from her eyes. "It's so good to see you. I missed you so much, and I've been so worried." Trunks could feel his face heat up at being hugged and so openly gushed over in front of so many people.

"Uh…mom, really…"

She stood up and then gasped in dismay. "And you've gotten so tall!" She wailed. "Oh, I feel like I've missed seeing you grow up!"

"I've only been gone a few months, mom!" He dodged instinctively when she tried to hug him again, and in doing so, bumped into Gohan. He hadn't even noticed the older boy come over.

"Hey, kiddo!" Gohan greeted cheerfully clapping a hand on Trunks's shoulder to steady him. "It's good to see you again. Your mom's right. You have gotten taller. How have you been?"

The question shocked Trunks, but he clearly couldn't answer it truthfully. He just shrugged.

As the others came over to greet the new arrival, 18 approached Gohan.

"Gohan, may I speak to you for a moment?" 17 darted 18 a startled glance, but 18 ignored him.

Gohan nodded hesitantly and followed her outside.

As soon as they were out of earshot, he started talking. "Look, if this is about a few days ago—"

She cut him off suddenly. "No, it's not about that." She said, glancing back toward the house, where a warm light and laughter were drifting through the window. She was cold, and she knew that it wasn't entirely due to the weather.

"Then…"

"Piccolo said not to tell anyone, but…I couldn't do that. Trunks needs…he needs someone to talk to."

Gohan just blinked.

"Vegeta is dead." Gohan actually stumbled back a step, a look of horrified shock on his face.

"No." He looked back into the kitchen where everyone was cheerfully recounting tales of times past.

"He was killed four days ago." 18 elaborated. "But Piccolo is determined that no one—especially Bulma should know. He wants her to remain focused on developing that radar."

"Gee, I don't know. I trust Piccolo's judgment and all, but—"

"I know. I feel that she has the right to know as well, but I can see the logic in Piccolo's decision. I just…I thought you would understand."

Gohan nodded. "Thanks for telling me 18. You're right, in times like these, everyone needs someone." He fixed her with a significant look but she turned her gaze away.

"You just worry about Trunks for now." She said, and then headed back into the house.

With the dinner party nearly doubled, the food went quickly. The chatter lingered for a while, but eventually, Marron fell asleep and things had to be cleaned. It was when everyone was clearing the table that Gohan grabbed Trunks and pulled him away.

"Hey Trunks." Gohan said cheerfully. "Let's go for a walk, kiddo, and you can tell me all about life in space."

Trunks nodded, and Gohan was momentarily impressed at how well he could keep up his façade given the circumstance.

They made their way out of the clearing and into the surrounding forest. Gohan's voice filling the silence of the woods. "You know I only went into space one time, and boy was it nasty. Thieves, tricksters, evil warlords…but Namek was nice…the inhabitants I mean."

Trunks just nodded distractedly as they walked.

They finally got far enough away from the house that they wouldn't be seen. Gohan suddenly stopped. Trunks stopped a second later and looked back in confusion.

"Trunks," Gohan started, and he was surprised at the hitch in his own voice. Whether it was because of the recent loss of his friend or the memory of the loss of his own father, he couldn't have said. "18 told me what happened. She wanted me to make sure you were okay." He paused, but Trunks's only response was to duck his head away. "I know how much it hurts. I was just about your age when I lost my dad. I remember the grief and the empty space it left in my heart." He came forward and put a hand on Trunks's shoulder.

Trunks stayed still for a moment.

"It's okay to cry."

As if he had been waiting for permission, Trunks suddenly hitched a gasp. What followed could only be described as panicked sobs.

Gohan pulled the younger boy close rubbing his back and mumbling soothing nothings. He remembered what it had felt like to lose his father. He couldn't imagine having to keep his pain and loss a secret from his friends…and most certainly not his mother.

After a few minutes, Trunks pulled away scrubbing at his face to get rid of any trace of tears. Gohan let him take his time, but the boy was apparently determined to make up for his lapse in self-control. He could see in the dim moonlight that the boy's cheeks were red, probably due to embarrassment. It only took a minute before the boy was standing still, stiff, and without so much as a sniffle.

Oh yes, this was Vegeta's son alright.

Gohan put a hand on his shoulder. "Come on. Let's just walk. The woods are really nice this time of year."

Trunks just nodded, and followed.

* * *

It was days before Krillin got another word out of Vegeta, and in that time neither hide nor hair was seen of the Supreme Kai.

Krillin had been trying to strike up conversation after conversation, and as usual, they were all falling flat. It was a surprise to him, therefore, when for the first time in days, Vegeta actually responded. He hadn't really thought that Vegeta was listening.

"You know maybe I'll just stay here with you. At least the weather's always nice." Krillin babbled. Vegeta sat still under that same tree, staring forward unseeing. Undaunted, Krillin continued. "But then I would miss out on so much, Marron's first day of highschool, graduation, college…You know those are big things for kids, and it would probably break her heart if I wasn't there." A sidelong glance at Vegeta. No reaction. "And then her wedding!" He gasped. "I would never get to see it. I wouldn't even ever meet her husband." A devilish idea suddenly struck him. "Unless I already know the guy she'll marry. She may even marry Trunks. Wouldn't that be interesting?"

"They're a little young to be thinking of such things don't you think?"

Krillin actually jumped at the deep voice beside him. "Eh…" He chuckled in embarrassment. "I guess so, but it's always fun to wonder. Don't you wonder what Trunks will be like when he grows up?"

"I've already seen him grown up."

"Heh heh. I guess that's true. But he and future Trunks are…like…entirely different people."

"Hm."

"It just…I don't know…it seems like a shame to not be there with your kids while they're growing up. You miss out on so much."

"Indeed you do." A deep voice behind then surprised them both, and caused Vegeta's spine to stiffen.

Krillin saw Vegeta's eyes widen, saw the blood drain from his face. In all his years of knowing him, he had never seen Vegeta so cowed—so unsure of himself. Slowly, Krillin turned to regard the man behind him. The man that the Supreme Kai had apparently set off to find. The Supreme Kai, standing slightly behind the tall regal-looking man motioned for Krillin to follow him away.

Krillin looked between Vegeta and the new arrival. There was no doubt about the other man's identity, but Krillin didn't entirely understand Vegeta's reaction.

"Vegeta." The man said. His deep voice was calm.

Vegeta didn't turn to regard him, but his shoulders tensed slightly at the sound of the voice. Then in a low voice that was almost a whisper, he greeted him. "Father."

* * *

A/N: So thought I'd get this one done in time for Christmas. Happy Holidays to everyone. I got some great ideas from all of you about how Vegeta should react to his execution. Thanks a bunch to all of you for your insight and for all of your really nice reviews and support. You guys are awesome, and you've been very helpful!

So now Vegeta's father has entered the picture. Will he be the straw to break the camel's back or will he help in the healing? I know that this is an issue that lots of people have different ideas about because it isn't really touched upon in the anime. I have my own ideas about what Vegeta thinks of his father, but I am most certainly open to hearing yours as well. Drop me a few of your thoughts! Happy Holidays!


	35. My Father's Son

Chapter 35- My Father's Son

The warm, perpetually sunny Paradise for Warriors had suddenly taken on a sudden chill. Krillin stared up at the tall man, a sudden fear clenching in his chest at his regal appearance. It was evident now where Vegeta got his intimidating persona from. This man didn't even have half Krillin's power level and he had his heart pounding.

Beside him, Vegeta had frozen. His shoulders were tensed, his arms crossed tightly across his chest.

There was no sound. Just stillness, and a sudden sense of nervousness that pervaded the area.

Behind the tall King, the Supreme Kai was making frantic motions now for Krillin to follow him away. Krillin slowly pulled himself to his feet. The movement seemed to jar Vegeta out of his shocked stupor. Vegeta glanced at Krillin, and for a moment Krillin thought that the look Vegeta had sent him was a plea not to leave. A moment later, though, he had turned his eyes away again, and Krillin was left wondering if he'd just imagined it.

The tall king, however locked his sharp gaze on Krillin, and somehow, Krillin feared this man more than his exponentially more powerful son. "I thank you for accompanying him, but I would like to speak with him alone now." The man said regally.

Krillin swallowed as he deliberated the hidden order. He technically owed this man nothing. He could have stayed if he wanted. But…how awkward would that be? Third wheel to a tense family reunion. Besides, given what little Krillin knew of Vegeta's history with his father, they probably had a lot to talk about.

Krillin looked back toward the younger Vegeta, but the prince's eyes were fixed resolutely on the ground. His hands were clenched tightly into fists, and his knuckles shown white. There was a definite aura of dread radiating off him. Krillin wondered how a man who was usually so proud, who could laugh in the face of Majin Buu, and betray the evil tyrant Frieza, could be so afraid of his own father.

Finally Krillin made his decision, and sending a rather guilty glance to Vegeta—which he entirely missed—Krillin made his way away from the pair of Saiyan royals.

Vegeta continued to sit, his back rigid. The bark of the tree dug into his shoulders. He felt rather than heard the footsteps of his father as he came closer, around, and stood in front of him. His royal white boots with the gold tips gleamed in the bright sunlight, contrasting sharply with the bare feet and ragged prisoner garb that the younger saiyan wore. Vegeta pulled his feet away in shame, ducking his head.

"Vegeta." The deep voice washed over him again, bringing with it a sense of nostalgic longing that he never knew existed. "Is this any way to greet your father?"

Vegeta tensed again, and with a slight headshake, pulled himself to his feet. His thoughts were a jumble. There was too much pain associated with this man. Too much fear. He didn't know what to think. Should he feel betrayed, hurt? A large part of him wanted his father to be proud of him. But he knew that with the way his life had turned out, that would never happen. Vegeta had failed his mission. He had disgraced his race, been enslaved, failed to kill Frieza, mated with a non-Saiyan.

No his father would never approve.

The two saiyan royals stood facing each other near the quiet stream. The younger's head was bowed, the elder gazing pensively upon him. Neither of them spoke.

Finally, quite suddenly, Vegeta dropped to a knee. A traditional saiyan bow. "I…forgive me father, I—"

"Vegeta, stand up." His father interrupted sharply.

Feeling as though his knees would give out at any moment, he did.

"Look at me."

The command made Vegeta tense again. And swallowing down the dread at the pain he knew his father's disappointed gaze was about to inflict on him, he raised his face and forced himself to look at his father.

A small smile appeared on the king's face as he finally saw just how much his son had come to favor him. "Oh, my son." He raised a hand bringing it toward his son's shoulder. Vegeta actually flinched back at the motion, and so with a confused frown, the king dropped his hand back to his side.

King Vegeta could see the turmoil in his son. He could see it clear as day, as much as the boy tried to hide it. He knew that most of it was caused by him. But not all. He had heard from the Kai just how his son had died, and it left him wondering just how much of his son's behavior was due to his cruel and bloody death. And how much of it was due to his feeling—yes feelings—toward the king himself.

"Where to begin?" The king finally pondered aloud. "For years I have wished to speak to you—to try to lighten the burdens of your soul—and I have not been able to. Now, here I stand before you and I have so many things to say that I can't even start."

Vegeta didn't respond. He didn't even move. The younger man's hesitant attitude left King Vegeta with the feeling that there was only one way to commence. And so he started speaking.

"I could not be more proud of you. It is I who should apologize to you. I have brought you nothing but suffering and pain. I never intended it, but it was still my fault. I never meant for you to carry such a heavy burden. It was too much for anyone to bear. But you bore it well. You have not only avenged our race by leading to _his_ downfall, but by your recent actions, you have brought honor and redemption to the Saiyan race as well."

Vegeta wanted to disagree, but his father continued before he could say anything. "Despite your difficult lot, you have become one of the most powerful men in the universe. And despite your twisted, painful upbringing, you have become an undoubtedly noble man. I've been watching you, you know. I've seen your mate, and your son. I watched you grow into a man under Frieza's rule, and I watched you reclaim your freedom from that bastard. I watched you as you finally found happiness. I'll admit I was unsure about the woman at first, but she has a saiyan's spirit. And the boy makes a damn fine addition to our line. I've watched you as you fought for your family, your home, and then all of mankind. You have become the man that I never could be. You've made me proud, my son."

Vegeta didn't know how to react. He felt like he was in a dream. For years he had agonized over what he had considered a disappointment—a failure. As much as he missed his father and his race, he had dreaded actually seeing the man—seeing the disappointment in his eyes. When he saw his father today, he'd expected nothing less than rejection and disgrace. And now all of this… He half expected for the man to suddenly change his mind and tell him that it had all been a joke.

"Well…" The King cocked his head. "Would you give me the benefit of some reply?"

The words came out of Vegeta's mouth of their own accord. "Death has turned you into a poet, father." Had he taken a moment to reflect on these words, he most certainly would not have said them. As it was, he flinched at hearing them exit his mouth and linger in the air.

There was a small silence as the king registered these words, and then to Vegeta's great shock, a loud bark of laughter broke the silence.

Vegeta raised his eyes in surprise to see his father shaking in hearty laughter. "Oh yes. You have your mother's sharp tongue." He finally calmed himself. "Yes I suppose I have changed a bit. Thirty odd years in Otherworld reflecting on one's life and misdeeds can do that to you."

Vegeta just blinked.

"But don't begrudge me that." The king said with a smirk. "We all have our faults."

Another blink. Who was this man? Vegeta had expected a much harsher greeting than this. The last few times he'd seen his father, the man had been perpetually stressed, short-tempered, and had a hair-trigger hand. In retrospect, Vegeta should have known that that was due to Frieza's manipulations and the final order to hand Vegeta over to the tyrant.

No. The man before him was his real father. It was the man who had taught him to hunt, to skin a kill, to play that old traditional board game—oh! What was it called?—to dance a Saiyan Valse. This was the man who had taken him atop his broad shoulders to the _ festival, had sparred with him. He'd taught him to throw a punch.

In that instant, the feeling of nostalgia increased tenfold and then disappeared entirely. This was his father. The man he had longed for all those years under Frieza's cruel reign. This was the man he had tried to become. This was the man he had missed for so long and who he had worried would be ashamed of him.

But he…wasn't. He was proud of him despite his failures—just as Vegeta certainly couldn't begrudge Trunks for failing to kill Majin Buu.

King Vegeta watched his son's eyes. The boy had learned well to keep the emotions out of his face, but the eyes were always a giveaway, and the king had learned to read them well. As he watched, his son's turmoil seemed to increase and then suddenly drain away. The king waited a while longer, but finally he had to speak. There wasn't much time, after all.

"The Supreme Kai came to me to ask me to convince you to return to the living world." Vegeta's head shot up in surprise at the sudden statement, but the king didn't notice. He barked a laugh, and the fatherly pride that Vegeta had always longed for was evident in his expression. "In all of my days, I never thought that the supreme being of all of creation would come groveling to me, begging me to convince my son to go and save the universe. He said that you saved it once a few years ago."

"That wasn't me. That was—"

"Kakarott?" King Vegeta filled in for him "Yes, I've heard of him. Quite the impressive fighter, in his own right, I must admit. But hardly the warrior that you are. He's all brawn and no brain, good for a fight, but not for a war." He paused. "You know, the Kais put all of their faith in you to deal with that Tauran nancy-boy. The Supreme Kai has told me that there is no one else in the universe capable of defeating him. I assume that includes Kakarott."

Vegeta dropped his eyes again. "I…"

"I understand." King Vegeta said, and his smug, jovial mood suddenly turned more solemn. "And I'm sorry to have to put another unbearable burden on your shoulders. But Vegeta, if I had been given the option to go back to you all those years ago and spare you from Frieza, I would have done it. Regardless of all the pain and suffering it would have given me. Nothing could have been worse than knowing that you were suffering and alone, and that it was all my fault. You have the chance to save your son from the same fate, Vegeta. Do you honestly think that if Hui gets his hands on him that he won't make him suffer for everything you did?"

Vegeta's shoulders sagged.

"You must know that I wouldn't blame you for choosing to stay here. You've already suffered enough for one so young. I just want you to understand that staying here while your mate and son are struggling without you could be more painful for you than anything that Hui could dish out."

Vegeta dropped his gaze.

He didn't know quite how long he stayed, staring at the ground, but finally, a heavy hand rested on his shoulder. Hesitantly, he raised his head again. "You have a while to think about it." King Vegeta said. "Apparently, without their Ki, it's been taking the earthlings a while to find those ball things. Since, I'm here, though, would you care for a spar?" The King smirked. "Your old man hasn't been sitting idle all these years. Once the secret to becoming super saiyan was unlocked, quite a few of us who retained our bodies managed to attain it. It was a little too late to be useful, but it's fun all the same, eh?"

Vegeta's lip drew up into the first genuine smile that his face had seen in a long time.

* * *

"Did you see it?" Goku asked as Kinto-un halted in front of him. The bright sun was dipping below the horizon and the stars were just beginning to make their first appearance for the night. Their dragonball search had brought them into the southern hemisphere. They'd driven through small towns that were blistering hot. When they had stopped to stretch their legs, the humidity had caused their clothes to cling to them. Goten's cheeks were sporting a bright red sunburn, courtesy of two parents with very fair skin. Goku's cheeks as well were slightly red. They had both been forced to buy caps at one of the towns they'd driven through to avoid taking more damage.

The four of them were now at the edge of a small village at the base of a mountain. The air here was slightly cooler than it had been in some of the older towns, but Yamcha was still fanning himself with their road map.

"No." Goten shook his head in the negative.

Puar floated off of Goten's shoulder toward her long-time friend. "Are you sure it was supposed to be up there?" She asked.

Yamcha and Goku, both leaning against the hood of their car, frowned down at the dragon radar, scowling at the small beeping dot as if it were purposefully tricking them. "Well the radar says that it should be about fifty meters in front of us…but the only thing there is solid rock. It would have to be on top of the mountain somewhere." Yamcha said.

"Unless it's in a cave." Goku added.

They nodded in agreement.

"Did you see anything that looked like a cave opening?"

Both Puar and Goten shook their heads.

"Well…" Goten added after a moment.

"Well what?" Goku and Yamcha asked simultaneously.

Puar and Goten glanced at each other. "There was a big dinosaur sleeping on the mountain…maybe he knows where it is."

Goku punched a fist into his palm. "Of course! We'll just go ask him!"

"Well…he wasn't exactly friendly, dad. He tried to hit us down with his tail when we flew by."

"Well that's not very nice. Still though, it never hurts to try." Goku hopped onto Kinto-un behind his son. "Come on, Yamcha, hop on!"

"No, that's okay, thanks." Yamcha sweat-dropped. "I think I'll just climb."

Goku just shrugged. "Your choice." And with that the cloud sped away, taking its passengers up to the top of the mountain.

Only a few short minutes later, our heroes dropped down onto a ledge where a large dinosaur was sitting. His green skin allowed him to blend in with the jutting rocks around him in the dark, but his angry yellow eyes seemed to glow with a light of their own. The dinosaur raised his head at the uninvited visitors and glared at them.

Goku just grinned and came closer to him. "Hello Mr…" Goku leaned forward as if waiting for the large dinosaur to supply a name. When he didn't, Goku just finished with. "Mr. Dinosaur." He tapped two fingers together in front of his face. "You wouldn't happen to know if there's a cave near here, would you?"

The dinosaur snorted and stood up, giving the three travelers a clear view of the cave opening that his large girth had been hiding. "You mean like this one?"

"Yeah!" Goku exclaimed, turning back to Goten and Puar. "See, I told you we just needed to ask." With a friendly smile, he looked back at the dinosaur. "Would you mind letting us by? We just want to take a quick peek around your cave. You see we're looking for something and—"

A deafening roar cut him off and sent the three scurrying behind a nearby set of jutting rocks for shelter.

"You want to get into my cave, do you?" The dinosaur roared. His booming voice echoed through the mountains, lending the sound an even more dangerous air. "That's what they all want. As soon as people hear of the treasure at the bottom, they all want to come and get it." He snorted in anger, sending dust flying into the air. "And who cares if it's my home? Just make yourself welcome and tromp your dirty feet all through it. Take whatever you like."

"Oh, ok then." Goku agreed cheerfully, coming out from behind the rock. "Thanks."

"Uh, dad!" Goten's warning shout was cut short by another furious roar.

Goku shrieked and stumbled back behind the rock. "I don't get it. He said…"

"I'm pretty sure that was sarcasm, dad." Goten informed him.

Goku frowned. "Oh." He tapped a finger to his chin.

Suddenly, Yamcha scrambled his way onto the ledge. "What did I miss?" He asked, slightly winded.

"The dinosaur won't let us in." Puar informed him.

"Oh." He huffed and leaned against the rock still breathing hard. "There's a surprise."

"Hmmm…how to get him away…" Goku mused.

"If only you had your tail." Yamcha said, gazing up at the full moon. "You could just turn into a giant ape and chase him off."

Goten suddenly gasped. "Hey Puar! Can _you_ turn into a giant ape?"

Puar blinked and then smiled. "Yes! I can." She closed her eyes and concentrated, preparing to transform just then.

Yamcha suddenly grinned, as inspiration struck. "No, wait! I've got one better."

Five minutes later, the three fighters were sporting matching grins, and the small blue cat was scowling. "Ohh…are you sure about this, Yamcha?" Puar argued.

"Just trust me Puar." Yamcha said, waving his hand in a very carefree manner.

Puar frowned but nodded. Closing her eyes in concentration, she suddenly vanished in a puff of smoke. A moment later, a large pink dinosaur with long eyelashes was standing on the ledge with them.

The grouchy dinosaur looked up sharply at the new intruder, but when his eyes landed on the seemingly female dinosaur, his jaw dropped.

Puar sent a nervous glance to her three friends sitting behind the rock before turning to the old dinosaur. Putting on her most seductive voice, Puar batted her eyelashes at him and said. "Hi there. I'm afraid I'm a little lost. Can you help me out?"

The dinosaur picked up his jaw before shaking himself. Clearing his throat loudly, he answered. "Sh…sure." His voice squeaked when he said it, and a light snicker could be heard from behind the rock.

Puar giggled. "Oh thank you. I don't know how I came to be so lost. One minute, I'm taking a walk by the pond, and the next I'm all the way up here." She meandered past him, effectively turning his attention away from the rock behind which her friends hid.

"Hmm…I think I was down there." She pointed, and to get a better look, the large dinosaur stood and followed her to the edge of the ledge.

Seeing their opening, the other three, darted into the cave.

* * *

The two dropped to the ground back near the small stream. King Vegeta was sweating and huffing, but grinning like a maniac. During life, he had been constantly under pressure, but the afterlife—even an afterlife in hell—had been kinder to him than his life had ever been. He had learned to relax, and to smile more often. And if felt good.

Beside him, Prince Vegeta was sporting a rather serene look. A spar with his father was something that the man had dreamed off ever since the last time he saw him…ever since…

His mood suddenly soured.

King Vegeta didn't notice immediately. "Well, I must say, I'll have to up my training regimen if I'm go give you any sort of competition the next time we meet." He smiled even wider at the remembrance that there would indeed be a next time, and looked over to his son. Immediately, the smile fell from his face. His son was staring at the ground lost in thought.

"What?" He scowled. "Was it that disappointing? Hey!"

Vegeta's head snapped up. He clearly hadn't heard what his father had just said. "What? Huh?"

King Vegeta just cocked an eyebrow, but didn't say anything.

Vegeta hesitated. He wanted to ask. He'd been wanting to ask for years. But he already knew the answer. He knew exactly why…it had happened. He knew what had been at stake. He knew why it had been him and not Tarble. But he still wanted to hear it from his father.

"Why?" The whisper escaped his lips before he could stop it. He immediately wanted to pull it back in, to make his father forget hearing it. He suddenly realized that he didn't want his father's answer. He couldn't deal with it. It was ancient history, but it still hurt so badly.

The king's face darkened, and the realization of what his son wanted to talk about slowly dawned on him.

"Why did you…was…was there really no other way?"

"Vegeta…son…"

"Why did you give me to Frieza?" He couldn't look at his father now. The question held no emotion at all. All of the emotion was raging just below the surface, making him sweat, causing his heart to pound. But to the average listener, it was just a simple question. He could have very well been asking why the grass was green.

"You know why." King Vegeta said lowly.

Vegeta just dropped his head. "But…why did you send Tarble to a safe planet?"

"Vegeta…" King Vegeta swallowed. No, it wasn't fair that he'd sent his one son to a safe planet—as a punishment for being weak—while the other was sent to the worst place imaginable—a seeming punishment for being strong. It wasn't fair at all. But he needed to let his son know that it wasn't his intention.

"When Frieza got wind of your power, he specifically asked for you. I offered him everything. I would have given anything to keep you safe. But he knew. You were my weakness. You were the thing I cared for the most in the world. And he knew that if he had you, he could manipulate me and keep the saiyans under his thumb. And then there was your power. You were no weakling. You were smart and strong, and you could survive anywhere. Any other Saiyan child would have died on his ship, but he knew that you could hold your own, and that one day, you would become one of the greatest warriors the universe had ever seen." He sighed. Long-winded diatribes weren't his thing, but he had learned to make speeches as a young man. Emotions weren't really his cup of tea either, but this was a necessity.

"Don't think that I wanted to give you away. There was nothing I wanted to do less, and the decision has haunted me even into the afterlife. I know that I failed you. I failed you when I sent you away to that monster, and I failed you again when I proved too weak to get you back. For that I ask your forgiveness."

"You died trying to get me back." Vegeta stated, again with no emotion in his voice.

"I did, but it was all for nothing in the end." The two fell into a long silence, just sitting side by side, lost in thought

Finally, Vegeta Sr. cleared his throat. "According to the Supreme Kai, Kurenai came for you as well. Or rather fifteen of her best agents did. Apparently twelve of them were captured and executed just before you were. For what that's worth." He took a deep breath. "The Supreme Kai was under the impression that you didn't know this, and that you'd thought she abandoned you. Just…just know that she didn't. She didn't and neither did I. We never abandoned you. We just…failed you."

Vegeta hung his head. He had indeed not known about Kurenai's agents, and for some reason the fact that she had sent someone after him lightened his soul slightly. It didn't exactly convince him to return to the Earth, and it didn't completely heal the rather large tear in his psyche. But it was a definite step forward.

His father let him sit and think about the ramifications of that statement, and again the two fell silent. It was a long while before either of them spoke again, and again it was the elder who broke the silence.

"Oh and Vegeta." He smirked slightly at saying this, and Vegeta could hear that the man apparently thought that what he was about to say was rather funny. "Before I forget, I must tell you."

"Hm?" Vegeta raised a cautious eyebrow.

"Your mother has expressed the desire to have a granddaughter. One that looks exactly like her preferably. See if you can work something out."

A light pink hue spread across the prince's cheeks and he sent an exasperated glare to his father.

The older man just smirked back.

* * *

"We've been walking forever dad." Goten groaned. "Do you know where we're going?"

"Uhhh…" Goku looked down at the dragon radar. On the screen, the dot was blinking steadily. "Of course. It should be just ahead."

Behind them, Yamcha was drawing arrows on the cave wall to indicate the direction from whence they came. The place was like a maze, and if not for their flashlights, it would be pitch black. He figured that the arrows would probably come in really handy when they tried to make their way out.

"But dad, you said that like an hour ago."

"I know, but this time—Wuah!" Goku hadn't noticed the sheer drop until it was nearly too late.

"Dad!" "Goku!" The other two grabbed his arms and pulled him back onto the flat ground.

When the danger had passed, the three stood on the edge of the chasm and looked down. It was a few feet wide at the mouth but seemed to get narrow in places as it went down. "What do we do now?" Goten asked.

"Well." Yamcha dug in his back. "I brought a rope."

"Yeah, but do we go down…or across?"

Goten shone his flashlight to the other side of the chasm and sure enough the tunnel continued on that way.

"Why on Earth is there a huge hole here?" Yamcha mused.

"Hmm…" Goku shone his flashlight down into the hole. After a few seconds, he saw a glimmer of light. "Hey guys! Take a look."

The other two followed his gaze.

"We found it!" Yamcha exclaimed. "Now we just have to get it."

Goku nodded and took the rope out of Yamcha's hand. With no explanation, he tied the rope around his waist. "I'll go down, and you two can hold the rope."

Yamcha shook his head. "No way, man, you'll never fit down there. Look how narrow it gets. Goten will have to go."

Goku frowned and then nodded. "Yeah I guess you're right. Goten, you up for it, kiddo?"

"Sure!" He said with a large grin

Finally, things were coming together. The last dragonball was just before them and there was nothing to get in their way. With high spirits, the two older men lowered Goten into the hole. It was a tight squeeze but Goten made it through. It only took a few minutes until he reached the bottom. The moment his feet touched down on the floor of the crevice, he darted toward the dragonball. It was covered in dust, but he quickly wiped it off on his shirt. The orange hue was clearly visible in the pale light of the flashlights. "I've got it!" Goten called up.

His father and friend's cheers could be heard clearly even far down where he stood.

Goten grinned down at the dragonball. "Finally."

* * *

"I don't think I'll be able to stay much longer." King Vegeta spoke suddenly. The two had been watching some of the other warriors sparring. King Vegeta was actually quite impressed by them. "I don't belong in this realm, and I have technically done all I could do for you."

Vegeta frowned, an odd feeling forming in the pit of his stomach. He wasn't ready to give up his father just yet.

"Don't worry though." King Vegeta hurried to say. "I came here under certain…conditions."

Vegeta instantly knew what that meant. His father had not agreed to come to him without getting something in return. He furrowed his eyebrows as a sense of hurt crept upon him.

"Oh, now don't look that way. You can't have expected your old man to become complacent in his old age, can you? What kind of saiyan would I be if I did a favor for someone without expecting something in return? And in this case, my gains are not entirely selfish."

Vegeta just glanced at him, his face again devoid of emotion, before turning back to watch the fighters.

King Vegeta cleared his throat. "You see," He began. "After our home planet was destroyed, and all of our race along with it, we decided to stay together in the otherworld. King Yemma wasn't quite sure what to do with us. We certainly wouldn't…'get along' with the rest of the population. Many souls were considered bad and sentenced to eternity in hell. However, many—like your mother—were considered good and granted passage into more heavenly afterlives. These good souls refused to be separated from the rest of us, and if I recall, we all made quite a fuss at the check in station.

"Now you see, the Otherworld is a huge place, with many relatively unexplored and unsettled areas. The kais agreed to cut us a deal—in exchange for…well, the continued stability of the otherworld—for we had promised to give them such hell."

The king smirked at his son's curious look.

"We made a compromise. The Saiyan population would be given its own land to live in, and we would be allowed to stay together. Any already deceased saiyan could choose to come to our new home regardless of his previous sentence. The place is technically in hell, but ogres are only allowed in at certain times to ensure that we aren't planning to destroy everything."

Vegeta just blinked at him. "And your deal…"

"I'm getting to that." The king cleared his throat. "After speaking with the Supreme Kai, I have learned that unless you commit some grave atrocity upon returning to life, you will be permitted to the Paradise for Warriors upon your next death. Your son, of course, is expected to follow in your footsteps, and your mate will also be allowed into some other paradise. While the inhabitants of…well…heaven are allowed free range to visit each other—for what sort of paradise would it be if families were permanently torn apart?—most people are not allowed visits between heaven and hell. My deal was to ensure that, once you take up residence in the afterlife permanently, you and your family be allowed to visit the saiyans in our land at your leisure."

He grinned smugly. "Your mother couldn't possibly go for all of eternity without meeting her grandson, and I must say, she was quite upset today when she was not invited along with me."

Vegeta gaped at him for a moment, before a slow smile crept onto his face. Despite himself he laughed a bit. "That's incredible." He admitted.

King Vegeta laughed along with him. "Now does your old dad know how to bargain, or what?" He bragged.

* * *

When they came out of the cave, it was to be met by a strange sight. The sun had dropped below the horizon, and the stars were twinkling in the sky. The ledge was glowing bright, however, despite the hour. The large dinosaur had fashioned a makeshift table out of stones. Three tree-stumps were standing upright, burning in the semblance of candles. An animal carcass was lying on the table, clearly a feast for the two of them. And to top it off, a flowery tree had been uprooted and laid at Puar's feet.

The large dinosaur's back was to the cave entrance, but they could tell that he was he was in the heat of fumbling passion. He was blushing, and stuttering, complimenting Puar on her good looks, and the way the candle-light accented her features.

Puar giggled at the compliment, and then shot the three dragonball hunters a long-suffering, yet relieved look.

Yamcha and Goku flashed her a thumbs up, while Goten waved the dragonball to her. Quickly, the three adventurers scurried off the ledge, and started making their way back down the mountain.

"Ahem." Puar finally cleared her throat. "Well I've had a great time, but I believe it's getting late. I should go."

"Oh wait…!" The large dinosaur argued. "When will I see you again?"

"Umm…I don't know. Maybe soon."

"Oh…" Puar turned to leave again. "Wait."

"Huh?"

"I still haven't shown you the way back to your home."

"Oh, that!" A bead of sweat rolled down Puar's face. "I've suddenly remembered. See you later!" And with a poof, she disappeared. The large dragon stared in shock at the place where his beautiful lover had just stood.

"An angel." He concluded. "She was an angel." The large dragon sat down to think about what the heavenly visit must have meant. He never noticed, the small, blue fly zooming down the mountain to meet up with her friends.

* * *

The addition of one more resident to Mount Paz hadn't made much difference. Life still continued as normal. Chores were split, with Chichi, Chaotzu, and Tien carrying most of the burden. Bulma and Shiro locked themselves inside of their makeshift lab all day working on the new radar. They helped when they could, but rarely could do more than help wash a few dishes after meals. Gohan and Videl tried their best to help the scientists—although some of the strange symbols and theories were admittedly over their heads. Trunks tagged along with the two older teenagers, although he was even less help with their project than they were.

Had Goten been around, he would have surely hung around with him. But Goten was apparently still off hunting the dragonballs.

Things were kind of boring, but Gohan made sure to keep his mind off things, taking him fishing when he started getting down.

Mealtimes were the best. They were the one time that everyone got together and laughed, and forgot about all of their troubles. They were loud and cheerful, and full of energy. More and more, these mealtimes were lasting more than two hours, and with the addition of another saiyan to the household, the table was getting heavier and heavier.

It was after 2 o'clock, the day it happened, and everyone had finished eating.

Videl had somehow tricked Trunks into confessing that his closest friend on Iro was in fact a girl, and since then the vengeful ribbing hadn't ceased.

Trunks was slouched down in his seat, his face burning scarlet. He suddenly regretted all those times that he had picked on Gohan and Videl. His mother and Chichi weren't helping, giggling and pondering about marriage customs of different aliens, while Shiro provided some examples from his own home planet. At least Tien and Chaotzu were sympathetic to his torture.

"Don't worry, Trunks." Tien assured him. "They'll get over it soon."

"Yeah." Chaotzu agreed. "We've just—"

The door to the Son home burst open suddenly, causing all conversation to grind to a sudden halt. In the doorway stood Goten, breathing hard as if he had just run a marathon. His face and clothes were smeared with black dust.

Chichi shot to her feet, worry gripping her as she took in her son's winded state.

Goten just took a cursory glance around the room before his face broke into a wide grin. "We've got 'em!" He exclaimed.

The statement was followed by a momentary pause, and then a loud cheer rang out.

"Where are they?" "It took you long enough." "Finally." "Goten, where's your father?"

Goten was momentarily overwhelmed by all the questions and comments. Finally his mother came over to him. "Goten, why are you such a mess? You scared me to death."

"Oh sorry mom." He said, putting a dirty hand behind his head. "We found the last ball early this morning in a cave in South America. We decided not to stop for showers and just flew straight back here in the jet Auntie Bulma gave us."

"Hi, guys!" The loud hail announced the arrival of the other three.

"Goku!" Chichi exclaimed. "There you are. What took you so long?"

"Huh? Well it's a long story."

"It always is."

"Heh heh, well…" He suddenly paused, his eyes locking onto someone in the room that he hadn't expected to see there. "Trunks!" The shock was evident on his face.

"Trunks?" Goten followed his father's gaze. The moment they alighted upon his friend, he sprang across the room grabbing his friend out of his chair and wrapping him in a hug.

Goku, however was oblivious to the cheer. It wasn't adding up. Vegeta was adamant about Trunks not being put in danger, and to his knowledge there was no way for Vegeta to have known that the Tik had been eradicated from Earth a few days before. He just stared around the room for a moment in confusion. Bulma seemed perfectly normal. He couldn't sense any disturbance in her Ki at all—nothing like when she'd discovered Vegeta had died during the Buu ordeal.

Goku wouldn't let it go. "Trunks, what are you doing here?"

Trunks extracted himself from Goten's grip, and not bothering to brush the dust from himself, turned to Goku. "You got the dragonballs?" He asked.

Goku stared at him, starting to understand.

A dark presence suddenly entered the room. Trunks darted his eyes toward the newcomer. Piccolo stared at him for a moment and then nodded.

Goku noticed the interaction. He looked between the two. "When?" He demanded, his eyes suddenly serious. "When did it happen?"

"Six days ago." Trunks answered, glancing at Piccolo for confirmation.

"What happened? How was he killed?"

"Killed?" The word was repeated around the room. "Who?"

Bulma stood, and suddenly that strange feeling she'd had in her heart made sense. "Goku…Trunks…?"

Trunks turned his head away quickly, but Goku locked eyes with her for a moment. "You didn't know?" He asked in surprise. Then he looked down to Trunks. "None of them know?"

Trunks hung his head lower.

"Piccolo told him not to tell anyone." The voice came from the doorway again. The Androids and Marron had suddenly arrived, no doubt drawn to the collection of Ki. It was 18 who had spoken. They all came further into the small kitchen, making the tiny room seem cluttered. "Piccolo and Trunks knew about it. So did 17, Gohan, and I. Piccolo asked us to keep it a secret because he wanted Bulma to have a clear enough head to work on that radar." Her sharp, blue eyes darted to where Piccolo had been standing a moment before, but he had disappeared. "Wha…?"

"The dragonballs!" Chaotzu suddenly yelled, pointing out the window. "Piccolo's summoned Shenron."

Bulma had been staring in shocked stupor between the faces of her son, Goku, and 18. She refused to believe it. No, it was a joke. Or maybe she just misunderstood. They couldn't have been talking about what she thought they were talking about. Could they?

She didn't have time to think about it.

"Trunks!" Goten's yell broke her from her thoughts just in time to see her son run out of the door. She glanced out the window the see that the afternoon sky had turned black.

As the others all ran outside to see the dragon, she felt someone grab her arm. Her gaze darted to the side. "Come on, Bulma." Gohan said, tugging her along. "You wouldn't want to miss it.

Bulma's head was a blur. What had he meant by that? Sure she always liked seeing the dragon, but was there a specific reason now that she should be there? She didn't know. There was only one thing that she knew for certain now. She would figure out the rest soon enough.

The dragon had been summoned.

* * *

A/N: Thank you all so much for all of your lovely reviews of the last chapter. Your encouragement and enthusiasm always prompt me to get these out in a timely manner. Thank you so much for all of your advice as well. I hope that the interaction between Vegeta and his father was believable enough, and if anyone has anymore suggestions for that, there is still time. Let me know!

Hope you enjoyed. Happy New Year!


	36. Home

Chapter 36- Home

The frozen ground crunched audibly under her feet as she made her way out to the darkened yard. Gohan was pulling her along gently, and casting nervous glances her way. She kept her eyes straight ahead, lest her eyes meet the young demi-saiyan's and the small irksome thoughts in the back of her mind get confirmation. She stubbornly refused to believe her suspicions.

Ahead of her, the rest of the household were moving hastily to gather around the dragon.

Certainly she would have sensed it instantly. She had felt him die when Buu was here. But then, she had felt a little odd recently.

No.

Trunks would have said something. And when you really thought about it, it was impossible. The man was far too strong to be killed—not to mention too stubborn.

_There._ She concluded. _It was just my imagination running away with me. They must have been talking about something else._

"What is your first wish?" The booming voice drew her attention immediately, and her eyes shot up toward the dragon.

"We wish for all the Earthlings who have been killed because of the Tauran Empire's raids to come back to life and be returned to their families."

The dragon's eyes flashed. "It shall be done." He announced.

A bright light appeared outlining the small stature of one of their oldest friends.

"Hey!" "Krillin!" "Daddy!" A loud hail was sent up by the Z warriors, and Marron ran forward to latch onto her father.

"It is done. Name your second wish."

"Hi cupcake." Krillin laughed and picked up his little girl. "Did you miss me?…oh wait!" He paused, his face growing urgent. "Piccolo."

Piccolo nodded, hardly needing to ask what Krillin wanted. "I know."

The two men stared at each other for a moment before Krillin accepted that Piccolo did somehow know what he was about to say.

Standing beside him, Trunks looked up at Piccolo nervously, as if worried that he would get the next wish wrong.

Piccolo raised his eyes to meet those of the great green dragon. "We wish for the Saiyan Prince Vegeta to be returned to Earth alive," The crowd of gathered friends gasped at the wish, "and in one piece."

The dragon paused. His eyes glowed. With a mixture of surprise and confusion, the gathered friends watched. But nothing was happening.

* * *

Vegeta sat alone now, under the shade of a large tree. His mood was somber, and his spirit conflicted. He was now faced with his decision. A moment ago, Krillin had disappeared back to the living world, and Vegeta knew that his time was coming soon.

Vegeta had been sitting silently beside his father watching the other warriors spar when it had happened. He had been comfortable, and a companionable silence had settled between the two men, broken only by occasional comments—mostly from his father.

Up near the white-tiled ring, he could see Krillin sparring with a large ancient Spartan. The man had no Ki control, but he was clever and packed a hell of a punch.

Suddenly Krillin had paused, dropping back down to the ring. His body began flickering. Vegeta knew instantly what was happening. He was being called back.

It was a surreal thing to watch. Krillin held his hands up to survey himself, and a smile graced his features. The large Grecian stared at his sparring partner in confusion. Krillin said something to the man, that neither Vegeta nor his father could hear.

"That is your Earthling friend, is it not?" King Vegeta had asked, following his son's gaze.

"Yes. He was apparently just wished back to Earth." Vegeta had answered.

"Then I fear your time is near. You must choose. Will you stay here? Or will you return to the living world? The choice is yours to make." He spotted the Supreme Kai suddenly standing some distance away, and realized that it was his time to leave as well. "Either way, I cannot stay."

Vegeta continued staring fixedly at Krillin's fading body as if the other man might give him some clue. As if sensing his gaze, Krillin's eyes had suddenly locked with Vegeta's. The smaller man studied the saiyan prince for a moment, and then apparently reached some conclusion. With a grin, Krillin threw a thumbs-up to his newfound friend, and then waved to the king. A moment later, he disappeared.

The large king pulled himself to his feet and stared down at his eldest son. "Goodbye, my son. We will meet again."

"Goodbye, father." Vegeta echoed, somehow finding that simple phrase to be one of the hardest things he'd ever had to say. His father nodded and then turned and walked away. He too disappeared a moment later with the Supreme Kai, and Vegeta suddenly found himself alone.

Vegeta dropped his gaze to the ground, as he felt the familiar tug on his spirit. The dragon's voice boomed in his head, asking him if he would return to Earth.

Vegeta hesitated. This was a choice he was not ready to make.

Suddenly a he heard a whisper—a familiar voice that he had not heard outside his dreams for quite some time. It was a tearful whisper, full of confusion and hurt. _"No. Vegeta. He can't be dead."_ He clenched his eyes shut.

A moment later another whisper joined it. _"Come on, dad…What's taking so long?_"

Vegeta's hands clenched into fists. It wasn't fair. His thoughts returned to his father, so proud and strong. He remembered the odd feeling of security that he'd felt when he'd been with him. It was a feeling that was almost completely alien to him. He'd been robbed of security when he had been separated from his father and thrust into the clutches of an evil monster. He couldn't force the same life—the same hardship—on his son. He couldn't bear to hear that tearful whisper in his head for all eternity.

He knew what he had to do.

* * *

The entire Z gang waited with bated breath, but still nothing happened.

The newly-revived Krillin bit his lip. "He's got to come." He said lowly.

Piccolo glanced down questioningly at the remark.

No one else spoke, all just staring up at the large, green dragon.

Suddenly, the dragon began to glow. "It shall be done." He said finally, and a collective sigh of relief seemed to fill the clearing before being blown away with the wind.

"Piccolo, what…" Bulma finally started, her voice shaking. However she trailed off as a person materialized in front of them. "Vegeta." She whispered, recognizing him instantly. The truth finally hit her.

He was standing before them, his head hanging slightly, and not looking particularly happy to be where he was. In truth, he looked confused, tired, and somewhat hollow. His face was pale. He was wearing nothing more than a pair of gray pants, and his exposed torso was gaunt.

The dragon pulsated light, casting Vegeta in shadow, and accentuating the fact that his ribs could be clearly seen. With a word of parting, the dragon disappeared and seven orange orbs scattered across the newly brightened sky.

No one moved for a moment. The surprise of Vegeta having actually been dead seemed so stun people more than the fact that he was standing before them now.

Then…"Dad!" A purple streak nearly flew toward Vegeta.

Vegeta visibly tensed, but didn't have time for much more before Trunks literally plowed into him, knocking him back a few steps. Vegeta caught his balance, and looked in somewhat panicked confusion at his son. To an onlooker, it seemed as though his mind was momentarily in a different place. Somewhere much darker. A loud sob seemed to snap him back to himself.

"Trunks?" He pulled his son away and stared down at him. He didn't say anything, but just waited for an explanation.

Trunks hurriedly dried his face. "I…I…" His lip trembled and a moment later, he threw himself onto his father, wrapping tight arms around his waist. "I saw it, dad. I saw you die." He mumbled into his father's stomach.

Vegeta tensed. "Saw it? Saw…"

Trunks tightened his arms. "Saw it."

Piccolo approached the two. "It was broadcast." He motioned with his head to the group of onlookers. "No one else saw it though." He assured him.

Vegeta stared at Piccolo. Somehow his disorientation was not leaving him. The small bit of peace that he had found sitting in Otherworld beside his father had suddenly flown away, leaving him feeling hollow, cold, and unguarded.

He suddenly blinked as Piccolo's statement rang in his head. The execution had been broadcast. But no one had seen it. That relieved him for some reason. But Trunks had watched it. Vegeta released himself from Trunks' grip and then stared down at him sternly. "What possessed you to watch such a thing?"

"I…I." Trunks grabbed on to his pants leg as if afraid that he might disappear at any minute. He switched to Saiyago to say his next sentence. "I didn't want you to be alone."

Vegeta shivered a bit and frowned. He didn't know what to say to that. Luckily, he was spared having to think of something.

Bulma's thoughts up to this point had been a raging hurricane. Her husband had been dead. Dead! For how long, she didn't know. And people had known about this and not told her. It was so strange. And…infuriating. She could just take Piccolo—for she had gathered that this was all his fault—and string him up by his toes and beat him with a frying pan for a week straight. She sent her evilest glare at the tall, green man, but he didn't notice her.

A moment later though, her eyes fell back to her husband, and she finally took in his appearance. It horrified her. He was so pale, so thin. His proud, arrogant stance had turned into one more guarded, more nervous. But he was here. Suddenly her eyes were watery. He was here. On Earth.

How long had it been since she had last seen him? Really seen him. It must have been over a year. She swallowed down a lump in her throat. "Vegeta?" Her voice was hardly more than a whisper, but it caught his attention. He looked over to her with a somewhat guarded expression. "Ve…" She choked a sob, and took a hesitant step toward him.

He blinked at her. "Hello, onna." He said somewhat lamely. He wished someone had warned him that he would be wished back to life today. He could have prepared himself for the shock. As it was, he felt like he'd just been dropped into the middle of an icy ocean and was floundering to orient himself.

She gasped. Then just as Trunks had, she crossed the yard in less than a second, and threw herself at him, sobbing. Vegeta momentarily wondered where their restraint had gone. Even after he'd died trying to kill Majin Buu, both Bulma and Trunks had managed to greet him with a modicum of decency and self-control when he'd returned.

It should have been shameful. And yet, at the moment, he was too disoriented…too empty…to really feel embarrassment at the display.

"How could you die, you idiot!" The sudden shout brought his attention back down to her, just in time to see her small fist flying toward his face.

His head snapped back, and he blinked in surprise.

In any ordinary situation, such a weak punch wouldn't have hurt him at all. But apparently he was being Ki blocked again. A thin trickle of blood ran from his lip.

Bulma saw it and gasped. "Oh Kami," Her eyes went wide, and her hands flew to her mouth. "I'm so sorry." She looked completely horrified with what she'd done.

Though he would never tell her, getting a nice clock to the face was just what he'd needed then. It brought him back to reality with a crashing halt. Just as a precaution, he sniffed the air. He smelled her. He smelled all of them. This was no illusion. The sights and sounds…the apparently freezing weather. This was Earth as he'd come to know it. This was his home. And yet, he still wasn't sure how to feel about suddenly being back here.

As Bulma started to untie her handkerchief, somewhere nearby Vegeta heard someone chuckle. He knew exactly who it was. That was someone he hadn't particularly missed—not that he'd admit anyway. He turned a glare on Goku. The glare was a bit weaker than he'd intended it to be, and to his slight horror, he felt his lip twitch upward. Through his discomfort he couldn't help being slightly amused with the situation. Some part of him realized that he was happy to be in the place he'd grown to call home.

Bulma pressed the handkerchief to his lip drawing his attention back to her. "Why didn't you tell me you were dead?"

He snapped his head back to her. "Wha…?" He shook his head as if trying to clear the remainders of the haze away. "Onna don't be ridiculous. How on earth could I have told you I was dead?" Technically King Kai offered to let him contact Earth, but he'd been in such a state at the time, that he declined. He hurried to turn the conversation away from that. He suddenly felt much more like himself. Sure the first thing he'd get upon being wished back to life was a cold reminder of his death and a punch to the face. It amused him for some reason. "Besides apparently the Namek knew. If he didn't mention it for all this time, he must have had his reasons."

Bulma glared at Piccolo again, and opened her mouth ready to let loose a firestorm, before something Vegeta said finally registered in her brain. "All…this time?" She asked turning back to him, her eyes seeming to well up again. "How…how long have you been dead?" Her voice cracked when she asked.

"Please don't start crying, Bulma." He told her softly.

"How long?" She demanded.

He shrugged. "I don't know. Time means nothing in other world."

Her eyes glistened.

"It was a little less than a week, dad."

Bulma looked down at her son. "Trunks, how could you not tell me that your father was dead?"

Trunks shifted a bit to put his father between him and his mother. "Piccolo said not to tell."

Bulma turned a furious glare at Piccolo again. It all came down to Piccolo. How could he not let her know? And how could he let her little boy live like that without his mother to share his grief? Her glare hardened even more as ideas for revenge began flashing through her mind. They convalesced, clashing against each other, and set her heart pounding. Her hands balled into fists.

Piccolo actually began to look nervous.

But then, it became too much. Instead of breaking into a furious, violent rant as everyone was expecting, she suddenly sobbed and, grabbing Vegeta, buried her face into his chest. Everything was such a swirl in her head. She'd hardly had the time to process that her husband had somehow died, before he was magically standing before her again, looking like he'd probably starved to death. Then her son tells her that he's been dead for days and that for some reason it had been kept a secret. What on Earth was going on? Why would they do this to her?

She would deal with Piccolo in her own sweet time. Right now, she needed to reassure herself that what she was seeing—what she was feeling—was real.

Knowing that Vegeta would be uncomfortable with such an open display of affection, she slowly pulled away. He glanced down at her, before looking away again. Just then, she realized that Goku was standing beside them, shrugging off his jacket.

"…yea, but if you freeze to death again, that would just be silly." He said, draping the jacket over Vegeta's shoulders.

She glanced around to see that Gohan and Goten had come closer to surround their newly revived friends as well, and were grinning in amusement.

"I said I don't want it." Vegeta looked decidedly unhappy about wearing his rival's jacket, but didn't take it off.

"Now don't complain." Goku grinned sneakily. "I'll get Bulma to punch you again."

Vegeta just rolled his eyes.

Now that she wasn't quaking with sobs, she could feel that he was shivering. She blinked at him. It was such a human thing, to shiver. She looked him over thoroughly. The pale, sickly look, dark bags under his eyes, gaunt figure, and those eyes. They were hollow, like they'd been years ago. They told of some horror that was still undoubtedly fresh in his mind. What had he been through?

She glanced at Goku, to see that he was apparently wondering the same thing. Suddenly, though he glanced down. His eyes widened comically. "Vegeta your tail's back!"

"Wha…?" Vegeta glanced behind him, and then pulled his tail around to wiggle it in front of him. His lip twitched upward slightly. "Yeah, it's been there for a while. I thought you knew that already." He quickly tucked it around his waist.

"We'll have to cut it off." Piccolo said, a little off-handedly.

Vegeta's reaction shocked everyone. "No!" With a suddenly panicked look, he jumped away from Piccolo, scurried out of the ring of people who'd surrounded him and then crouched into a fighting stance.

Piccolo understood the reaction, especially given the way that Vegeta had been killed. However, he wouldn't tolerate it.

"Vegeta don't be ridiculous. The Earth's moon is back. We can't have you turning into a giant ape and destroying cities."

Piccolo's reason seemed to not penetrate Vegeta's head for some reason. He just glared hostilely at all of the Earth's fighters. He was tensed, panicked, like a cornered animal. He looked as if he expected one of them to suddenly charge him with a knife.

He felt something tickle his mind. He floundered for a minute, before hurriedly slamming his protective barriers down. He'd just started getting comfortable being back, when the threat of dismemberment sent him careening back into a panicked, animalistic, and instinct-driven side of himself that was only concerned with self-preservation. In that moment, he was having trouble figuring out if everything was real. The Xiee specialized in creating visions. It was entirely possible that he was still in the dungeon, and that everything that he was seeing was just a figment of his imagination. How many times had been forced to live fantasies that featured these people? How many times had he been rejected, turned on, even killed by them? He couldn't remember. This could be one of his fantasies. But, he thought it was real.

Then, they really were turning on him. The very people he had dared to call friends and family were turning on him. The thought terrified him.

"No one's cutting off anything." The command was forceful, and brooked no argument.

Vegeta whipped his head toward the voice, to see that Goku was fixing him with a half-shocked, half protective gaze. Goku stepped in front of him and turned to Piccolo. He gave him his most determined stare. "A Saiyan's tail is a like a human's arm. It would be cruel to cut it off when he's not causing any trouble with it." He turned to Vegeta. "If you stay inside during the full moon, you can't transform anyway." The caged look and defensive stance wasn't lost on Goku. He looked over to Bulma who was staring at her husband with a sort of lost, despairing gaze.

Seeing that she was clearly needed in some way, she hurried over to her Vegeta.

"We should go inside." She said hesitantly laying a hand on his arm. When he didn't flinch away, she added. "Before you freeze."

"Good idea!" Goku said, snapping back into his normal cheerful self. "I wonder if dinner is ready."

"We just finished eating." Chichi stated, causing her husband to whirl around in surprise and despair. He clearly hadn't noticed her follow them out. When she saw his expression, however, she folded. "But we could probably fix a late snack." She huffed, striding off. "Come on, Chaotzu."

"Yeah!" Goku trotted after her. "I'll help too."

"No, that's ok." Her hasty reply was just audible as she disappeared back into the house.

"We'll join you in a bit, guys." Bulma said to the rest of the gathered friends, as she steered a somewhat shocked and numb Vegeta toward the capsule house situated across the lawn from the Son's house.

"Us too!" Krillin called. Behind her, she saw Krillin, 18, and Marron crossing the yard to the other capsule house.

"Ok!" Goku shouted back.

"Don't eat everything!" Trunks warned them, following his parents.

Goku laughed and waved back to them as he headed inside. "Ok. No promises though."

As soon as they penetrated the door to the capsule house, Bulma and Trunks threw themselves onto him again.

"Vegeta, what happened?" She had to know. He didn't look right, and all the mystery surrounding his death suggested that it hadn't been a particularly clean one.

He sighed. Feeling the warmth emanating from his wife and son's bodies grounded him. "I…it's a long story. I don't really…"

Bulma pulled back and took his face in her hands. "Later then." She said, letting him know that he wouldn't get out of telling her. She wondered if Trunks knew.

"I'm glad you're back." She pressed herself back to him, reveling in his familiar scent. "It's so good to have the family back together again." She said it more to herself than to him.

She glanced down towards Trunks to see that he was closely inspecting Vegeta's arm as if looking for something. Vegeta and Trunks both noticed the look. In a simultaneous movement, Trunks let his arm go, and Vegeta pulled it back to his side.

Bulma looked between them, noting the guilty, guarded looks.

Whatever had happened, Trunks knew about it. Why on earth would he not tell her?

Her moment of contemplation was swiftly interrupted when Vegeta pulled away from her. "Do you happen to have any of my clothes here?" He asked.

Bulma frowned, seeing in his expression that she would get no information out of him now. "Yes." She sighed, and then turned to go find something for him to wear.

* * *

It took more time than expected for them to find a pair of pants that weren't too big for his slimmed down frame. Eventually she found a pair of old jeans and popped a new hole in his belt.

Fifteen minutes later found them entering the Sons' dining room. A loud hail greeted them upon their arrival.

"It's about time!" Goku whined. "Chichi wouldn't even let us start."

"Serves you right, you cow." Vegeta said, pulling out the chair next to Goku and dropping down in it. "Not even your own woman trusts you not to eat everything in sight."

Trunks hopped into a chair near Goten, and Bulma headed into the kitchen to help Chichi with the food.

As soon as she was gone, Goku leaned over. Flashed clips of images gleaned from Vegeta's mind a few minutes earlier rushed back to him. They were all horrible, filled with darkness and pain, but nothing had been clear enough for him to really know what had happened to his friend. He didn't want to bring up bad memories, but he had to know what they were dealing with. He quietly asked. "So…was it Hui? Is he really that strong?"

The fact that the attention of everyone in the room was focused on him wasn't lost on Vegeta. He was finding it hard to be his normal self. In a way, he couldn't remember what his normal self was. He settled on crossing his arms and leaning back coolly. However, something wasn't clear to him. He glanced at Piccolo. "Was there some reason you were keeping this a secret?" He asked.

"I was keeping morale up." He admitted. Vegeta suspected that there was more to it than that, but he didn't feel like asking.

"And now?"

"It's up to you."

Vegeta shrugged and turned back around. "I've never met Hui." He said simply avoiding looking anyone in the eye. He wished he didn't have to tell anyone this, but the fact was, they needed to at least know the basics. It was better to get it over with now.

"But…if it wasn't him…is there someone else that powerful?" everyone gathered around the table looked astonished and terrified at the idea that Vegeta had been killed by a simple soldier and not the emperor himself.

Vegeta found himself chuckling. "There are many powerful creatures around the universe, with abilities that most of you probably couldn't even imagine." The Xiee sprang into his mind, but he shook the thought away. "If there is anyone more powerful than me out there…I can only speculate."

"But then…did they block your ki? How did you get killed? You didn't blow yourself up again, did you?"

"I wasn't killed in battle." He said simply, crossing his arms a bit defensively. "I was executed."

The room would have gone silent if not for the sound of a stack of plates crashing to the floor.

Everyone whipped around at the noise to see Bulma standing in the doorway. "Executed?" She whispered, staring wide-eyed at her husband.

Vegeta wasn't sure what to do in that moment, so he just sat, staring blank-faced back at her. He hadn't known how she'd take that little fact, so he was going to avoid telling her. Ever. Too late now.

Trunks and Goten hurried over to pick up the plates she'd dropped.

His attention was turned away from his shocked mate when, to his surprise, Goku jumped to his feet and slammed a hand on the table. The news seemed to have had an odd effect on him. "They_ executed_ you? That's barbaric!" He looked positively furious.

That made Vegeta laugh. "You don't know the half of it." He said.

Trunks had gone pale at the thought of an execution. He slid the plates onto the table and tried to get inconspicuously back into his seat.

"And Trunks saw it?" Goku carried on, noticing the boy. "You too, Piccolo?"

"The execution was broadcast throughout the universe as a warning to anyone who would have opposed the Tik."

"Why didn't you say something, Piccolo?"

"What could you have done?" Piccolo let his gaze sweep the room full of upset-looking people. "What could any of you have done?"

"I…I…" He fumbled, glancing at Vegeta who, surprisingly looked to be the least perturbed with the fact that he was executed. "You could have at least said something!"

"I agree." Bulma said, coming over and poking Piccolo in the chest. "What on Earth makes you think that I don't have the right to know that my husband is dead?"

"It was for the good of our efforts here. We couldn't afford for you to be wallowing in grief for weeks. We couldn't afford for anyone to get angry and do something rash, and we certainly couldn't afford for anyone to become so terrified by the Tik brutality that they abandoned the fight."

Bulma was instantly furious. However before she could say anything, she heard Vegeta speak. "That was probably the best idea you've ever had, Namek."

"What?" She rounded on her husband. "Vegeta, what—"

"It wouldn't have helped anything for you to be distracted and emotional." He looked her up and down. "Look at you now. The Namek obviously had everything planned out. What good would the knowledge of me being dead have done anyone anyway?"

"But…" She didn't have the time to articulate why his logic was entirely off-base.

Vegeta turned to Piccolo. "How did you keep anyone else from seeing it though?"

"We were…otherwise occupied when it was happening." He sent a fleeting glance to Gohan and Videl. "But I kept them from finding out about it afterwards by blocking nearly all communication with the outside universe."

Vegeta raised his eyebrows and then nodded as if agreeing that that had been a good idea. "One more question."

Piccolo cocked an eyebrow.

"There's an unconscious alien in Bulma's capsule house." He heard Bulma gasp, but carried on. "Your doing?"

Piccolo nodded. "We couldn't have the Krimzon technician seeing the dragon, could we?"

"Why does everyone look so serious?" Chichi asked walking in with food. "Hello, Krillin." She sent a smile to the man, and then gave a slightly less warm nod in Vegeta's direction. "Vegeta." Still, it was courteous. She turned to Bulma. "Bulma, are you alright? I heard something fall."

"I'm fine, Chichi." She said shakily before brushing past her and Chaotzu to go back into the kitchen.

Chichi put the giant dish on the table and then blinked in confusion. "Goku, the food's here." She said, clearly surprised that he hadn't already snatched something out of the dish.

"Huh?" He snapped his head toward her and then looked down at the food. "Oh. Looks great, Chichi." He said, though with not as much enthusiasm as he usually did. He sank back into his seat, casting Vegeta an odd glance as he did so.

Chichi blinked. "Son Goku, is something the matter? Are you sick?"

"No. No. We were just talking. That's all."

Bulma came back in carrying another dish of food. She was still pale, and looked to only be shakily holding herself together.

"Well, I'm surprised I have to say it, but dig in."

"Yeah!" Goten was the first to dive in.

Surprisingly, Vegeta was the second, though it probably shouldn't have been so unexpected. Given one look at his gaunt face and his thin arms, it was easy that he hadn't eaten well in quite some time.

Trunks took the cue from his father, and soon the room was filled with the sound of saiyans devouring food. After only a few minutes, things seemed to calm down and get more cheerful. Slowly, the sound of chewing was replaced by cheerful banter.

"Hey, dad." Trunks caught his father's attention after a while. "I convinced Pop to give me the recipe for Pato."

"What's Pato?" Gohan asked from across the table.  
"A traditional Saiyan dish." Trunks said enthusiastically. "It's the most awesome thing ever."

"Oh I want to try it!" Goten said excitedly. "Maybe you can give mom the recipe."

"I can't." Trunks said. "He only gave it to me under the condition that it stays in the family and I guard it with my life."

"I'm not sure that anyone in your family knows how to cook." Vegeta said offhandedly, grabbing an eggroll.

"Excuse me?" Bulma nearly shouted. Vegeta glanced over at her with a surprisingly bashful look as if he hadn't realized he'd said it out loud.

"Grandma can." Trunks said, not even noticing the interaction between his parents nor the amusement it was giving the rest of their friends. "She's family, right?"

"Oh yeah." Vegeta smirked a bit at his wife. "Yeah she'd do."

Bulma narrowed her eyes and looked between her husband and son. "I think you should make it yourselves." She griped. "Since you're so good at critiquing people's cooking skills."

"I agree." Chichi added. "If it's a Saiyan dish, it stands to reason that a Saiyan should cook it."

"By that logic, you shouldn't be cooking Italian food." Vegeta said, grabbing a slice of homemade pizza taking huge bite.

"I don't know if I'd trust Vegeta in my kitchen, Chichi." Bulma admitted, though with a playful tone. "Things tend to catch on fire."

Krillin choked on his food and then made a great effort to cover his laughter with an exaggerated coughing fit.

"Oh I know what you mean." Chichi said. "I told you about the mother's day fiasco last year right?"

"Hmm…" Bulma thought about it.

"Aww Chichi!" Goku whined, and Gohan and Goten slumped in their seats looking embarrassed. "That was an accident! And we tried really hard."

"I know you did honey, and it was very sweet of all of you. But these kinds of stories are fun to tell." Chichi said. "So they were trying to make…" She glanced over to Gohan. "…pancakes?"

Gohan sunk down in his chair even more. "Uhh…well we couldn't decide if we wanted pancakes or muffins so we compromised and tried to mix the recipes."

The table burst into laughter.

"Maybe it's just a Saiyan thing." Chichi speculated. "Maybe they're just not meant to cook."

"That hardly seems logical, given how much they eat." Bulma chimed.

"Uncle Tarble can cook." Trunks said. "And actually dad cooked someti—"

Vegeta inconspicuously shushed him, and Trunks quickly stopped talking, quickly staring with unusual intensity at his plate.

However, Bulma and Chichi noticed. They shared a devilish look. "Oh so he can cook, can he?" Chichi said.

"I guess you can cover dinner tomorrow night." Bulma giggled.

"You'll all starve." Vegeta told them seriously and then seamlessly changed topic. He glanced out of the corner of his eye at Goku who was sneakily creeping his hand closer to Vegeta's plate. "Kakarott if you touch my chicken, you'll lose your hand."

Goku's hand hesitated a few inches above Vegeta's chicken leg before he chuckled and withdrew it. "I was just…keeping you on your toes 'Geta." He chuckled. "Don't want you to lose your touch."

The group of friends erupted in laughter.

* * *

It was late by the time they got back into their small capsule house. Trunks had fallen asleep playing video games, sprawled across Goten's bed, and his parents had decided to leave them there. "I know it's not quite home, but well…" Bulma flipped on the light and slipped off her shoes.

Vegeta just shrugged.

"Are you alright?" She asked, coming around and slipping her arms around him again. She rested her head on his chest, just enjoying hearing the sound of his heart beat. He snaked his arms around her waist and rested his cheek on the top of her head.

"Vegeta?"

"Hm?" Her hair smelled like strawberries. Her body was warm and soft. It was comforting. So nice. How he's missed this all those months on Iro. Even more so, locked in that cold, dank dungeon.

"Are you ok?" She asked again.

"Mmhm." He said a little distractedly, bringing a hand up and twirling some of her hair around his finger. So soft.

"You know I don't believe you." She told him. She pulled away a bit.

"Huh?" He looked down at her in confusion wondering if he'd just done something wrong.

"You seem…I don't know. Distracted?" She placed gentle hands on his face and forced him to look her in the eye. "I know that you're suffering." She said.

He cocked an eyebrow, but quickly looked away.

"Maybe not physically." She said. "But…Vegeta, I think even I'm going to have nightmares about what you went through, and I hardly know what happened. Please promise me that you'll talk to someone if you need to. It doesn't even have to be me, if you'd prefer it. But I am here, if you want." She clarified.

"Onna I don't know if you'd—"

She cut him off. "Be able to handle it?" She asked, bringing a hand up to cup his cheek. "Maybe Goku or Piccolo or Tarble then. It's up to you. Just…don't try to take everything on alone, ok?"

He just blinked at her and came closer. "I'm fine, onna. Don't worry."

"Vegeta, you…you were captured, starved, and executed. I don't know how anyone could be fine after that."

He was suddenly really tired. How could he tell her that, yes he was fairly traumatized by it, but that it wasn't anything that he hadn't been through before? "Fine…I'll…just…" He sagged. "Let's just go to bed."

Vegeta had trouble falling asleep. Images of torture, of suffering, of the Xiee, kept him awake for hours. He tried not to toss and turn. He didn't want to keep Bulma awake, but she'd refused to go to sleep until he'd fallen asleep himself.

It pained her to see him so disturbed. He would drift off, and then jerk awake again looking terrified. She could feel him sweating, feel his heart pounding, his breath coming in gasps. Sometimes he'd be shivering.

She'd shush him every time, and cup his cheek in a warm hand.

He would tense in fear at the touch. Then relax when he realized it was her. Then he would tense again in embarrassment.

She'd pull herself closer, and he'd accept the invitation, tightening his arms around her and seeking comfort in her warmth. His tail wrapped around her thigh was a new sensation and at first, somewhat surprising. Then she found it a welcome one, it was warm, fuzzy, and told of his mood far more than he would have let on himself.

She'd whisper calming things in his ear. Sometimes she'd hum a bit. She'd remind him of happy times they'd spent together, try to get his mind on other things than on whatever was plaguing him.

He eventually had drifted off to sleep, on his side, both arms wrapped tightly around her, his face in her hair. She stayed awake for a while, rubbing calming circles on his back, making sure that he didn't wake up again, and just reveling in the long-missed sensation of his warm, strong embrace. Eventually, she fell asleep herself.

* * *

She awoke before him the next morning. It wasn't surprising. He'd looked exhausted. She didn't move upon waking. She was in bliss right where she was. They'd shifted a bit in their sleep. He was on his back, her head on his shoulder, his arm around her waist, his tail around her thigh.

Outside, the sun was shining, but the wind was howling. The cold weather made the warmth of her situation all the better.

She put a hand on his chest and closed her eyes. She could feel him breathing calmly, feel his heart's steady beat beneath her palm.

Oh how she'd missed this. She could stay here forever. Alas, there were things she had to do. With five saiyans in residence, it would take an army to make breakfast. She had, of course, volunteered to lend a hand. Slowly extracting herself, she rose from the bed, carefully tucking the covers back around him. She smiled slightly and ran a gentle hand over his forehead. He looked so peaceful when he slept.

She glanced out the window at the yard outside. The grass was white with a light layer of snow. Beneath the tree a familiar figure sat, his white cape whipping around in the harsh wind. He seemingly paid no heed of it.

She suddenly remembered. All of it.

Her eyes narrowed at him as devious thoughts began swirling through her head. She ran to her closet full of weapons prototypes. Grabbing a rather high-powered taser gun from the shelf, she marched to the door.

* * *

Vegeta was awoken at 7:12 to a loud shriek. "PICCOLOOOO!"

His eyes shot open and he listened to the shout as it echoed back through the mountains. Curious, he pulled himself out of bed, shivering a bit at the cold, and made his way to the window.

He pulled away the curtain and blinked at the scene before him. Then, he chuckled slightly. Bulma's yell had drawn quite a crowd, and he could see the faces of most of the residents of Mount Paz gazing out of their windows. Indeed it was quite a sight. Bulma was still in her robe. Her hair was thrown into a hasty ponytail, and she was sporting snowboots. A large weapon was thrown across her shoulder, and she was charging across the lawn toward the rather petrified Namek.

Piccolo had the presence of mind to pull himself to his feet, before a bolt of lightning flew from Bulma's gun and hit him dead in the chest. He spasmed and screamed, flailing before falling hard in the snow. He lay there for a second, before the sound of the gun recharging shocked him from his inaction.

With a rather terrified look, he shot back to his feet and backed away.

Bulma fired again, but Piccolo dodged this time. The blast took a branch off of a nearby tree. Piccolo gazed at the branch. He shouted something to Bulma, and then took off into the forest. Bulma just stared after him, blowing the smoke from her weapon and propping it over her shoulder. With a self-satisfied not, she turned back toward the house.

Vegeta chuckled again and shook his head. There was no way a Xiee could have invented that image. So with amused thoughts and a somewhat lightened spirit, he climbed back into his warm bed to dream of a blue-haired warrior woman in snowboots.

* * *

A/N: I hope you enjoyed that. Thanks to all of you for your support and ideas. It's really great to hear how many of you follow this story and enjoy it. I really appreciate the time that you all take to write me such thoughtful and nice reviews. Again, thanks a bunch.

If anyone has any ideas or things they'd like to see now that Vegeta's back with the gang, let me know, and I'll try to write it in.


	37. In Times of Peace Part 1

Chapter 37-In Times of Peace (Part 1)

Vegeta woke with a start, disoriented and with the vague sensation that he was still dreaming. He waited a moment for something strange to pop out of the wall, something to tip him off that his recent memories of Earth and his family were nothing more than a Xiee-induced hallucination. Nothing happened.

He inhaled deeply, and the scent of lavender overcame him. The smell was so familiar, so welcoming, that if filled his senses for a moment.

_This is real._ He reminded himself. _Xiee can never get the smell right. This has to be real._

Lazily, he turned his head to look at the clock. 10:37—definitely not his usual rising time. Slowly, silently, as if too much movement might cause his surroundings to flitter away, he pulled himself out of bed.

A small smile graced his features when he remembered the scene a few hours before. After seeing Bulma's stunt, he'd had relatively good dreams. They'd reminded him of warmth, acceptance, and loads of food. Rather suddenly though, the good dreams had gone sour, and odd whispers and shadows had crept into his thoughts. They had caused his heart rate to speed up, his head to twist and a light sheen of sweat to cover his skin. Until finally one of the shadows got too close. He'd woken up then.

The sound of a yell outside drew his attention, and he moved to the window to peek out. Trunks was running away from Goten, slowing every few steps to bend down to scoop up a handful of snow. Goten had snow in his hair. He too grabbed a rather large handful of snow before taking off after Trunks.

It was no great mystery what had just happened.

"Didn't I ask you boys to go get some fresh water?" Chichi's voice suddenly joined the fray. Vegeta glanced to the side to see the dark-haired woman leaning out of her kitchen window. "If you're not back in five minutes, _you'll_ cook lunch!"

The two boys actually squawked at the threat, grabbed a pair of buckets, and took off. Vegeta shook his head and smiled at the sight. It was so simple, and yet so…charming. Or something. He couldn't quite name the feeling he got watching them. It certainly said something about these people that a war was waging, and their biggest concern was getting water to cook lunch.

Letting the curtain fall back into place, he turned away from the window. A shower was in order.

His shower was quick, taking only a few minutes. He didn't particularly enjoy the hot spray, but it was certainly better than the cold jets he'd gotten before his execution.

He shuddered at the memory, and suddenly feeling cold, he turned off the water. He didn't know what he wanted to do. He didn't know if he really wanted to do anything. Going back to bed sounded nice, but he immediately recognized that as a symptom of depression, and forced the thought away. So freshly clean, he wandered out of the room into the capsule house's living room.

"Morning, sunshine." A cheerful voice called from across the room. The sound of something metal dropping carelessly onto the table rang in his ears, and he turned to see Bulma making her way over to him. "You missed breakfast." She announced, wiping her hands on her old sweatshirt.

He frowned at that, and a moment later his stomach growled loudly.

She giggled and stole a quick kiss, letting her hands linger on his chest. He tensed slightly at the contact and saw the ghost of a frown flit across her face. He could tell that his reaction had hurt her somewhat, but he could think of nothing to do to remedy that situation.

Forcing a smile back in place as if nothing had happened, Bulma dropped her hands. "Don't worry, I saved you some." She nodded her head toward the fridge in the small capsule house kitchen before guiding him over to it.

He followed her silently and leaned against the counter as she moved about, taking dishes from the fridge and putting them into the microwave. His eyes roved over the small room, and eventually settled onto the familiar machine sitting on the table.

"Is that a Meiyochi." He asked, although he already knew the answer.

"Yes." Bulma placed a newly heated plate into his hands, and turned to reheat a second one. "Shiro and I have been studying it. We're trying to make a radar that can track them since we have no idea where the one that is keeping all of your energy suppressed was hidden."

"Hm." He didn't bother to sit down, but just began inhaling his food right there. He could tell that Chichi had done most of the cooking. No one made sausages quite like Chichi did. He quickly polished off his plate and dropped it into the sink. While waiting for the second one to finish heating, he asked. "Where is your new alien boy-toy anyway?"

She gave him a mock-scolding look. "He's still sleeping off whatever Piccolo did to him." She replied pointing toward the second bedroom. "Ah, coffee's done." She quickly filled up two mugs and handed one to him.

The microwave signaled that the second plate had finished heating, and she handed it to him as well.

Deciding that juggling his coffee and food in his hands would have been too complicated, he finally settled himself at the table, frowning slightly at the idea of having breakfast at the same table on which a Meiyochi sat.

"What's this?" He asked, picking up a small device and moving it out of his way. He hadn't been terribly curious. The question had been born more out of annoyance at having to actually clean the table himself before he could sit and finish his breakfast.

"That's what we've got so far." Bulma announced. "Of the radar I mean. I've managed to isolate the compound that is used to _harness _the energy used by the Meiyochi, but it's strange…" The microwave signaled that a third plate was finished heating, and she placed it in front of him before sitting down. Vegeta glanced away from the contraption to his wife. Bulma's eyebrows were furrowed as she thought about a problem that she had apparently encountered before. She propped her chin in her hand and stared at the Meiyochi as if an answer would jump out at her. Vegeta just continued wolfing down his food.

Whatever problem Bulma was thinking about, it was apparently a tricky one, because Vegeta finished his entire breakfast long before she spoke again. He picked up his coffee mug and noticed that it was empty. With a small frown, he grabbed hers instead, and waited. He knew better than to interrupt her while she was thinking.

Her coffee was a little cooler than he liked it, and his first thought was to use his Ki to warm it more. He nearly growled when he remembered that he couldn't, and a sudden nervousness crept upon him. Bulma couldn't finish this radar fast enough.

"It's…" He turned his attention back to Bulma. "It's like the energy isn't generated by the machine…only held there." She ran a hand over the green crystal that they had scavenged from a grounded Tik vessel months before. The gem was dull now. "As much as we've tried to recreate it—to understand how it works—we couldn't do it. It never turned on."

Vegeta stood and moved closer to the crystal. That was probably the same problem that all of the Krimzon scientists had encountered, he mused staring down at the crystal. "I thought the energy source was the crystal itself." He admitted. "From the few accounts when people have actually seen the Meiyochi before they destroy it, they say that the crystal glows."

"Yes, 17 said the same thing." Bulma nodded.

With a frown, he laid a hand on the crystal. The moment he touched it, he felt a strange energy course through his body. He tensed, as it rushed through his veins—not a torrent, just a swift stream. He recognized it. He'd felt it before.

His heartbeat thud in his chest as familiar images rushed through his head—images that were still fresh in his memory, but that he wished he could forget.

He suddenly knew. He knew how it worked. What had taken the Krimzon scientists years—and Bulma months—to research, had taken him a few seconds to discover.

"Vegeta?" Bulma gazed at him worriedly, clearly noting his far off expression and tensed frame.

He snapped himself out of his thoughts and looked down at her, surprise clear on his face. Just then, a door opened, and a small gasp drew both of their attention.

Vegeta whipped his head around, quickly studying the thin, pale-green alien. He was even paler than normal, but Vegeta had no way to know that. He had only seen the man a handful of times.

"Shiro!" Bulma said in surprise, standing up and turning toward him. "Are you alright?"

Shiro's eyes were locked onto Vegeta. It was as if he was seeing a ghost—and in his own mind, he probably was.

"You!" He finally found the words. "How are you…" He shook his head, and took a step back.

Bulma quickly pushed her way in front of Vegeta.

Vegeta simply took another sip of coffee and stared at the green man.

"You're dead!" Shiro finally shouted. "Oh, by the spirits of Perspis! How have you…? You…"

"Shiro," Bulma held up her hands to quell his anxiety. "It's okay. Vegeta's not dead."

"How?" Shiro looked to Bulma now, clearly wanting to believe her. "I saw the execution!" "I saw you die! You…" And then he blinked as something came back to him…his conversation with Piccolo just after the execution.

The Nameckian's deep voice still rumbled lowly in his ears. _"You say his body disappeared?...Then there's probably nothing to worry about…Just don't worry. Things may not be what they seem."_

"You…What Piccolo said…You…you didn't die then…" Vegeta and Bulma glanced at each other, and then wordlessly decided to let the alien make his own rationalization for why Vegeta was suddenly alive before him. He was mumbling lowly to himself. Bulma leaned forward to catch what he was saying. Vegeta stood still, having no difficulty hearing everything. "When his body disappeared, it was clearly transported somewhere else. Probably to a healer given that he's all better now. But what kind of power could have…perhaps Kurenai? No, she would have said something. Unless…hmm…or perhaps, he's just that powerful. An instantaneous movement technique that can get past even Tik blockers. Is he really that powerful? What if…what if the rumors are true? Maybe he is immortal."

"Are you done talking you yourself?" A harsh voice snapped.

Shiro jumped and darted his eyes toward the Saiyan prince, a fearful look in his eyes. "Oh, sorry I…it's just that…"

Bulma quickly stepped in. "I guess it would be surprising." She said, giving Shiro a sympathetic smile. "To see someone you thought was dead suddenly alive again. But he's as alive as you and me." She winked and patted Vegeta's chest just hard enough for the sound to be audible. "See?"

Vegeta frowned, but Bulma ignored him for the moment. "Are you hungry?" Bulma asked Shiro politely.

Vegeta just rolled his eyes and turned back to the Meiyochi, running his hand over the crystal again to make sure that he actually felt what he thought he felt. _How does he do this? _He wondered. His eyes glazed over as the memory of that same power, exponentially stronger came over him.

"Vegeta?" He hardly heard Bulma, so deep was he in his thoughts. "Vegeta!"

His head snapped up.

"What is it?" She asked. Her eyes were full of worry.

To his other side, Shiro was staring at him curiously. Somehow he had procured a strange green drink, and was sipping idly on it.

"I…It's not the crystal that powers the Meiyochi." He announced, drawing his hand away.

Shiro came closer, his brows furrowed. "But…there is no other source of power. It has to be…"

"The power source is not here. Somehow…" He furrowed his brows in thought. "I don't know how, but I think this thing runs off of Hui's power."

"Hui?" Shiro squeaked out the name and backed away from the Meiyochi as if it might suddenly come alive and kill him.

"Yes." Vegeta responded. "The crystal, it has traces of his magic still on it."

"How can you…?"

"I can sense Ki." Vegeta told him. "And recently, Kurenai taught me to sense magic as well. Hui's power is overwhelming. Even someone who has no sense for energy at all would feel it." He finally glanced at Shiro. "I've felt his energy before. He was at my execution, remember?"

"Oh…right. Umm…how exactly did you escape from that anyway?"

"That's my secret." Vegeta told him turning away.

Suddenly the door to the capsule house opened saving Vegeta from having to bear Shiro's curious regard any further. A cold wind rushed into the room, before the door was hastily slammed shut.

The three adults turned to see that Gohan and Videl had entered.

"Hi, guys." The two chorused.

"Son Gohan!" Bulma's hands fisted on her hips, as she noticed the young, demi saiyan's attire. "Where is your coat?"

"Oh come on, Bulma," He said, placing his shoes neatly beside the door and moving over to the table. Videl busied herself with hanging up her coat. "It doesn't even take a minute to walk from our house to here."

"You'll catch your death." Bulma informed him. "And don't expect me to help you when you do."

He just smiled at her. "So what's going on? You all look so serious?"

As Bulma started explaining Vegeta's "theory," Vegeta rolled his eyes and decided that he could definitely find somewhere else he'd rather be. As he started to walk off, Gohan pulled something out of his back pocket. "Oh Vegeta, here."

"Hm?" He paused and looked down at it. It was a small paperback book. Vegeta just cocked an eyebrow.

"I just finished it. It's really good, so I thought you might like to give it a try. Dad and the boys are down at the lake ice-fishing. Mom kinda chased them off after one of them over-threw a snowball and cracked the window. Piccolo hasn't come back since Bulma chased him off." He shrugged and concluded. "There's not much else to do around here."

Vegeta just nodded, and mumbling a quick "thanks," walked off.

* * *

It came as no real surprise when the two other Krimzon officers, Chairo and Momo, dropped into the clearing later that day. Apparently an impromptu war council had been called. 17 and 18 had also been invited and had flown in to meet them. It didn't look as if anyone was particularly thrilled to be there, but the three Krimzon officers were chattering excitedly, occasionally throwing glances toward Vegeta.

Trunks, and Goten had been sent upstairs with strict instructions to babysit Marron and not come back down. Everyone else had crammed into the Sons' dining room, making the room seem decidedly small.

Everyone seemed to hesitate before asking any questions. Surprisingly, it was Yamcha who started. "So…we've all been cut off from everything here." He looked toward the Krimzon officers. "We have no idea what's going on." He continued. "Can we expect the Tik to let up anytime soon?"

Most gazes settled on Vegeta, but he, in turn looked at Shiro for assistance. Shiro however had his head, down hastily typing on his communicator. He was apparently ignoring everything around him. No help there. So with a sigh, Vegeta turned back to face the others. "I'm actually not sure. As of…I guess…two months ago, it was complete chaos. The Tik were gaining ground, and some of…" He paused, seeming to remember something quite dark. "some of the Krimzon's strongest allies defected to them." He looked between Piccolo and the Krimzon officers. "Have you heard otherwise?"

"We don't get much news out here." Chairo admitted. "Only Shiro's communicator works. All we know is that… after your "execution," Kurenai's been having trouble keeping states from defecting. Your "death" seemed to make Hui unstoppable. Everyone's scared."

"What about before the execution?"

"Hm?" Goku suddenly piped up. "Don't you know?"

"I don't know anything before…about a month ago."

"A month?"

"Well…" He shifted, obviously uncomfortable. It was an odd thing to see. "I was captured I guess about a month before I was executed." He said, turning his eyes toward the Krimzon. "Right?"

"Yes.

Suddenly, Shiro's communicator started beeping, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. "Sorry." He mumbled, quickly running out of the room.

Momo and Chairo glanced at each other knowingly but didn't say anything. Turning back to Vegeta, Chairo continued. "Things only got worse after you were captured. That was the real turning point, you could say."

Only moments later, Shiro came back into the room, making a beeline for Vegeta. "You've got a vid call."

"Me?"

"Yes."

Who on earth knew that he was even alive? "From who?"

"Midori."

Vegeta glared darkly at the Krimzon soldier, knowing instantly that it was him who had reported his reappearance on Earth. He turned his glare on the other two, but unlike the frail, green man, the two women met his gaze evenly. "Fine." He snatched the communicator and stomped out of the room, leaving a room full of curious people behind him.

Dropping onto the Son family's couch, he held up the screen. "Yes?"

The shocked face of Midori greeted him. He scowled at her. He would have preferred not to see her and Kurenai for a long time...or ever really.

"Oh Kami." Midori whispered. Suddenly she gasped, and turned away in an odd mix of laughter and sobbing. Visibly working to control herself, she turned back to him. "Is it really you?"

"Unfortunately." He mumbled. "Did you want something or are you just calling to spoil my vacation?"

Sniffling, she wiped her eyes. A watery grin lit her face. She made no effort to answer his question. "Hold on." And then he could see the walls of Kurenai's palace flying by the screen. The sounds of her boots pounding the ground and the occasional shout of surprise were all he could hear. Everything was bobbing and blurred as Midori apparently sprinted toward her destination.

Vegeta furrowed his eyebrows. He hated when people had such weird, confusing reactions.

Finally, he heard the sound of Kurenai's great doors slamming open. It was a sound he had become accustomed to, as he occasionally liked to make dramatic entrances. Midori was practically hyperventilating as she related the strangely woven tale that Shiro had apparently fed her.

A moment later, Midori thrust the communicator into Kurenai's hands.

The old woman, whose face he hadn't seen in ages, stared slack-jawed at him.

Vegeta stared back before eventually getting annoyed. "Was there a reason that you called or did you just want to stare at me looking like a pair of fish?"

"Vegeta?" Kurenai finally found her voice. Though he was secretly reveling in having rendered her speechless, he was finding it somewhat disconcerting.

"Yes." He said, as if having to explain something to a particularly slow child.

"How…how did…how is this possible?" She asked. "I…we all saw you die."

Vegeta dropped his gaze and looked away. "I can't tell you that. Just trust that it's nothing that concerns you or your war."

"But…you're really alive?"

He spread his arms. "As you see."

"Hmm…I need you to answer a question then, to prove your identity."

"If I answer incorrectly, will you leave me alone?" He hazarded.

"It's definitely him." He heard Midori say with some humor somewhere off screen.

Kurenai just rolled her eyes. "When was the only time that you got me so mad that I left the room?"

It was his turn to roll his eyes. "That only happened once? You mean when Midori got dumped and we both got drunk. And then you randomly called us you your office, and got mad because we took the train and people saw us?"

"Ok, one more. I had you borrow something from Kuro once." She looked as though she was going to enjoy hearing his answer. "What was your disguise?"

"You know what it was." He snapped, eyes narrowing.

"Need I remind you that I have ships hovering over Earth's atmosphere right now protecting it from further invasion?" Kurenai asked. "I can always recall them."

He scowled and then glanced over his shoulder before mumbling. "I was a buxom wench." He could hear Midori crack up laughing and glared.

Kurenai grinned, wiping a little wetness form her eyes. She took a deep breath. "Well then, now that I know you're really you…" Her eyes got that determined expression that Vegeta had grown to dread. "I need you to prove it to the rest of the universe."

"Ugh!" Vegeta dropped his head in frustration. "How?" How nearly whined. "I can't get off the planet. Your ships aren't authorized to land, remember?"

"Yes, yes, I know all that." She waved the idea away. "You will conduct a battle for me."

"What? Did you not hear what I just said? I'm stuck on Earth!"

"Shut up, you dolt! You'll give orders from where you are, just like you've done dozens of times before. Only this time, we'll be controlling the media. Before the week is over, the entire universe will know that you are alive and still capable of destroying the Tik."

Vegeta half expected her to start wringing her hands like those villains in the Earth movies.

"And you've got one of those battles just sitting there waiting on me?" He drawled.

"No, no, but don't worry. I'll find one. While we're waiting though, let's just make sure that the situation is clear. You're still needed here, but there are a few things that I need to prepare for your arrival. So, it's no rush. As long as you are available to conduct battles via vid chat, there is no reason for you not to get…ohh two months off."

"That's surprisingly reasonable of you."

"Don't say that I never did anything nice for you." She said. "Now, I'm very busy, so I have to go." Her smile was so big that it was making every wrinkle stand out on her face. "Oh yes. And…get that block off of the Earth's communication system." The screen went black.

Vegeta sighed and stood, heading back to the Son kitchen to listen to hours of political and strategic babble. He should have just stayed in Otherworld.

* * *

It was dusk by the time the Chairo and Momo rose into the sky on their hoverboards. The Z gang couldn't be happier to see them go. They were all antsy from sitting in one place for so long, but they were for the most part glad that they at least had a better idea of what was happening in the rest of the universe.

The large group of friends began breaking off into groups. The kids were finally allowed to come downstairs, and they had all immediately grabbed their fathers and a very unwilling Android 17, and dragged them into the backyard. Apparently during their confinement, they had decided that it would be the funnest thing in the world to make a fire in the yard and roast marshmallows for dessert. Chichi and Bulma had feared for the safety of the inhabitants of mountain if the boys started playing with fire, and so they consented as long as their fathers accompanied them.

Piccolo decided that he had gotten enough evil stares from Bulma that day, and he gratefully retreated back to the Lookout. Gohan and Videl disappeared upstairs. Most of the rest moved into the kitchen to begin preparing dinner.

It was when Goku and Krillin were on their own in the woods, looking for fallen branches that were not too covered in snow that Goku finally brought up the topic that had been on his mind for the past few hours. "So…how exactly did Vegeta die?" He asked. Krillin glanced over his shoulder at his oldest friend. Goku looked down at him seriously. "You know don't you?"

Krillin nodded, and picked up a large branch. "He will tell you when he wants." He responded, turning to head back to the house. A moment later, he corrected himself. "If he wants." "Oh come on. We both know Vegeta. He'll never tell me." Goku whined, following after him while hefting his own large branch over his shoulder.

"And you'll just have to live with that." Krillin said.

"Hmm…" Goku looked down at his smaller friend. "You two were in other world together." He concluded.

Krillin simply nodded.

Goku actually grinned. "I can tell. You two are way less tense around each other than you used to be. That's great!" He said honestly, apparently getting over his earlier disappointment. "It's good that you two have gotten over your differences."

"Yeah." Krillin agreed. "He's not so bad once you get to know him."

"Haven't I been telling you that all along?" Goku asked cheekily.

Krillin pouted. "I have to learn some things for myself." He mumbled.

"Speaking of learning things, did you pick up any new techniques in Otherworld?"

Krillin grinned, and the conversation quickly took a different course.

* * *

Bulma stared out the window as she washed dishes. Dinner had gone quickly. Everyone had been hungry and the food disappeared in a matter of minutes. The kids had been jittery and excited, glancing outside every few minutes to where logs were piled high awaiting their return.

The minute dinner finished, they had darted outside again, trying every method they knew to get the fire going. It had been a comical sight, especially when Vegeta had come back inside and snatched the cigarette lighter from Bulma's pocket. She and Chichi had given him quite a ribbing about his and the boys' supposed experience in the wild while Tien and Chaotzu had laughed along.

He had merely given them a mock-glare and a comically snide quip and disappeared back outside.

Outside she could see the men and the kids gathered around a now-blazing fire. They all looked so cheerful. Krillin was apparently telling a story that had everyone engrossed. She could see Trunks and Goten occasionally get up to try to enact some technique that he was describing, only to fail when it came to a point where Ki was necessary.

Goku, Yamcha, and Marron laughed at their antics, while 17 and Vegeta cracked reluctant smiles.

Her eyes locked onto her husband. Vegeta had never liked the cold, but he was putting up with it rather well. His mood had degenerated as the evening wore on. She could tell that whatever he had talked about with Kurenai had bothered him a bit, and having to talk about the war for hours on end had only put a damper on his mood.

She wanted to heal him. Had he come to her bearing burns or gashes, any physical signs of his torture, it would have been easier. However, his trauma was a purely emotional one, and that was one thing that he still had trouble dealing with—even after all these years. She had tried to talk to him. Tried to get him to open up, just as she had done all those years ago.

He had simply said that there was nothing to talk about. He was fine. That was clearly not the case. She could see the shadow of terror and pain in his eyes. She noticed the way he stiffened when she touched him, shied away from proximity with others, and jumped at the slightest noises. She didn't know what to do. There was no telling how long he would stay on Earth, and once he was in space again, it was out of her hands. She needed to help him, and unfortunately, there was only a limited time to do it.

So she did the only thing she could think of. She would go to Goku.

She set the last dish onto the drier rack and dried her hands. "Alright, we're done. I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to go see if they left us any marshmallows."

"With that bunch, I wouldn't hold your breath, Bulma."

She just laughed and pulled on her coat and gloves. Her boots crunched in the snow as she made her way toward the bright fire. The air was bitterly cold, and she could see her breath despite how dark it was.

Quietly, she sat on the log beside Vegeta, smiling at the warmth of the fire and the general feeling that came with such times. It was so peaceful, so cozy. So good to have everyone safe and together.

Vegeta glanced at her as she stuck her hands out toward the fire. After glancing around quickly to see if anyone would notice, he reached inside his coat pocket and inconspicuously pulled out a nearly empty bag of marshmallows. There were two left, but she knew that he had saved them for her.

She grinned at him, wishing that he would accept a kiss in response. He merely shrugged and turned back toward the fire.

_Yes,_ She mused, putting her marshmallows on a stick and sticking them near the fire. _It's times like this that make it all worthwhile._

* * *

"It's good to have everyone together isn't it?" Goku asked wrapping an arm around Chichi's shoulders. The two were sitting on the back porch, both nursing mugs of hot cocoa. The embers from the fire were still cheerfully glowing red, but the pit was left abandoned. Lights were glowing in the windows of the capsule houses across the lawn. Smoke danced from the chimney of the house Bulma and Vegeta were staying in.

Above them, Goku and Chichi could hear Goten and Trunks talking excitedly about the video games that Trunks had brought from space. The faint sound of music could also be heard coming from Gohan's bedroom window. Chichi was keeping a sharp ear on that particular room, but at the moment Gohan and Videl were only innocently chatting. From the few words that she had picked up, it seemed that after a short argument over who had the most artistic talent, the two had challenged each other to a draw off. Whoever could produce the most realistic portrait of the other was the winner. Chichi hadn't heard what the prize was, but clearly Goku had, for he had been chuckling about it for the past few minutes.

Chichi wrapped her blanket more tightly around her shoulders. "It is." She agreed. "Although it would also be nice to have the house to ourselves."

He chuckled and the two lapsed into a peaceful silence, happy to just have the other next to them.

After a few moments, Goku finally broke the silence. "Chichi…" He hesitated. "I'm…I'm going into space. Vegeta's leaving in two months, and I plan to go with him."

He could see on her face that her heart sank at the statement.

She'd known this was coming, and she had done everything to avoid it.

"I…I just thought you should know. I've recently realized that…it's not fair to not at least tell you before I leave."

She huffed at his belated revelation, but then turned her attention back to the matter at hand. "But Goku, can't—"

He cut her off. "Sorry Chichi, but we're just not getting anywhere just fighting them on Earth. And…people are being killed all over the universe. If I'm able to stop it…I should, don't you think?"

"Goku there's an entire army, and—"

"And they haven't been able to beat him yet." He could feel her tense, and he began rubbing his hand idly up and down her arm. "Do you really think…"

"Yes." She snapped. "Let them handle it for once. It's not your responsibility to solve all of the universe's problems. They've got the army, and that sorceress lady, and Vegeta, and Dende-knows-who-else. I'm sure that they can handle it."

"Chichi." He said her name in a tone that let her know that she was being silly.

She wouldn't give up though. She had one last defense. One last trump card. "But if even Vegeta was killed…"

"Come on Chichi. Just because Vegeta was killed doesn't mean I will be. I've always been stronger than Vegeta." At least he thought so. He was definitely challenging Vegeta to a nice brawl once the Meiyochi had been found. He had two senzu beans saved for the occasion. The thought brought a grin to his face, and he realized that he couldn't wait until the Meiyochi was gone. It had been so long since he'd had a good spar with Vegeta. The others were strong sure, but there was just something about Vegeta. The power that nearly matched his, the ruthless cunning. It thrilled him. Maybe tomorrow…

Then again, Vegeta had looked tired. He had dark rings under his eyes and he was pale. He had forgone searching for wood for the fire in favor stacking the logs neatly—and sitting down when there was nothing more for him to do. His arms were so thin. It hadn't been only Goku who had noticed. He'd seen Bulma and all of the boys and even Chichi, adding more food to his plate during dinner—until he'd snapped at them all to stop, anyway.

Now that Goku knew a bit more about what had happened to Vegeta before, it wasn't hard for him to imagine what had happened. He would eventually find out the whole story. He wasn't sure how though.

Chichi's voice drew him out of his thoughts.

"But…" Had Chichi seen more of the universe—had she become more accustomed to the way things actually worked—she would have easily found an argument. There was a flaw in his logic that was evident to anyone who wasn't from Earth—and now even to a growing number of Earthlings.

However, Chichi was not one of that number. In her experience, victory always went to the strongest fighter—not the most seasoned or cunning. And the strongest fighter had always been her husband. By that logic, there was no way he could lose. He was strong, he was noble, and he was possibly the luckiest man alive.

Even with the Meiyochi in place, it was hard for her to imagine him defenseless. Even when he'd come back covered in mud and blood—apparently his own, although she had never discovered how bad his injury had been—she hadn't really taken seriously the notion that maybe, just maybe her husband was not capable of defeating this emperor—whatever his name was. Even if she worried and fretted each time he or one of her sons left, she always had confidence that, should any trouble come their way, they would be able to take care of it.

Nonetheless, she felt her eyes fill with tears at the thought of him leaving, tearing off across the universe again in search of a good adventure. There must be something—some way to keep him on Earth.

"But what about the Meiyochi?" She asked.

He just shrugged. "I'll find some way around it."

"Goku…"

He frowned. "Chichi, don't worry. I'll be okay."

She sighed and glanced up at his face. His expression was determined, unyielding, and excited. All of her arguments suddenly abandoned her. She knew she had lost.

* * *

A/N: Alright, so another chapter. Something nice and light after all of that dark, dramatic stuff. As you've all probably gathered, this is only part one of the little arc that will cover Vegeta's time on Earth. The others will be a bit more eventful, but I had to get things started here. I've got a little Goku/Chichi in there by request. It was high time they had a talk. For all of you who made suggestions, thank you all very much, I will try to put as many of them in as possible, especially the Goku/Vegeta fight. I also have to cover the second part of the Trunks/Vegeta talk.

Thank you all so much for all of the time you take to leave me such nice, enthusiastic, and detailed reviews. I'm so glad to hear how much you're enjoying this. All of your advice and support have made this story much better than it would have been otherwise. Thank you! You're awesome!


	38. In Times of Peace Part 2

Chapter 38- In Times of Peace (Part 2)

"This is magnificent." Kurenai said running her hand gently over the armor. "It looks so real."

"For all extents and purposes, ma'am," The short, birdlike scientist said, pushing his glasses up higher on his nose. "It is."

"Oh?"

He cleared his throat. "It is made of the same material, a high density poly—" He noticed Kurenai's raised eyebrow and cut himself off. "Yes, well. It is also the very same design that a third-class would have worn. It even has all of the technical flaws and weaknesses that such an old armor would have had. There is no way that anyone would be able to tell the difference."

Kurenai nodded, ignoring the curious look that the scientist was sending her way. She knew that he wanted to know why he had created such an armor. Surely it wouldn't be for show, and the clever empress rarely acted on fickle whims.

Behind her, Midori stood, eyes glued to the armor as if it ported a bad omen. Not even Midori knew of Kurenai's plans, and that was just how she needed it to be. Kurenai was alone in her secret.

"Will that be all, then, ma'am?"

"No." She said idly, lifting the rather heavy material and running her fingers lightly over the interior padding. "I need you to age this. It needs to look forty years old." She placed the armor back onto the table and turned away. Lacing her fingers behind her back, Kurenai walked calmly out of the room. A little smile worked its way onto her face.

Midori glanced back at the armor, and then at the scientist. She said nothing, and gave no indication that she was just as curious and confused as he was. Silently, she followed after her empress.

The confused scientist stood blinking in surprise as the doors slid closed behind her.

* * *

A peaceful life was something he'd never particularly wanted. During his hellish years under Frieza, finding a life without fighting and war had never been one of his priorities. In fact, such a life had seemed impossible. However, it had found him anyway. At the moment, sitting nice and warm in front of a crackling fire, he felt that he wouldn't really mind if no other maniacs came to Earth threatening its stability or very existence. He could do without them.

It was times like this that made him think of just how much he had taken the Earth for granted. Well, sure, he still considered destroying it every once in a while—particularly when presented with some baffling custom that he was expected to participate in (whose idea was mistletoe anyway?).

But even he had to admit that it was a nice place to live. His stomach was full, he had shelter and decent company. He'd managed a decent night's sleep—if you didn't count a few nightmares—and there was nothing to be concerned with at the moment. No warlords standing over his shoulder criticizing his every move. No concern that someone would kill him in his sleep. Not even an intergalactic Empress hounding him.

And boy, was he enjoying the calm.

Thinking back on his youth, he wasn't sure how he'd survived with his sanity in tact. He'd lived in a constant state of fear, rage, and misery. Going days—even weeks—without food, having no set residence, bouncing from planet to planet…it seemed like hell. Sleeping on frozen ground one week, in a space pod the next, and then landing in some barren wasteland—well it was something he wouldn't want to do over.

The fire cracked rather loudly. He blinked. Slowly, the text before him came back into focus.

The book Gohan had lent him was rather good, he'd admit, even if some parts sparked some of his less pleasant memories. At least they were keeping the thoughts of his recent imprisonment and execution at bay.

"Vegeta!"

Had he just been musing about how his life was rather nice? It seemed like he'd forgotten a factor or two.

With a loud sigh that was clearly meant to be overheard, he looked up from his book. He took a moment to take in the appearance of his fellow full-blood. The man was standing clad in puffy pants and a coat. His spiky hair was crammed into a ski cap, and stuck out wildly from beneath it. He was clearly planning to spend some time outside.

"What?" Vegeta asked, not without a hint of impatience.

"Come fishing with me." Goku said, in a half-offer, half-order.

"No." Vegeta looked back down, stubbornly glaring at the well-worn pages.

"Oh come on!" Goku whined. He came forward and plopped onto the rug beside Vegeta. "It'll be fun. And besides, with you here too, we need to catch more fish to feed everyone."

Vegeta sighed. He supposed that was understandable. "Couldn't we hunt instead?"

"Goten's friends with most of the animals around here." Goku explained, picking at a spot on the rug. "And in any case, we could build a fire and sit by it if we fish."

Vegeta rolled his eyes. Yes, the idea of being out in the cold was not at all enticing, but at least there would be a fire. And he couldn't argue about the food supply. Bulma had mentioned something about that earlier. "Fine."

"Yay!"

"Is it just us?" Vegeta asked, finally putting the book aside and standing up.

"Yep! The boys are studying."

"Studying?" He wrinkled his nose.

Goku just nodded.

Vegeta rolled his eyes and headed off to find his coat.

A few minutes later found them standing on the bank of a frozen pond. "I thought you swam around and grabbed the fish with your hands." Vegeta said, glaring at the contraption Goku had just handed him.

"Yeah usually I do. But now the water's really cold, and we can't use our Ki to warm ourselves. We have to use poles." Goku put the bucket between them. "Here. Have a worm."

Vegeta looked inside at the slimy, wriggling creatures and grimaced.

Goku chuckled and plucked one of the worms out of the bucket. "Oh yeah. I forgot that bugs and worms and stuff creep you out."

"They do not!" Vegeta argued, but without much force.

Goku just raised his eyebrows innocently and put the worm on Vegeta's hook. "There."

Vegeta glared at it, but then just turned toward the hole that someone had apparently shot through the ice. Judging from the size of the hole, it had been done by Goku's blaster cannon. Vegeta lowered the hook into it and then dropped down moodily to sit on the snowy bank. Goku followed suite and a silence fell between the two.

Vegeta could see Goku glancing at him out of the corner of his eye. It was getting annoying. He was fully aware what the other man wanted, but it was still not something he felt like talking about at the moment.

Finally, Goku had enough of waiting. "Sooo…"

Vegeta interrupted him. "Kakarott, if you brought me out here to try to wheedle information out of me, you're wasting your time."

Goku pouted and turned back toward the water. "You don't even know what I was going to say."

"Yes I do." Vegeta's eyes narrowed. "So drop it."

Goku glanced back at Vegeta. His eyes were still determined, but he decided to wait for now. There would be plenty of time to talk.

* * *

Vegeta was destined to not have a moment's peace that day. Once he'd gotten back from his little fishing trip, he'd decided to take a nice shower to get the fish smell off. After shutting of the hot spray, he innocently walked back into the bedroom he and Bulma were sharing.

And who did he find sitting upon the bed? Trunks, of course.

The boy's hands were laced nervously around his knees, and his eyes stared guiltily up at his father. In a flash though, his body straightened, and he erased all signs of nervousness from his face.

Vegeta just stood in the doorway, clad in only a towel, staring back. For several seconds, he couldn't comprehend why he was seeing what he was seeing. After reaching six or seven years old, Trunks rarely ever set foot in his parents' bedroom. Vegeta was certain that Trunks had never even seen his bedroom on Iro. After a moment though, his confusion melted away, and he realized what his son wanted.

The familiar dread settled into his stomach, but he determinedly pushed it away. This was something that needed to be done. It was much better to do it while Bulma was around to smooth things over after anyway.

He sighed. "Let me get dressed, first."

Trunks didn't reply. He just sat, waiting patiently. Vegeta had to hand it to him at least. He knew how to plan these things during times when Vegeta couldn't possibly escape without losing face.

It was only a few moments before Vegeta returned, dressed in jeans and a hoodie. "Ok, so where did we stop?" Vegeta asked, his voice even.

To his credit, Trunks was doing a very good job of covering his own nervousness. Vegeta could of course feel the disturbance in Trunks's energy, but, Trunks's face and body were otherwise, fairly calm.

"I don't remember." Trunks admitted. "I was mad." Suddenly he flushed, and looked away. "I think…I think you said that you enjoyed killing people."

"Oh right." Vegeta leaned back against the wall. _Of course it would be that._ He simply said. "There is only so long that you can purge planets without either going insane or learning to enjoy it a bit. In my case, both happened."

Trunks looked back up at him, and Vegeta could see his anxiety increasing again. "You…umm…insane?"

"Uh huh." Vegeta nodded, staring somewhere far off. "I suppose I've tried to avoid this conversation long enough. It would probably be easier for both of us if I just…well…" He sighed again and ran a hand through his damp hair. "Ok, where to start. I guess…my life back then was much different than it is now. Much different than yours too. Nothing was ever black and white for me. It was never easy. It was hard, and it was cold. I had no mother, no father. No friends. I had only two comrades in the entire universe—a universe that hated saiyans."

Trunks swallowed and then hesitantly asked. "How…what was it like?"

Vegeta took his gaze away from the random spot on the wall to look back at his son. He longed for a cup of coffee—hot, black, and strong. Just how he liked it. Or better yet, a bottle of whiskey. Yes that would do nicely. "Frieza was a monster." He stated flatly. "I'm not sure if you knew. He was sadistic and exacting. Everything had to go his way. A small mishap could get you killed. Most of his soldiers—and I guess most people in the universe—lived in a constant state of terror. I was a particular…favorite of his. He rarely let me far from him, because he knew that I wasn't loyal. He didn't kill me though…because I was useful…and because he enjoyed throwing my weakness in my face."

He realized that he had yet again begun staring at that spot on the wall, and he looked back to Trunks. "Even at your age, you are stronger than he was." Vegeta had the sudden urge to place his hand on his son's head, but he quickly fought it back. There was no need to frighten the boy.

"But at the time, he was the most powerful creature the universe had ever seen. His business, as you have probably already learned, was to erase the inhabitants of selected planets and then sell those planets to other races. It was a very lucrative trade, and he was serious about his business. When he sent you to clear a planet, you were expected to do it quickly and efficiently. We were not allowed to leave survivors, as they might have tried to take the planet back or cause trouble for new inhabitants. If someone escaped, Frieza would send out a special team to hunt the person down, and then bring them back for you to finish the job. That always ended up being much worse for both you and that person than if you'd just killed them in the first place, and so you quickly learned to be thorough.

"When I first started, I had a habit of leaving survivors. But after a while, I learned not to. Frieza was always harsher with me than with his other soldiers. He had a grudge against my father, I think, and against Saiyans in general—and he wanted to make sure that I knew that he controlled me. His punishments for any indiscretion—though not as severe as the lower ranking soldiers who he just killed—were always painful and humiliating. And he enjoyed finding reasons to 'discipline' me. I quickly grew to hate him, and then to hate all of the other soldiers in his army. Most of them hated Saiyans anyway, and even if I had had a charming personality, they were too fearful of Frieza to be anything other than vile toward me and the other saiyans."

He blinked and then thought for a moment to try to recall what the point of revealing that had been. He eventually remembered. "So yes, my mental state was less than stable for a large portion of my life. Your mother can vouch for that. But as she can also tell you, I'm better than I used to be, so there's not much for you to worry about now."

Trunks' next question surprised Vegeta. Both the question itself, and the suddenness of it.

"What…what were you like?"  
"Like?" Vegeta thought for a second. "Mean. Hateful. Spiteful. I had no social skills—" He paused and thought for a second before concluding with some humor. "Still don't. I could not interact with anyone because I was used to constantly being insulted. I thought that every look, every word was an insult or a challenge. I had never experienced what you call, kindness or compassion. I knew nothing of love or civility or friendship. I had only trusted two people during the majority of my life, and I'd killed one of them myself for reasons that I can't even remember. Because of my…experiences…it took years for me to understand that I didn't have to be on my guard all the time." He paused wondering if there was anything to add. "In sum, I was a terrible person, especially if judged by Earthling standards. It was a surprise to everyone that your mother could put up with me."

Vegeta found that he was picking at the sleeve of his jacket nervously. He forced himself to stop and then looked back to Trunks. The boy was sitting, contemplative, but not nearly as angry as he'd been before. "Anything else you want to know?"

Trunks sat still, thinking. Finally he spoke. "You said before that you didn't regret it. Mom says that it's because you wouldn't have us."

Vegeta felt his cheeks heat up a bit and he shifted his weight to his other foot. Meddling woman. He glared in the general direction that he sensed her Ki, before turning back to Trunks.

He was surprised to find that Trunks was watching him with a small smile.

Vegeta took a deep breath and thought of how to phrase what he was about to say. "While I don't appreciate her putting words in my mouth, that's true. If I had not done what I did, I would have never survived. I would have died…" He looked away before choking out the next two words. "a slave." He quickly shoved away all the implications and feelings that that last word left behind before continuing. "I would have never known that there were good people somewhere in the universe. I would have never understood that there were things in life that could be cherished." His eyes drifted subconsciously back to his son. "I would have never had the chance to act upon my own free will and to make my own choices, and I would have died alone, and miserable, and shipped straight off to hell for crimes that I did not choose to commit.

"I have found things on this little planet that I never thought existed. While I don't fully comprehend the humans' obsession with kindness and friendship, I understand it enough to know that it is better than hate and cruelty. And even as a child…" He paused and then corrected. "Especially as a child, I wanted a family. Someone that I was sure I could trust and who would treat me with decency." An image of his father flashed before his eyes, and he smiled a bit. "Admittedly, when I thought that, I just wanted my parents back. I never expected to live long enough to create a family myself. But I did, and because of that, I find that I cannot regret what I did to survive."

When he glanced back to Trunks, he found that the boy was grinning. Not a small smile. Not even one of his grandma-just-brought-me-loads-of cakes smiles. This was one of his mother's smiles—the one that let him know that something he'd one had warmed her heart and made her go all gooey inside.

Vegeta's face heated up and he looked away. "Get that silly grin off your face."

Trunks pinched his lips together, doing his best to do as told, but it was impossible.

Vegeta just sighed, and then sniffed the air. "Lunch is almost done. Let's end all this nonsense and go eat." He took a step before pausing. "Oh, and—"

"My lips are sealed." Trunks said quickly.

"Good."

"But, dad…" And there it was, out of nowhere. A small tremble in Trunks's voice.

Vegeta paused again and looked back at his son, slightly surprised at his sudden change in demeanor. He was no longer smiling. No longer curious. Now, his eyes were pleading. Vegeta felt something in his gut wrench at the sight. Trunks looked at the ground and shifted slightly. "Could you…could you not go into space again?"

Vegeta just blinked and then cocked his head to the side. "Unfortunately I don't have much choice. It's either go and take responsibility for what I've done, or stay here and be hounded for the rest of my life by the Galaxy Police."

Trunks just nodded. "It would be nice though, y'know if me, you and mom could…"

Vegeta just nodded. He'd often thought along those same lines. "Well on that account you may be in luck. I'm sure once Kurenai gets wind of just what your mother can do, she'll ask her to come to Iro as well."

"Mom's going to Iro?" Trunks' face lit up, as if one of his dreams was coming true before his very eyes.

"I never said that. I said that Kurenai would likely ask her to. Your mother knows nothing about this. Although…It probably won't be hard to convince her to come along. Don't you think?"

Trunks grinned again. "Should I start dropping hints?"

Vegeta just shrugged. "Do what you want."

Trunks grinned excitedly again, and finally followed Vegeta out of the room toward where they could smell lunch.

* * *

"Hey, Vegeta."

The saiyan prince looked up from the book he'd been reading. There was just no peace. How many times could one be interrupted in a single day?

Knowing that Goku would not be going away any time soon, Vegeta marked his page and closed the book.

"Care for a spar?"

"Not really." He answered easily. The sound of the wind outside made him shiver despite his proximity to the fireplace. Through the window, he could see the sun dropping down in the sky. The trees were projecting long shadows across the white snow. Vegeta had no desire to be cold, and even less desire to be hit.

"Huh?" Goku was clearly dumbfounded. Vegeta had never turned down a spar before. "But…"

"Maybe some other time." He opened the book again.

"Oh come on!" Goku whined plopping down on the floor next to him. "What are you—" He noticed the book. "You're _reading_? Again? You'd rather read a _book_ than spar with me." He spat out the word 'book' like it was dirty.

"At the moment, yes." He replied.

"You are clearly not the Vegeta I once knew."

"I'm not sure that you ever really knew me." He mumbled.

"We shared a body for a while." Goku reminded him. "I know more about you than you think."

Vegeta grit his teeth and stubbornly turned the page. "Isn't there someone else you could bother? If you're looking for a spar, I'm sure that someone around would be willing to oblige you."

"It's gotta be you." He said, and his tone of voice let Vegeta know that there was more behind this than just him wanting a spar.

Slowly, he marked his page, placed the book beside him and then fixed Goku with an annoyed expression. "Why?"

Goku glanced away, suddenly finding it hard to meet his eyes. "Well…you see…I was talking to Bulma earlier."

"Just get to the point, Kakarott, I'm not in the mood to hear your life story."

"Well, ok. She kinda asked me…" He cleared his throat nervously. "To talk to you. And we figured that…if we sparred a bit, you might be more willing to talk."

He needn't ask what Goku wanted to talk about. He already knew, and the mere hint of it was enough to dredge the horrific memories back into the forefront of Vegeta's mind. He felt anger welling inside of him that his peaceful moment had been interrupted so quickly. However, his only response was to pick his book back up and begin reading again, comfortable in his belief that Kakarott was a complete idiot—both for thinking that his plan would work, and then for revealing it so easily.

"Vegeta?"

"You're an imbecile." His eyes were glued to the words, but he was hardly seeing them anymore.

"Aww, now don't be touchy. You can't keep things like that all bottled up inside. It's not healthy. Bulma thinks…"

"Let me amend that. You're both idiots, you and Bulma."

"Hey now!" Goku snapped. "You know you don't believe that." He tapped his two fingers together. "And anyway, I kinda want to see how much better you've gotten since I'm coming into space with you when you leave. I mean, if Hui's really that strong, I'll need to—"

Oh this was perfect. "Kakarott," Vegeta finally threw the book aside. "This war is not a game. Nor is it a joke. You can't run into it all half-cocked expecting to rely on brute strength and luck to win."

"Yeah, I know—"

"No, clearly you don't." Where the hell was Bulma? Didn't she and Shiro do research in this very same room? Why was she never around when he needed her? It would have certainly been nice if she were here to throw this fool out before Vegeta exploded on him.

"Oh come on—"

Vegeta finally had enough. Images of his torture and execution were swirling through his head in clips and flashes. He could hear his heart pounding, and feel himself start to sweat. In his anger, he snapped his eyes to Goku, forcing the images into the other man's mind.

Goku gasped at the sudden onslaught.

He felt all of the pain, all of the fear, and a hunger unlike anything he had never experienced. Emotions that he never knew existed flooded his being—a desperate hopelessness, betrayal, and a longing for death. He was gasping for breath at the pain. So strong were the images, he momentarily forgot where he was—forgot that it was not actually him who had experienced these things. He could feel it. Every crack of the whip, the gut-wrenching terror as he stared down at a pool full of leaches and bugs. The burn of his lungs and the sting of the bites, as he was dunked into a tub and the bugs attacked him. He felt the confusion, the exhaustion, the lapse with reality, as creatures—both real and hallucinatory—attacked him, causing him pain. Over and over. He knew that he could never say the phrase "I'm starving" again without feeling guilty.

He smelled the salty, musky air as he was dragged onto a platform. He heard the excited screams of the crowd. He felt the soul-crushing devastation as the realization that he had been abandoned to his fate finally hit him. He felt the fury, the desperate need to fight to the end, mix with his utter exhaustion. He saw himself killing Tik guards, and then grabbing the spear. The spear was snatched away, and he was finally wrestled onto a table.

He felt the sting of the steel on his wrists and bare ankles as the guards put on the straps—a little too tightly. And then he saw the glint of steel above him. Something sharp, beautiful and deadly in the bright sunlight. It came down.

And suddenly, he was back inside of the capsule house, gasping for air. His eyes were opened wide, staring fixedly at the wall opposite him. The smell of salt hit him again, and he realized that tears had leaked from his eyes.

His gaze turned slowly to the man sitting opposite him. Vegeta's face was blank. No gloating look, no pity. Just a sort of careful considering look.

Goku opened his mouth, but he couldn't find anything to say. What could he possibly say to that? "I'm sorry that you were tortured and then executed?" Maybe "I'm sorry that I didn't think to check up on you." His words failing him though, he just sat.

Goku's chest was still heaving, when Vegeta finally spoke. "Well? Was that what you came here for?"

Goku again just stared.

Vegeta frowned at him. _I finally broke him._ The humor-laced thought flashed unbidden through his mind. Shaking his head, he reached back for his book, ignoring the stunned Saiyan sitting beside him.

Neither of them said another word. After a few minutes, Goku finally got to his feet. He stood still for a moment, staring down at his friend. Vegeta did his best to ignore him. Finally, Goku placed a shaky hand on Vegeta's shoulder. The touch only lingered for a moment, but it surprised him nonetheless.

Before he could say anything though, Goku left.

Bulma finally arrived a few minutes later, locking the door behind her. He could tell instantly that she had spoken to Goku. Quietly, she sat down beside him, close enough for him to feel her warmth. She was nervous and hesitant. But he knew this woman too well to think that that would stop her.

Laying a gentle hand on his arm, she spoke softly. "Vegeta?"

"Hm?" He grunted, as if oblivious to the fact that there might be anything serious to discuss.

"Do you feel a little better?"

He paused, finally evaluating that strange jumble of confused sensations that other people liked to call his emotions. "I do actually." He said with some surprise. Sure he wouldn't sleep easy for quite a while, but at the moment, that strange foreboding feeling was nowhere to be found.

"I'm glad," She said. "Because Goku is in a terrible state. I've never seen him so shocked." Vegeta didn't respond to that. "Did you…did you talk about everything?"

"We didn't talk." Vegeta said, absently fluttering the pages of the book. Before she could question that statement, he quickly clarified. "I showed him."

"Oh." He could feel her surprise. "Showed—"

"Telepathy."

"Oh." She leaned her head on his shoulder, and he gave up all pretenses of reading. He just stared at the fire, reveling in the warmth and softness of the small body next to him. The two sat silently for a few minutes before Bulma spoke again. "Trunks seemed a little more cheerful at dinner."

Vegeta just grunted.

"Did you two talk?"

"Yeah."

He could nearly feel her smile. Slowly she shifted and pressed her lips softly against his cheek. "I can tell that it really reassured him…You can be so sweet sometimes." She began trailing light kisses down his neck.

He snorted at her statement, but then shivered a moment later at the feelings she was giving him.

She giggled and nipped lightly at his ear. Then, in a voice that was nearly a whisper, she said. "Trunks is spending the night in the Sons' house, and Shiro left earlier to accompany the other officers on some kind of conference with King Furry."

"And why should I care about that?" He asked coyly.

She pressed her chest against his and grinned. "You know why."

A catty smirk worked its way onto Vegeta's face, as Bulma continued nipping at his neck. In one quick move, he pulled her into his lap. She laughed out loud and pressed herself flush against him, capturing his mouth in a kiss.

He grinned, running his hands down her sides, and began teasing the hem of her shirt. A moment later, the shirt had disappeared to the other side other room.

She moaned against his mouth, letting her fingers trail up his stomach—now much leaner than before—as if committing to memory every inch of his physique.

The fire crackled merrily beside them, casting an orange light onto the pair.

Vegeta could smell her arousal. It was maddening. All thoughts fled from him, and he rolled her back onto the expensive rug.

Her cheeks were already pink, and a blissful smile spread across her face. "I missed you so much." She whispered, pulling him down toward her and capturing his mouth again.

He just chuckled, the sound rumbling deep in his chest and sending shivers up her spine.

She broke free once more. "I love you." He just grinned and shook his head as if he couldn't quite comprehend why. A moment later he'd found her lips again. There would be no more interruptions.

Outside, the first stars were beginning to dance in the night sky. The night was still, and peace finally reigned.

* * *

A/N: Yay! Another chapter is here. You guys are really great. I got such great reviews on the last few chapters. I know lots of you are concerned about Goku going into space with Vegeta. I don't want to give anything away, but I will just say…don't worry much, because I'm a huge Vegeta fan too.

I know that I didn't get to Goku and Vegeta's fight in this chapter, but it's coming up soon, I promise. :)

As always, thank you so much for all of your support and ideas. Let me know what you thought!


	39. I Am a Saiyan

Chapter 39- I am a Saiyan

"_Ok, Goten. This one's yours."_ Vegeta sent the message telepathically so as not to be overheard. _"Remember what I told you. Keep your breathing and steps silent. Slit its throat and it won't suffer at all. It's a big one, so watch out. It might be pretty smart."_

Beside him, the young boy dressed in Trunks' camouflage pants and coat nodded. His wild black hair was sticking out haphazardly from under his hat.

"_Whenever you're ready."_

He nodded again and almost immediately started creeping forward, ducking behind fir trees along the way to keep from being seen. Despite himself, Vegeta felt a sort of pride for the boy. His movements were swift, efficient, and silent, even when walking through the snow. He was a true Saiyan hunter.

Goten was upon the animal in seconds. Before the boar even knew what was happening, Goten had leapt onto its back, brought his hunting knife around and slit its throat. Blood sprayed out, coating the snow, and the boar's lifeless body fell sideways onto the ground. A small spray of white powder surrounded the animal but then settled silently to the ground around it.

Vegeta stepped out from behind the tree he'd been crouched behind. Trunks skipped past him toward his friend.

"Nice one Goten." Trunks said, looking down at the large boar that his friend had felled. A small, regretful look graced the dark-haired boy's face for a moment, but it quickly vanished due to his friend's praise.

"Well done." Vegeta confirmed, noticing that the slit in the throat was nearly perfectly executed. "Like a true saiyan." Goten beamed up at him. It was rare that his 'uncle' Vegeta bestowed praise on him, and especially since he looked upon the man as a second father, that made times like this all the more special.

Uncomfortable being shown such affection, Vegeta turned his gaze upward, noting the position of the sun. "It's time to head back." He said. They shouldn't linger anyway. The smell of blood would likely attract predators, and given their current Ki-less states, they would be hard pressed to overwhelm one of the larger dinosaurs that inhabited the mountains.

Vegeta and Trunks headed back to where they had left their own boars, grabbed their hind legs, and began dragging them through the woods back to the Son home.

They had walked several miles into the woods in order to do their hunting. With the blessing and even aid of Chichi and Bulma, Vegeta had taken the boys out to get some form of meat other than fish.

The grocery store in the nearest town was hard-pressed to keep up with the demands of the band of warriors living on the mountain, and because of that the small troupe had taken to living off the land for the most part. It had been made quite clear to Vegeta though, that Chichi and Bulma were sick of fish.

Vegeta shared the sentiment. He'd been more than happy to go hunting himself, and the boys had been itching to get out of the house and do something besides study. The only issue was…Goku probably wouldn't approve of them hunting so close to his home. Though he was a meat-eater himself, he could hardly raise his hand to an animal. And animals that lived so close to his home…while he claimed that hunting them was off-limits because they were Goten's friends, in reality the animals were Goku's friends as well.

It didn't matter much though, Goku had disappeared into the forest the night before and hadn't been seen since. Vegeta could tell that Chichi and several of the others had been concerned about his disappearance, but Bulma had assured them that he was just taking some time to think and that he was probably not going to do anything rash.

The two boys behind him chattered excitedly during the long walk home, comparing the size and quality of their kills.

Vegeta found himself smiling nostalgically at their chatter. How many times had he, Raditz and Nappa bantered playfully about the animals they'd hunted? He glanced over his shoulder at the two boys.

He sometimes found himself missing his old companions, and regretting their deaths. Lately, Raditz and Nappa had been at the forefront of his mind. He couldn't really explain why. Perhaps it was just a way to keep the darker thoughts at bay. His execution was still fresh in his mind, but pushing those memories away was getting easier by the day. Snow reminded him of Frieza, but one look at his son, and he saw the young man who had hacked the dreadful lizard to pieces. He smiled a bit at the memory.

There was definitely something to be said for a warm home, a good meal, and a feisty little woman to share his bed with. And even given the central role he would soon play in the chaotic war that raged out there in the universe, Vegeta couldn't help but shove all those thoughts away and try his best to think about the present—and strangely his two old comrades.

He couldn't really place why, but something in Goku's face the night before had reminded him of Raditz. It was the shocked horror, he supposed. Perhaps it was the fear. He had never seen Kakarott fearful—on Raditz, who had led a much more difficult life, the expression was common. That same expression settled onto similar features had no doubt reawakened long-forgotten memories. But why now? He had no idea.

His thoughts trailed to Kakarott himself. Goku could occasionally be a replacement for the saiyan camaraderie that he had shared with Raditz and Nappa, but they didn't really share a history together. Goku hadn't seen the things Vegeta had seen. And so he couldn't really joke about the same things. He shook his head to clear his mind of such thoughts. They would serve for nothing, and his day had actually been good so far.

After about a half hour of walking the boys came into the clearing where the Son home and Capsule homes were now located.

"Don't run off yet." Vegeta told the boys as they neared the back door. "You're both cleaning your own kills."

"'Kaaay." They both called back.

* * *

He had watched the sunrise that morning from the edge of a sharp precipice. It had been a while since he had appreciated it this much. He'd always thought that he had a very good appreciation of life and all its wonders. He had recently discovered, though, that he had been wrong.

In retrospect, he realized that he had been sheltered from how horrible the universe could truly be. They all had.

The sweaty, salty horror that had been Vegeta's memory still lingered in his mind, eating away at him. It kept him awake, caused him to look at everyone and everything in a different light.

He hadn't eaten that morning. It just felt wrong to do so. It felt wrong to eat so frequently and so much now that he knew that such a hunger existed. Such a painful hunger that it felt as though your body would collapse at any moment. And his friend had experienced it…

How long did one have to go without eating to be so hungry? Goku had no idea. He couldn't even imagine.

Goku ran a hand through his hair and shifted to hang his legs of the edge of the cliff. He'd needed some time alone to think and to get over his initial shock. He had a much clearer idea of it now—a much clearer idea of what he needed to do. Far from deterring him from venturing out after Hui, it only spurred him on.

Such horrors should not exist in the universe—and they would not as long as he had anything to say about it.

In a way, he felt he needed to thank Vegeta. Goku now knew that he had been naïve before. He'd been told countless times, but he'd never really taken it to heart. Now he saw himself for what he'd really been—a naïve little boy who survived on luck, brute strength, and the Kais' intervention.

Goku had felt Hui's power level through Vegeta's memory, and for the first time that he could remember, it did not bring about a lust for battle. It made him sick. The sheer darkness of the aura was enough to make him nauseous even now. It wasn't a blind evil. It was a carefully calculated, selfish, greedy sort of evil that Goku hadn't felt since his last encounter with Frieza. Even on a normal person it would have been terrible, but Hui's power had been incredible.

A cold breeze made him shiver. It was nearly noon. He should be getting back now. Goku pulled himself to his feet and stared around at the startling landscape before him. He would defeat Hui for this. He would do it for every living creature on Earth, for his family, and friends—he closed his eyes and breathed deeply—and for every creature who stared out at all of the vastly diverse landscapes across the universe. Those people who wanted nothing more than peace and security for their own families. He would save them all.

With that thought, he dove down into the forest.

* * *

Goku arrived back at his home to be greeted by a strange sight. Nearly all of his friends were gathered on his snowy lawn around the carcasses of three large, wild boars.

"Can you do that thing, dad." He heard Trunks say as he approached.

Vegeta himself was kneeling in the snow, carefully pulling the skin off of one of the boars. Goku thought it strange that Vegeta had suffered such a horrific experience, but didn't act any different than he had before. "Thing?" Vegeta asked.

"To take the heart out." Goten clarified. Goku's eyes shot to Goten, with a feeling of slight surprise.

"Oh." Vegeta started rolling up his sleeve, much to the excitement of the two boys and even Gohan.

Gohan leaned over to Videl. "Watch this." He said quietly with a small excited smile.

Once his sleeve was rolled up over his elbow, Vegeta ran a finger down the chest of the boar. He nodded to himself, and then in a blink, his hand shot down, ripping into the boar's chest, and then came back out a moment with its heart.

Trunks and Goten clapped in delight. 17 smirked in amusement. Bulma and Chichi both rolled their eyes and smiled slightly at the boys' excitement while avoiding looking at the blood or heart themselves.

"Wow." Videl said clapping as well.

Goku stared on wide-eyed, looking somewhat disturbed.

"Can you show me?" Trunks asked.

"Me too! Me too!" Goten pleaded.

Vegeta shrugged, and squeezed the heart in his hand. Sniffing it once, he took a bite.

Videl's mouth dropped open, and her hands shot up to cover it.

Vegeta looked over to Bulma and raised the heart a bit as if in offering. "It's good." He said. She shook her head in a you-already-know-my-answer fashion.

He shrugged and turned to Goku. He was clearly not surprised to see him standing there, although Goku could tell by the expressions of several of his other friends that this was the first time they were noticing him. "Here, have a bite, Kakarott." Vegeta offered, holding up the heart. There was an odd look on his face, and if it hadn't been for the fact that he was trying to hand him a bloody organ, Goku would have thought it a peace offering.

Goku recoiled at the nasty joke. "What? No way! Are you kidding? That's not even cooked!"

Vegeta cocked his head, the look disappearing into surprise. His brow quickly drew down. "Are you serious? This is the best part. Go on." He offered again. "Try some."

Goku shook his head, scowling.

"Too bad. You'd have liked it." He said taking another bite.

"No."

Vegeta furrowed his eyebrows and without another word, he tossed the remainder of the heart to Gohan. Trunks and Goten were pestering him to show them how to "do the trick" on their own boars.

Gohan caught it easily. "Thanks, Vegeta." He said, sending embarrassed smiles to his dad and Videl. "Umm…would you like a taste Videl? It's really quite good."

"Oh, Videl, honey. Raw hearts are really something only Saiyans have a taste for." Bulma warned. Chichi nodded behind her.

"Y'know." Videl said, eyeing the heart a little warily. "I think I'll try it. Just a little bite."

"Really?" Gohan looked both surprised and elated.

Vegeta looked up as well in the middle of showing Trunks and Goten how to hold their hands. The girl always managed to surprise him with her curiosity and spunk. Vegeta shrugged, and turned back to his explanation.

"Here then." Gohan made to hand it to her, but she held up her hands.

"No, I'll just…" Rather than get her hands bloody, she leaned down and nipped a small piece of the heart off. She chewed it pensively under the watchful gazes of everyone gathered. "It's not bad," She concluded, "but it tastes kinda…bloody."

There was a round of laughter.

"That it does." Gohan agreed, devouring the rest of the heart in two bites and then licking his fingers.

"Yeah!" The shout came from Trunks, and was mimicked a moment later by Goten. Both boys held up their boars' hearts triumphantly. With matching grins, the tapped them together in a "cheers" like motion, and then bit in.

"Wanna bite dad?" Goten offered Goku, who was still staring on in surprise. He had never seen either of his sons hunt, and he'd certainly never known that they did such things as eat animals' hearts raw. The entire thing seemed barbaric, and some part of him was angry at Vegeta for showing them such a thing. And then for some inexplicable reason, he felt…he couldn't describe it…jealous?

How had Goku not known that his own sons enjoyed such things when it seemed that it was perfectly commonplace to everyone else? The answer was obvious. He had missed out on seven years of his sons' lives. And who had filled his shoes? Piccolo, Krillin, Yamcha, and Vegeta had.

Goku frowned down at the scene pensively. Over the past two years, he had noticed the small things. The boys' fighting styles—Goten's more than Gohan's—incorporated a lot of Vegeta's techniques. Their manner of speech, their behavior, their interests, while they were clearly still Sons, occasionally they did something painfully similar to Vegeta. And in the stories they told of Goten's childhood—the times that Vegeta had dealt with Goten's tantrums, found Goten when he'd been lost, taught him to control his movements enough to not hurt anyone—Vegeta had always been there.

And then for Gohan. Who had given Gohan "the talk?" Vegeta had—in his own humorously creative way apparently. Who had helped Gohan deal with hormonal shifts, and emotional changes? Vegeta. He supposed Piccolo had helped a lot too, but he hadn't quite known what a saiyan would go through.

Vegeta this, Vegeta that.

Goku supposed that he should thank him for stepping in when he himself couldn't, but he found it hard to. As much as he regretted his decision to stay in otherworld for so long now, as much as he regretted missing out on so much of his sons' lives, he resented Vegeta for having taken his place. Goten had even told him once that when he was very little, he often wondered why he couldn't call Vegeta "daddy."

He glanced over at the man in question. He was busily, efficiently carving up the boar and slapping slabs of meat onto a tray that Chichi was holding. Bulma and Chichi were joking with him, suggesting that he cook tonight. He was grumbling something that sounded suspiciously like names of poisons. It was almost painful how easily everyone had moved on from his absence. But in a way, he felt that that should be reassuring. There was very little chance that he would survive his encounter with Hui.

"Dad?"

"Hm?" He looked down to see that Goten was still in front of him, holding up the half-eaten heart.

"Do you want to try it?" Goten asked hopefully.

Goku stared at the heart, an odd feeling overcoming him. He did want to do it now, but out of an odd concern that seemed remarkably like a need to show his boys that he could do anything that Vegeta could do.

"If you say it's good." He said, hesitantly taking the bloody object from his son. He took a bite.

The taste of blood filled his mouth and nose, awakening an odd primal hunger that he didn't know he possessed. He quickly chewed and swallowed and then took another bite, and another, devouring the whole thing. Despite his earlier hesitation, he found himself licking his fingers afterwards. "Mmm, that was good!" He exclaimed forgetting his earlier discomfort and dark thoughts completely.

He put a hand on his youngest son's head. "Thanks Goten."

He looked over to Vegeta to see that he was still cutting off pieces of meat and handing them to the cheerful women. He suddenly felt bad for thinking so meanly of Vegeta. Goku was sure that he hadn't meant to replace him in helping his sons. And what was more, Vegeta had just offered him something that probably had a bigger significance than Goku had realized at the time. Not only had Goku refused, but he'd called it disgusting.

He felt his chest tighten.

* * *

An hour and a half later, the Son kitchen was filled to the brim. Loud laughter echoed off the walls. Delicious food was being passed around a long table so laden with food that it seemed as if it could break at any moment.

Krillin and Yamcha were speaking loudly over each other trying to tell two different versions of the same story while Tien, Chaotzu and Puar laughed. Chichi, and Bulma occasionally commented on the authenticity of the story, but otherwise laughed along with the others. Android 18 simply rolled her eyes at her husbands antics, while trying her best to keep her daughter from making too big of a mess with her food. Shiro was sitting silently beside Gohan listening in rapt attention to Krillin's and Yamcha's confusing tale.

Trunks and Goten were giggling about something while sending suspicious looks to Gohan and Videl. The two older teens didn't notice the looks, so engrossed were they in their whispered conversation.

Goku and Vegeta were still shoveling food into their mouths, even though it seemed as though everyone else was finished.

Even Piccolo was there, welcomed back into the fold, even if he wasn't particularly warmly received by some parties. He was leaning silently in the corner, eyes closed, in silent meditation.

The laughter escalated for a moment, drawing the attention of nearly everyone in the room. It was stopped short a moment later by the sound of a loud beeping. All attention quickly turned toward Shiro who blanched at the attention and began quickly rummaging through his pockets. A moment later, the frail green man produced his scouter and flipped it open. "This is Shiro, Unit 14—" He began rising from his seat but paused upon apparently being cut off. "Oh." He looked over to Vegeta and held out the phone. "It's for you."

Vegeta just sighed and took it. "Yeah?" He frowned apparently listening to something. "Now?"

The loud response of "YES NOW!" Could be heard clearly by the other people in the room.

Vegeta just groaned. "Ok…but what screen? Oh Shiro knows?" He glanced over at the small alien in question. Shiro had pulled himself all the way to his feet and was gesturing for Vegeta to follow him. With a flustered sigh, Vegeta stood and followed.

"What's going on?" Trunks wondered out loud.

It was Piccolo who supplied the answer. "Kurenai needs him to conduct a battle for her."

"What?" Bulma's voice was raised a little more than normal. "But he was supposed to have two months before he went back."

"Apparently, he can do it from here, as long as he has a video chat. It seems that Shiro has foreseen to prepare that for him." Piccolo turned to follow him out of the room.

"Where you going?" Goku asked around a mouthful of chicken.

"To watch." Piccolo said simply. "I have _got_ to see this."

As if Piccolo's statement was some sort of permission, half of the people in the room suddenly jumped to their feet, following the tall Namek out of the Son house and across the yard to the Capsule house that Vegeta had disappeared into.

When they entered the small, cozy room, Vegeta was already being briefed on the situation. Shiro sent them a look to let them know to be quiet, but otherwise didn't say anything.

"Ok, so let me see if I've got this right. The daughter of the King of Theria was kidnapped and taken to the planet Corr which Frieza had purged 60 years ago. The girl is now being held in the ruins of the palace which has basically been turned into a fortress with over 100 Tik troops guarding it. Unless the King adheres Theria to the Tik army, they're going to kill her."

"Correct." Kurenai confirmed. "We have until dawn in the capital of the planet Corr…which is about 14 hours from how, standard time."

"Good to know." He said. "Now…when you said you only have 10 troops capable of getting to her and they all have power-levels around 5,000 you were joking, right?" Figures that the only Krimzon troops available to undertake such a daunting mission were just scouter troops. It would also figure that the Tik soldiers would all be far more powerful than the Krimzon.

"I don't joke." She deadpanned. "I need you to find a way for my troops to get to the princess to safety and then preferably destroy the remaining Tik soldiers while you're at it. There are no other troops than can reach Corr before the deadline."

"You don't ask much, do you?" He grumbled.

Her reply came back almost immediately. "Quit your bitching. You did the same thing for me a few months ago."

"I most certainly did not."

"Well then figure something out anyway."

"Ok, here's something. Why don't you get one of your strategists to handle things like this…or better yet, prevent such things from happening in the first place?"

Kurenai's calm reply brought about a few chuckles from the gathered Z fighters. "I'm going to count to three, and then I want you to start being useful. One…"

Vegeta sighed dramatically, visibly trying to compose himself.

"Two…Three."

"Alright." He conceded, as if those three seconds had been just what he'd needed to think of a plan. "Find one of your best computer hackers and a very fast computer. Unless you already have blueprints of the palace, we're going to have to hack into Frieza's database to see what information he had on it."

"That's the spirit." Kurenai said with a bit of excitement in her voice. She quickly turned to someone behind her and ordered them to do as told. Hardly three minutes later, the requested computer and hacker were rushed into the room. If he was surprised to see Vegeta alive, he did not show it. The man was old and composed, clearly experienced, and Vegeta was grateful that Kurenai had had the foresight to find someone who had been around when the Planet Trade was still in operation. This person had most likely hacked the database dozens of times.

"Navigate to the Planet Trade database. To my knowledge no one ever destroyed the database." He knew _he_ hadn't at least. "I'm sure you know how to do that."

"Of course." The man said, setting to work. "Do you have the password?"

Vegeta racked his memory. He'd occasionally made himself privy to Frieza's classified information. It had been easy enough to scare the password out of Frieza's technicians. "Try 674-RED-014."

The sound of typing came over the link and then a moment later the man spoke. "I'm in."

Vegeta grinned at the surprised and impressed murmurs of the people gathered in the room behind him. "There should be a list of planets that had already been purged. Find Corr."

"Alright."

"Find any information that you can about the palace. I need blueprints, pictures, an account of the actual invasion…"

"There are no blueprints here, but there are videos. The report of the purge is here as well." The man apparently opened it and began to scan through it. Vegeta waited in silence. After only a moment or two, the man's voice came back. "It says here that some of the royal family managed to escape the palace through what appeared to be underground tunnels. They didn't make it far before they were shot down."

Vegeta ignored the tragedy of the tale, and instead turned his attention to Kureai. "Tell your men to begin looking for those tunnels." He said and then dropped onto the couch to begin thinking of a strategy.

Behind him, the gathered Z fighters looked on in stunned silence, some more openly impressed than others. Piccolo hid his surprise well. He had known that Vegeta was an excellent tactician. He had seen if first hand several times. It never failed to impress him however, just what the man could come up with. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall as Vegeta began explaining his plan to Kurenai.

It would apparently take over an hour for Kurenai's troops to determine if there were still any useable tunnels. While he waited, Vegeta glanced over some of the pictures of the palace, there were no pictures of the interior, but he'd been in enough to guess where certain rooms were. The most likely place to keep the princess would be in one of the old family rooms. The dungeon was also an option apparently, but not a good one if the Tik wanted to maintain the King's confidence that his daughter would be returned unharmed. The Krimzon soldiers would have to split up and search both.

While Vegeta listed just what items the Krimzon soldiers should bring, Piccolo shook his head with a small smile. This was why he was her right hand. This is why he was chosen. He was fantastic.

The news came back slightly over an hour later that three useable tunnels had been found. Without delay, Vegeta ordered the soldiers to split up and go ahead with the attack.

From the minute the ten Krimzon soldiers entered the dark, insect-filled tunnels, the Z fighters in the room were silent. It seemed almost as if they knew those men, so concerned were they for their welfare. They watched every step with wide eyes, listened to every whisper, and jumped at every small noise.

Vegeta would have asked them to go away, but he didn't feel like wasting the time. He was also slightly too engrossed in what was going on on planet Corr to really be bothered by their presence.

The first three soldiers finally reached the palace, slipping into an abandoned, darkened hall silently. There were no signs of any Tik soldiers.

Vegeta instantly noticed the lack of fine flooring or decorations. "You're probably in the servants' network." Vegeta concluded with a viscous smile, now holding Shiro's small handheld computer and reading over some information. He quickly typed something into the computer and began scanning it quickly. "The palace was apparently built in such a way that servants could move throughout it without ever being seen by the royal family or visitors. The entrances to the servant hallways are nearly impossible to spot, and yet the halls go almost everywhere in the palace. If the Tik soldiers haven't discovered their existence, this mission will be downright simple. Stay within the servant corridors and make your way upstairs to the East Wing. The princess will most likely be there."

"How so?" Came Kurenai's curious voice unknowingly voicing the same question that many of the Z fighters were wondering in that moment.

"Planet Corr is another one of those planets where cardinal directions have special significance. The sun rises in the east on Corr, and that was apparently quite significant for the Kings of old. The Royal family's quarters will most likely be situated in the holiest place in the building. In this case, on the top floor on the eastern side."

"How do you know that?" Kurenai asked in surprise.

Vegeta simply held up the small computer and pointed to the screen. "This…An online encyclopedia. A professor's nightmare, but a good source of information anyway…even if it is sometimes inaccurate."

The other Krimzon soldiers reached the palace in that moment, also finding themselves in the servant hallway. Vegeta ordered one group to find the dungeons while the other was ordered into the West wing. The Krimzon soldiers encountered very few Tik soldiers, and those that they did come across met quick, silent deaths, before being dragged into the servant corridor and abandoned there.

The princess was quickly located in the East Wing in the Queen's old bedroom. Instead of ordering the men to get her immediately, however, Vegeta ordered the soldiers to wait.

"Just a precaution. There's loads of time before dawn." He explained, before ordering all of the other Krimzon soldiers into the East Wing.

Twenty minutes later, the princess was officially missing. Twelve Tik soldiers were lying dead in the Queen's bedroom, and the Ten Krimzon soldiers and the princess were fleeing back through the tunnels.

The Tik soldiers had been caught with their pants down. The men guarding the gates had no idea about the trouble brewing within the castle until it was too late. By the time they got wind of the assault, the Krimzon soldiers had found the princess and disappeared back into the secret tunnels. The entire palace became a blazing inferno only moments later courtesy of a rather large, homemade bomb that the Krimzon officers had left in the palace basement. The Tik soldiers trapped inside, would never know just what went wrong, nor would they ever see the Krimzon ship rising into the sky silhouetted against the roaring flames.

"You could have done that without me." Vegeta told Kurenai, ignoring the excited whispers behind him.

"Perhaps." She conceded. The man had made that whole adventure seem downright simple. "But it's better not to take the risk." Before she signed off, she added. "Be sure to check the news later for the account of your surprising return." Then with a smile, she cut the link.

He frowned as his friends and family came closer to talk to him. He hoped no one else had heard Kurenai's last remark.

However, that hope was doomed from the beginning. "The news huh?" Was the first thing Bulma said upon reaching him. He sighed.

* * *

"What was that thing with the pig heart?" Goku found Vegeta later that night, sitting on the back porch by himself. Inside, boisterous laughter roared as old friends tried talking over each other to tell their versions of old stories. The ordeal with the kidnapped princess seemed to have reminded Yamcha and Krillin of some experience in their own youth for they were recounting it loudly in the Son kitchen.

The TV was on in the Son living room, showing the Krimzon news. Their reconnection with the rest of the universe had been welcomed with open arms by most of the group, and they all itched to find out more about what was happening around the Universe.

After the segment about Vegeta, however, most people had given up watching it and moved back into the kitchen where the leftovers were still sitting out to be picked at. Goku hadn't noticed exactly when Vegeta had slipped away from all that, but he had eventually noticed the other man's absence.

The vivid image of the execution had suddenly flooded his senses then. His chest tightened, and the sudden feeling of nausea threatened to overwhelm him. With it came the urge to find his fellow saiyan and assure himself that he was ok.

It hadn't been difficult. Goku easily maneuvered himself through the crowd of friends and slipped through the back door. A quick look around, and he spotted his friend sitting against the wall under the small overhanging roof. A light snow was falling but he was effectively sheltered.

"Hm?" He said, apparently rousing from some deep contemplation. After a moment's reflection, he seemed to recall the question. With a dismissive wave, he said. "It's lost all significance now, but it's just something you do to celebrate a kill."

"To celebrate killing?" Goku scrunched up his face. His earlier concern for his friend was immediately lost as the implications of the statement came to him.

Vegeta thought for a second. "More to celebrate the fact that there is something to eat. Saiyans often had to survive through rough conditions. We'd go for days without eating anything. When you finally make a kill, when you finally have something to eat, you eat every last bit of it. Eating the heart is part of that. I think it originated as a way to thank the creature for sacrificing itself to feed us. By eating the heart without cooking it, you pay homage to the creature." He thought for a moment as if trying to recall something he'd been told long ago. "It's as if you're demonstrating that the animals heart was pure. Over time, the meaning fell away. It just became something you do before you cook the animal. And here," He grinned a little bitterly. "It's just a party trick."

"Ohh." It seemed as though Goku liked this explanation much better than whatever he'd imagined the ritual to mean. "And what did Gohan say when you gave him the heart?"

Vegeta cocked an eyebrow. "Itadakimasu." He said, the foreign word flowing fluidly off of his tongue.

"Itta daki mas?" Goku tried.

"Close." He said with an amused snort, and brought a bottle of who-knows-what to his lips. Goku hadn't noticed the bottle before. Now that he thought about it, Vegeta was a little more open than usual. Deciding to test his luck, he pushed a little farther.

"What's it mean?"

"It means 'thank you for the food,' but it's more of a thanks in general. Not to me, but to the earth, the animal, everything that went into making the food."

"Hmm…It-tadakimasu." Goku mumbled staring up at the sky. After a few moments, he looked over at his fellow saiyan. "Vegeta, could you teach me Saiyago?"

Vegeta choked in surprise at the question. "Since when have you ever cared about learning Saiyago? Or about anything that has to do with Saiyans?"

Goku looked bashful. "I…"

Vegeta cocked an eyebrow.

Goku sighed. "Fine." He felt his face heat up a bit. "It's because Gohan and Goten can speak it. It seems like it's a big part of their lives and…and I want to be part of it too I guess. I…" He took a deep breath. "I wanted to thank you Vegeta."

"Thank me?" Vegeta had no idea where the man was going. He was jumping from one topic to another with little liaison. "For what?"

"For…for helping with Gohan and Goten when I…y'know. When I was in otherworld."

Vegeta just blinked. He suddenly felt very awkward. To tell the truth, he had done his best to avoid both boys over the years, and had only come to be able to tolerate them after years of being thrown in with them. And it's not like he had done a lot. The other fighters like Krillin, Yamcha, and Piccolo had done much more. Before he could say any of this, however, Goku continued.

"Sometimes, I get angry at you, you know? For some of the things you taught them. Like that you taught Goten to hunt instead of fish. Or that they both use swear words way more than I would like. But then I realize that…well at least you were there for them when they needed it. And you didn't have to be. So…I guess. Thank you."

Vegeta honestly didn't know what to say to all that. "Kakarott I…I think you're giving me credit for things I didn't actually do. I didn't teach them Saiyago, first off. I taught Trunks. Trunks taught Goten, and I guess Gohan learned along the way somehow. I only corrected their grammar from time to time." In truth Vegeta probably had had a lot more influence on the two Son boys learning the language than he admitted. "And as far as your question is concerned. No, I will not teach you Saiyago."

"What? Why not?"

"Kakarott, Saiyago is very different from Standard. It would be hard to learn. And in any case, there's no point in you learning. Who would you talk to?"

"You." He said as if it were obvious. "Pleeease! I'll practice real hard! I already know some words."

Vegeta cocked an eyebrow. "What words?"

He ticked off on his fingers. "Baka, kuso, shimatta, ahou. Oh! And Itadakimasu."

Vegeta rolled his eyes but he couldn't help a small, amused smirk. "Kakarott, the first four are curses and insults. The last one, well…I just told you."

Goku pouted. "Come on, Vegeta! You always want me to act more like a saiyan. Maybe if you teach me to talk like one, I'll get it better. And anyway, when I come into space with you," Vegeta's eyes widened in slight surprise. "We'll have to get along right?"

Vegeta sighed. Ignoring Goku's argument about going into space, he thought over Goku's earlier question. He didn't know how to teach people languages. This was bound to be a disaster. Still, he was secretly pleased to see that Kakarott was finally showing interest in his heritage. Maybe some day, he would show him the books and videos that Tarble had sent him.

Maybe.

Actually, it was probably better to start simply.

"Fine. Repeat after me." He made sure to annunciate the sentence clearly. "Watashi no namae wa Kakarott desu."

Goku repeated. "Wa tah shii no namaey Kakarott dess."

At least he'd gotten his name right.

"Is that how you say, 'my name is Kakarott?'" Goku asked.

Vegeta blinked. "Yeah." He repeated the sentence again slowly.

"Cool!" Goku repeated the sentence again. "Tell me something else."

Vegeta cocked his head to the side. "Watashi wa Saiya-jin desu."

Goku repeated it, with only minor mistakes. "What did I say?"

"I am a saiyan."

Goku followed Vegeta's gaze up to the sky.

With a small, content smile, he whispered to himself. "Watashi no namae wa Kakarott desu. Watashi wa Saiya-jin desu."

The two fell into a comfortable silence, just watching the small white flakes drifting peacefully to the ground. The light from inside shined through the window, making the snow shine like silver.

Suddenly, inspiration hit. "Let's have a spar!" Goku said excitedly.

Vegeta nearly groaned. "In the snow?"

"Oh stop being such an old lady." Goku jumped to his feet. "Come on. It'll be fun. We haven't seen each other in a year after all."

Vegeta stared at him for a moment, trying to decide if he really felt like sparring. He gazed out at the silent, peaceful landscape. Finally he made up his mind, and pulled himself to his feet.

"Yeah!" Goku cheered. "We still don't have any Ki, so we don't even have to move away from the house. He skipped out into the middle of the yard and turned back toward Vegeta. Vegeta put down his now-empty bottle and wordlessly followed, frowning at how much colder it was now that he didn't have the house to protect him from the wind.

As soon as they were a good distance apart, Goku crouched into a fighting stance. "Don't think I'm going to go easy on you."

"I would be insulted if you did." Vegeta countered, moving into a fighting stance as well.

The two sized each other up, Goku noticing that Vegeta had finally put a little weight back on, and Vegeta wondering at the fact that his rival's fighting stance had become a little more guarded. Maybe Goku had learned a little something from the Tik invasion. In any case, he wasn't cocky enough to leave target areas open and to rely on his speed to quickly cover them in case of an attack. Not anymore.

"Go on." Vegeta said, with a hint of a taunt in his voice. "Come at me."

Goku smirked and lunged. Vegeta easily dodged. It took him a while to get used to being Ki-blocked, but he quickly found his balance.

Goku's eyebrows furrowed, and he sent a perfectly-executed punch again. Vegeta skipped away, still not going on the offensive. He could see the surprise on Goku's face when Vegeta avoided every attack.

Vegeta side-stepped a punch, and using his tail to grab Goku's wrist, pulled the taller saiyan into a crushing elbow.

"Hey! Ah!" Goku yelled in surprise and stumbled back. "Sneaky move. You should have left your tail out of it though. Now it's fair game."

"Kakarott, any Saiyan with half a brain knows how to guard his tail in a fight."

"Hmm…mine always got grabbed."

"The statement stands for itself."

Goku frowned, and came at him again with a flurry of punches. Vegeta blocked and dodged them all, until one of them finally made contact.

The sudden rush of pain in his stomach brought back a flash of horrid and chopped memories, and without realizing it, Vegeta retaliated with a swift but crushing blow to the face. Goku flew backwards, falling into the snow.

Vegeta stood still. His face was expressionless. He could feel no emotion. Almost as if he were dead inside. Some part of him realized that he should be enjoying this. He should enjoy the clear advantage that he now had over his saiyan rival. But he could feel nothing. Just emptiness. He shoved his hands into his pockets. When he was moving, the bitter cold was nothing, but as soon as he stopped it started seeping back in. He didn't like the cold. He never had.

The two didn't notice, but they were drawing a crowd.

Vegeta waited patiently while Goku pulled himself off the ground and wiped the blood from his lip.

"You've…gotten better."

Vegeta didn't say anything.

Goku finally noticed that all of their friends were now standing on the porch watching them. His face turned a little more serious. "Ok, fun's over." And he sprang back at Vegeta.

Vegeta moved with the graceful fluidity that seemed natural to him. He was light on his toes, jumping this way and that, avoiding everything that Goku threw at him. However, for the most part, he avoided fighting back.

The two were nothing short of majestic, as they danced through the snow, kicking up white dust and leaving brown streaks across the yard. Yet, Vegeta still remained on the defensive. Goku landed another hit, bringing about a shiver, and a darkening of Vegeta's eyes. Vegeta just danced away again, blocking yet another hit. A the scenery around him was shifting and changing, flashing to a hot, yellow place that smelled of sweat and blood. Goku didn't notice the strange look that suddenly overcame his friend's face, and lunged forward.

Vegeta flipped backwards just in time to avoid Goku's lunge. Goku quickly righted himself. However, Vegeta had caught himself on his hands, and using the momentum of his flip, twisted and sent the heel of his boot into Goku's chin. He nimbly flipped back to his feet and waited for his opponent to stand.

"I can't believe this." Goku said, a touch of…something…lacing his voice. "You're…you're not even trying."

Vegeta didn't respond at first, just turning his gaze to the blood-splattered snow near his feet. The red spots blurred, and he shook his head quickly.

"It makes sense." He said robotically, and he hardly even knew what he was saying. "I've been fighting a war, against strange creatures with unheard-of abilities, and the strongest fighters in the universe. I've had to learn new techniques and use every resource available to be able to counter everything thrown at me…not that it helped much. And you…" Later, he would not even remember saying these words. "Your technique is good, but you've come to rely on having a strength advantage. When that advantage is taken away, it makes sense that you'd…" He trailed off, suddenly coming to himself, and looking at Goku in surprise. He'd become so used to explaining people's strengths and weaknesses and exploiting them when working as Kurenai's strategist that such explanations came as second nature.

All his life he had easily sized up allies and opponents alike, noticing their abilities and calculating them into grand strategies. He'd rarely shared those observations with others however—not until he'd begun working for Kurenai anyway. He'd hardly even noticed that he'd begun to do it to one of the only people he'd ever considered a friend.

Suddenly, he felt a sense of…what was it…embarrassment?

Goku stared at him wide-eyed.

Vegeta just shook his head, and without another word, walked into the Capsule house he was sharing with Bulma. The door shut quietly, but the sound still reverberated through the snowy silence. He glanced over at the group of people standing curiously on his porch. Finally he saw Bulma break away from the group and head over to the house.

Goku pulled himself to his feet, gingerly touching the tender spot on his face. Dark memories that were not his own played threateningly at the edge of his thoughts. He frowned worriedly at the dark capsule house, but he knew that for the moment there was nothing he could do for his friend.

* * *

A/N: I really hope you enjoyed that. I know that it was a long time in coming, and I'm really sorry about the long wait. My only excuse is that life has gotten the better of me lately, and that I've just been so stressed and busy that I honestly couldn't dredge up enough creativity to write anything.

Anyway thank you very much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I really love the great responses that I'm getting to this story and all of your great tips and ideas! As always, let me know what you thought of this chapter!


	40. Like Glass

Chapter 40-Like Glass

The news set the universe on fire. The population of the Krimzon Empire was celebrating in the streets at the news that their unlikely savior had somehow cheated death. Images and clips of Vegeta's conversation with Kurenai and the Krimzon soldiers were being broadcast nonstop around the Empire, even making their way out to Tik territory.

The importance of an explanation for his sudden return to life seemed to be mitigated by the general euphoria that surrounded the announcement. Vegeta was alive. That was oddly enough for the people. Wild rumors of him being immortal or of the whole thing being a trick that Kurenai and Vegeta had played on Hui ran rampant through Krimzon and Tik empires alike. More that a few Tik soldiers were green at the thought of coming up against a man who could somehow bounce back full-form after being hacked to pieces.

Somewhere on the other side of the universe, an emperor sat in shock. His face, normally a very pale blue, was even paler than normal, contrasting sharply with his dark hair and black attire. His delicate features were twisted horror and rage, and his lean hands were clenched tightly into fists.

The bright room was empty except for Hui and his right hand man. The "guards" that usually occupied the room had gratefully fled the moment their emperor had screamed for them to leave.

"So this is the power of the Saiyans?" He said quietly. "It's no wonder that 40 years after their planet was destroyed they keep popping up everywhere. Now, I understand why Kurenai would go through so much effort to get her hands on one."

Beside Hui's ornate, black throne, a man named Fenn stood. Well muscled, and with a shock of maroon hair atop his head, Fenn was possibly the only person in the universe who was not the least bit intimidated by Hui's irascible character.

Hui growled in frustration and sank into his chair. He looked much like a petulant child. The white and gold, embroidered banners that hung from the walls and pillars began flapping wildly as his scowl deepened.

Fenn, used to his Master's tantrums did not move from his relaxed position.

Outside, gray storm clouds rolled about the sky, gathering speed and crashing into each other. Fenn could almost hear the screams from the population down at the base of the mountain, as wild lightning raced across the sky.

With a horrifying noise, the large, arched windows that lined the walls of Hui's throne room shattered, sending glass flying everywhere. Fenn noted with mild interest that the class did not fall to the ground, bur rather remained hovering in the air, swirling around Hui.

Fenn rolled his eyes at his Master's childish mood. "Why don't you just get your own Saiyan." He suggested.

Hui shot up straight, a look of surprise on his face. Instantly, the glass dropped to the floor and the curtains stopped swaying. A quick glance out of the now-glassless windows confirmed that the storm was no longer raging.

"My own Saiyan?" Hui mused, tilting his head back just enough for his hair to fall, with an almost angelic fluidity, away from his face. "What a novel idea. I'm surprised I didn't think of it before." He hopped out of his chair, and with renewed energy, crossed the room to the window that he knew looked directly out toward planet Iro. Glass crunched beneath his feet as he made his way. The sound echoed off the arched ceiling. "How much easier it would be to subdue rogue planets if I had my own saiyan."

Hui was by nature a misanthrope. He saw no value in life as it existed in the universe, but was certain that, were he to control every last inch of it, he would make them all worthwhile.

"Yes, that would balance the scales nicely, wouldn't it?" He continued. Before him, the windows began reforming, the glass flying off the floor to reconnect seamlessly. A small smirk made his naturally beautiful face look deadly. "Yes, Fenn, I think I want a Saiyan."

"Will a half-blood do?"

Hui frowned. "I would prefer the real thing, but I suppose I can't be picky." He brought his hand up to touch the glass. "See to it."

* * *

"Ok, fingers crossed." The completion of the Meiyochi radar was not a widely known event. Only six people were currently present to watch the trial run of the machine. Five of the six were crowded around the table, waiting with baited breath. The sixth was leaning casually against the wall. His critical eye and stern expression paid testament to the importance of success.

Outside a light flurry was falling again, adding to the thin layer of snow that had never quite melted. The stars could only rarely be seen through the thick layers of puffy clouds that covered the area, but the waxing moon continued to shine stubbornly in the overcast sky, occasionally providing a stunning view. Clouds rolled over the mountains and through the valleys, causing the uppermost peaks to seem to float. It was almost surreal in its beauty.

Away from the action, Goku and Chichi would be enjoying the view, sipping cocoa and simply cherishing each other's presence. Two young boys would be playing video games, completely oblivious to the beautiful scene that nature had granted them. The rest were playing a card game and laughing rowdily at each other's stories and jokes.

Inside the Briefs' capsule house, however, the scene was tense. A small click announced the completion of a new pot of coffee, specially perked in anticipation of any flaw that would require an entire night of tinkering. Bulma and Shiro were already sporting bags under their eyes from multiple nights of little to no sleep. Beside Bulma, Vegeta wasn't looking much better. He'd been awoken by Kurenai a little after 3am the night before, and had spent the better part of six hours talking some soldiers through a rather risky mission.

Gohan and Videl glanced toward the coffee pot, clearly both wanting a cup. However, seeing no one else move, the two remained rooted in place.

"Bulma, you do the honors." Shiro offered.

With a small nod, Bulma reached forward and flipped the switch. The others shifted, pressing closer together as the small machine came to life. Even Piccolo moved from his spot across the room to peer over their shoulders.

The machine was not handheld. It was about the size of a small computer. It sported a rather large screen that at the moment was showing a detailed map of the area.

"There will be a blinking dot to show the location of the Meiyochi, just like the dragon radar." Bulma explained.

"The what?" Shiro asked almost instantly, realizing that he was the only person in the room who wasn't nodding in understanding.

"Oh…" Bulma blinked in surprise at her own words. "It…finds dragons." She stuttered, ignoring the heated look that Piccolo was sending her. Gohan and Videl were both tense, but kept silent.

"It _found_ dragons." Vegeta clarified. "It's gone now. It was likely destroyed when Capsule Corp. was…" He paused for a second to think of the right word to describe the fate of his old home. "…incinerated." If anyone had any qualms about him so blatantly lying, they did not voice them.

"Ohh." Shiro nodded in understanding, clearly thinking of the pile of rubble and ashes where most of Capsule Corp's inventions had met their ends. The tension in the room eased at Shiro's quick acceptance of the explanation.

Bulma cleared her throat and turned her attention back to the radar, studying the screen for a moment. Upon seeing no blinking dot, she zoomed out farther. With every moment, the dread of failure became more pronounced. The map expanded more and more, until the entire Earth could be seen. Bulma turned the model globe on the screen slowly. Left and right, up and down. But still no dot.

Their disappointment was palpable.

Bulma finally gave up, letting her hand drop to the table and taking a step back.

"Maybe…it just takes a while to find it?" Gohan hazarded.

"No…" Bulma said. "It should come up as soon as the terrain does." She brought up a hand to rub the bridge of her nose before turning to head toward the coffee pot.

Vegeta grabbed her elbow as she passed, stopping her in her tracks. She looked back toward him, half-expecting some brief look of consolation. However, his eyes were still riveted to the screen. "Zoom out, onna." He ordered.

She growled in frustration before snapping. "Vegeta, it's showing the entire planet as it is. I don't think zooming out is going to help anything. "

He glanced briefly at her, just long enough for her to see the wheels turning in his brain. She knew the man was brilliant. He had the mind of a grade-A tactician. Had he somehow figured out something she'd missed? It was entirely possible, she realized with some chagrin. "It's not showing the moon."

Bulma blinked at him. _The moon?_ Her gaze drifted toward the open window, even though she knew the moon would not be visible from it at this time of night. Suddenly, she grasped his train of thought.

With her heart pounding, she moved back to the radar. Her fingers danced quickly over the key pad and almost instantly the view zoomed out. The Earth became smaller and smaller and suddenly the moon appeared on the screen. Bulma shifted the screen to focus solely on the moon, zooming the picture in. Suddenly a small, blinking white light became perceptible.

"Aha!" Bulma exclaimed, the sound coming out as half a laugh.

"That's it!" Shiro said excitedly.

"Really?" Videl and Gohan were instantly next to them, leaning over the screen.

"Haha, we found it!" Bulma's joy knew no bounds, and without really thinking, she turned and threw her arms around Vegeta.

He simply glowered down at her. She rolled her eyes and slapped his chest lightly before taking a step back. "Don't be so glum. I just got you your powers back."

"That remains to be seen." He quipped, causing Gohan and Videl to stop their cheerful dancing to turn toward him. Not realizing this, Vegeta kept his gaze locked on Bulma. "That is…unless you have a spaceship and a few spacesuits lying around."

She frowned but met his challenge. "We have the spacepod Trunks arrived here in."

"And I suppose _you_ will be walking around on the moon's surface with no source of breathable air and no protection from the heat or cold?"

"I'll whip something up."

"I've got a better idea." Shiro cut in, and then flinched back as both of their mildly-heated gazes came to rest on him. "Um…eh heh, sorry for interrupting." He backpedaled and then held up his communicator. "But…we still have ships waiting just outside of the atmosphere. All of our ships come standard with a spacesuit for every hand on board. I'm sure we could just ask them to look for it."

Bulma grinned. "Great idea!" She exclaimed. "Go ahead, and call them up."

He nodded, already punching in a number on his scouter. After a short pause, he spoke in to the communicator. "This is Shiro, Unit 14 T.B.S.A., Officer ID 47751. Yes we've spoken before. I need you to land on the moon and—" He paused, his eyes widening in surprise. "What do you mean impossible? Authorization? Yes, yes, I know the laws regarding permission to enter planets and their orbiting bodies, but…this is urgent."

He listened for a moment longer, and from Piccolo's displeased expression, it was evident that he was listening as well.

Finally, Vegeta had had enough, and he plucked the communicator from Shiro's hand, interrupting the Krimzon officer mid-sentence. "I'm authorizing it. Land on the moon." He rolled his eyes. "This is Vegeta." He sighed a moment later. "No I will not reconsider…Yes, I am aware of the laws as well, and I know the position that this puts the Empire in, but I do believe that there is a clause somewhere in there that says that if a planet's ruler is not acting for the good of the people, the people can choose for themselves." He paused again. "The planet is in shambles and the population is decimated. There is hardly any media left, and half of the remaining population is still in hiding. How exactly do you propose we organize an official referendum?...You know what, enough of this. I'm ordering you to land. I expect to hear back from you in a half hour with confirmation that you are prepped to land on the moon." With that, he cut the link.

"Will he do it?" Gohan asked.

"He has to. I ordered him." He said, stowing the communicator in his pocket. "And as it stands, I am the fourth ranking officer in the empire behind Kurenai, Kuro, and Midori." He looked to Videl. "Call your father and tell him that I've authorized the Krimzon the land on the moon due to extenuating circumstances, and that there's nothing to worry about."

She nodded and moved across the room to make the call.

They were quickly saved from a lull in conversation, by Gohan's stomach growling. "Eh heh." He put his hand behind his head in true Son fashion. "All this excitement has made me hungry I guess. Anyone up for a snack?" He looked at Vegeta specifically, and as if on cue, his stomach growled as well. Gohan laughed. "Let's to see what leftover's we've got." Vegeta just nodded and followed him. The others trailed behind, deciding that a nice snack might make the wait go faster.

The light coming on in the kitchen and the general chatter and hubbub brought Goku and Chichi in from the back porch, and the atmosphere in the room became much more festive.

While they set to work reheating leftovers, the gang filled Goku in on what was happening.

"Really? You've found it?" He gave both Bulma and Shiro slightly harder claps on the back than he'd intended to before spinning around. "Vegeta!"

Vegeta looked up from the plate he'd been nicking food from. "Hm?"

"We can have our spar tomorrow!" He gestured excitedly toward the calendar near the phone.

Vegeta blinked over at it, chewing slowly and not looking particularly thrilled.

Goku noticed the look and a sneaky look crossed his face. "And don't give me that stuff about you not wanting to. I know you're getting old, but really—"

Vegeta choked. "Old?" Gohan, Videl, and Bulma had to work to hold back laughs at Vegeta's face, and Piccolo shook his head in amusement. "Alright, Kakarott, you've got your spar. Don't bother with breakfast tomorrow. I'll have you eating dirt all day."

Goku laughed. "I think I'll eat anyway, just in case things don't go as you planned. OOH!" His eyes opened wide in excitement. "We should go somewhere _really_ deserted so that you can go oozaro."

Vegeta grinned in feral anticipation at the idea.

Piccolo looked disgruntled, but before he could say anything, the communicator in Vegeta's pocket started beeping. Vegeta quickly pulled it out and answered. "You're there? Good." He spun and left the kitchen, heading across the yard and back to the capsule house where the Meiyochi radar was.

By the time the rest of the gang reached him, he was already giving the Krimzon officer the coordinates of where to find the Meiyochi. "That should take you right to it. When you find it…or them, for I'm assuming that the Myomoshu is there as well, destroy them." And he hung up again.

The next ten minutes passed in tense anticipation. Quiet conversations started several times, but were quickly crushed by the tension in the room.

And then suddenly, almost swiftly enough to be heard, their powers rushed back to them. There was a collective sigh of euphoria as the sick feeling of being suppressed for so long left them completely.

The room was silent, but it only lasted for a moment before two excited screams filled the clearing.

The gang made their way to the door and looked outside to see twin, golden boys rocketing and flipping around in the air, laughing and shouting in joy. The window of Goten's room was wide open, the curtains blowing in the breeze. Chichi was standing in the doorway smiling gently at their joy, and making no comment on the fact that they were still in their pajamas.

The door to the other capsule house burst open a moment later, and Tien and Yamcha flew out, shouting in joy and powering up to test their returned power.

Gohan and Videl quickly joined them taking to the sky and doing a few flips of their own.

Piccolo moved away to make sure that his own power-level was no lower than before.

Shiro stood transfixed, watching Goten and Trunks excited shenanigans. The boys were alternating between dancing and fighting, moving faster than any normal person could see.

Goku stood between Vegeta and Shiro, just smiling gently at how cheerful his two sons were. Then, the turned to Vegeta. "Come on, let's see it." He said, with a sneaky smile.

Vegeta blinked at him. "What?"

"Super Saiyan 3" Goku clarified. "Let's see it."

Vegeta frowned. He'd performed the transformation several times since that initial time on planet Oso, but he wasn't sure that he had enough power now.

Goku smirked at him. He had a good enough sense of Vegeta's power to know that the man would have no trouble completing the transformation now. He just needed a little push.

"Come on. Here, I'll go first." He said, moving away and levitating into the sky. Once he was a safe distance away, he began powering up rapidly. His scream split the relative peace of the mountain, causing everyone to freeze in their tracks and turn their eyes to the sky. Goku's muscles were bulging, his hair, already golden, was whipping around wildly. Suddenly, it spiked and grew, longer and longer, falling down his back in a long, golden mane. The transformation was over. Goku floated, breathing heavily. The light snow was being illuminated by his aura, swirling around him, making him seem godlike.

His eyes were clouded with the exhilaration of feeling the power that he had gone so long without. Slowly, he turned his gaze down to Vegeta.

"Your turn." He said. His voice, a few octaves lower than normal, carried across the yard, causing everyone to turn their attention to the older Saiyan standing by the capsule house.

Vegeta frowned up at him, but then slowly handed the communicator off to Shiro and took to the air. The clearing was silent. All eyes were riveted on him as he slowly studied Goku. Goku smirked at him and crossed his arms. Vegeta smirked back, and a moment later, his hair was golden, his aura expanding rapidly. His muscles bulged, and lightning flashed around him.

With a yell, he arched back, and his aura began flashing.

Goku's smirk dropped off his face at the momentary flash of a power much greater than he had expected. However a moment later, Vegeta's hair lengthened and he floated before them as a super saiyan 3.

Goku thought for a moment that he had imagined that flash, but a quick glance at Piccolo assured him that he hadn't. _It seems I've got some catching up to do_. He mused with a frown. _Although…it looks like Vegeta hasn't noticed._

He studied Vegeta for a moment longer, before a silly grin came across his face. "I can't wait until morning." He said excitedly, and crossed the distance between the two. "Let's give this a try right now."

Vegeta was in too far too euphoric a state to possibly say no. He didn't even notice that everyone's gazes were fixed on the two of them. With a grin, he asked. "Where to?"

Goku put a finger on his chin and looked around pensively. "We'll need a lot of space. Sooo…same place as usual?"

"Sure." Vegeta agreed and the two shot off at lightning speed in the direction of their usual sparring spot.

Trunks and Goten shared one glance before preparing to take off after them.

"Wait just one minute, Trunks!" Bulma's shout stopped them in their tracks.

"Awww, what mom?" Trunks whined.

"Take me with you." She ordered, tromping across the snow to meet him.

He frowned but knew that if he left her he would never hear the end of it. "Oh, fine." He grumbled picking her up and rocketing into the sky.

They touched down some distance away on top of a rock outcropping. It appeared as though everyone had followed them, for they quickly dropped down beside them as well.

"Can't we get any closer?" She heard Chichi ask Gohan.

"No, sorry mom, but with the power they're putting off right now, it would be too dangerous to get closer."

"Hm." The wind blew her hair in her face, and she quickly tucked it back, as she turned to look at the two glowing figures that had already sprung into action.

Their movements were far too fast for either Bulma or Chichi to follow. They mostly just caught glimpses of the two when they paused in one spot for more than a second. Shockwaves hit them every now and then from when the two collided, and Bulma and Chichi had to hold onto their sons to not get knocked down.

Finally after a series of confrontations, Goku was thrown back into a mountain, plowing a huge hole into the rock and causing large stones to land on top of him.

"Goku!" Chichi screamed in horror.

"Aw, he's alright." A new voice spoke behind them.

Gohan turned around to greet the newcomer. "Hey Krillin. How's it going?"

"Got my powers back too, so I can't complain." They both turned again to look at the two super saiyans. "Man, they're incredible."

Goku sprang out of the rubble, and flew straight at Vegeta. The two engaged in a flurry of kicks and punches before Vegeta was sent plummeting straight down into the ground.

Bulma cringed at the thunderous sound of the impact. "I'll never understand how anyone finds this fun." She said moving closer to Trunks to benefit from the warmth of his aura. The young boy shifted uncomfortably at being pressed so close to his mother, but then expanded his aura to encompass her completely.

Out on the battlefield Goku and Vegeta were sporting matching grins. Goku had gone far too long without a decent battle, and the raw power coursing through his veins was phenomenal.

Vegeta could have gone without fighting for quite a while longer, but he had to admit that this battle was magnificent. The sheer magnitude of their combined powers, the perfect form behind every punch and kick, the friendly rivalry…it was exhilarating. Also, despite the fact that they were beating each other to bloody pulps, he knew that he was in no real danger.

He broke away from Goku and moved away, slightly. A moment later, Goku disappeared. Vegeta immediately whirled around, knowing Goku well enough to know where he would reappear. Sure enough, he was right behind him. A perfect distance.

Vegeta's hand curled subconsciously in anticipation of calling forth his new favored short-range weapon.

The scythe had become a favorite of his. It was on the verge of appearing in his hand when he suddenly remembered Kurenai's order to keep it secret. Ordinarily, he shirked a few of Kurenai's order when the situation suited, but she had seemed very serious about this one—as odd as such an order was. He knew that that only meant that she had a very good reason for it.

His moment of contemplation was all Goku needed to break through his defenses, delivering a devastating kick to the midsection. Such a hit would have split anyone else in two, but after crashing into a nearby mountainside, Vegeta pulled himself back to his feet choking a bit.

He quickly jumped away before Goku plowed into the rubble right where he had been. The two met up some distance away, exchanging another flurry of punches. Rather suddenly, though, the both broke away, both panting.

"Do you…" Goku tried for a moment to catch his breath before starting again. "Do you still remember that fake full moon technique?"

Away from the action, the gang of old friends watched the new developments with mild confusion.

"They've powered down." Trunks noted.

"What are they doing?" Goten asked, blinking.

"Umm…Is Mr. Vegeta taking his clothes off?" Videl's face turned red and she looked away.

"It looks that way, doesn't it?" Bulma said, clearly puzzled.

"I'd expect this sort of thing from Goku," Chichi said. "But I've never seen Vegeta strip in front of a crowd of people."

Once his clothes had been discarded on a small rock outcropping away from their battlefield, Vegeta turned back to Goku. The gang on the mountainside watched without any qualms as their nude comrade raised one hand into the air.

"It looks like Goku's waiting while Vegeta does some kind of attack." Yamcha added.

"Yeah." Gohan said, scratching his head. "I feel like I've seen that before."

Piccolo suddenly realized what the technique was. "Oh no! It's the artificial full moon! He's going to turn oozaru!"

A moment later, Piccolo's statement was confirmed, as Vegeta's body quickly expanded to become that of a giant monkey.

"Oh my Kami!" Videl screamed stumbling back. "What is that?"

"That's a saiyan's oozaru state." Gohan explained. "It multiplies our power tenfold. We need our tails to do it though. The form is very dangerous, but Vegeta can control his. None of us ever learned how." He said gesturing to the two demi-saiyans beside him. "So we had our tails cut off."

They looked back to the two older men to see Goku flying toward Vegeta, fist outstretched. Vegeta raised one large hand and swatted him away before laughing.

For the two full-blooded saiyans there was nothing more thrilling. Vegeta remained in his oozaru form for quite a while before he decided to transform back into a human. The two battled with neither giving the other any leeway, until finally they both lay spent and panting in the snow.

Unbeknownst to them, even the Kais stopped what they were doing to watch the epic friendly spar. The Supreme Kai was especially curious to see how much Vegeta had progressed.

He was sitting, enthralled by the image shown in the crystal ball, even though the fight had stopped a minute ago.

"Well?" The nasally old voice caused Kibito Kai to jump nearly a foot in the air.

Spinning away from the crystal ball, he regarded the Old Kai behind him in surprise. "Y…yes elder?"

"What's your verdict on that saiyan?" He clasped his hands behind his back and looked down at his descendant sternly. "Don't think I don't know of your meddling. I heard about the deal you struck with the saiyan king."

"I…ummm…that is…"

"Don't stutter boy. As it stands, perhaps you were right to intervene." The Old Kai said.

"Really?" Kibito Kai glanced back to the crystal ball before turning back to his elder. "I mean…yes, of course."

"I watched their fight as well. I've also been following that boy's case these past few months. It seems I may have underestimated him. To stand toe to toe with Goku while still having an entire repertoire of magical techniques that he did not use…that is undoubtedly impressive."

Kibito Kai grinned. "It is, isn't it?"

The Old Kai scowled. "Don't take that to mean that you can go meddling in mortal affairs again. I'd originally choked up defeating that Hui character in this century as a lost cause. But it seems there may be hope yet."

Kibito Kai smiled. "Yes, yes there is."

* * *

The next few days passed peacefully—if you didn't count the brutal spars that took place. It seemed as though everyone was trying to make up for lost time, and they trained and fought non-stop. It was almost reminiscent of the time they had spent preparing for the arrival of the androids.

On the fourth day after their powers returned, however, Vegeta was in a terrible mood. He had received a call from Kurenai that morning warning him of reports that Hui finally gotten serious about obtaining a saiyan for his army. Along with that news was the implication that if his search remained fruitless for long, the assault on Earth would escalate to new proportions. To add to that, the full moon was only hours away, and the mysterious force that the otherwise harmless heavenly body exerted on him was already clearly visible.

It had taken a simple enough event to push his temper over the edge, and since that moment—two hours ago—he had been going about in a dark rage. Bulma's attempts to mollify him were clearly doing nothing. Usually, attempts to drag him out to gatherings of their friends were met with flagrant malingering and griping, but recently he'd been much better. Now he was a dark, brooding presence in the middle of an otherwise cheerful bunch.

He had spent lunch glaring and not saying a word, nearly chopping Goku's hand off when he tried to snatch an eggroll from his plate. Then, after lunch he had dragged himself into his room to pout. Which was where he still sat.

Standing outside the doorway now, Bulma thought back to the short conversation that had put her husband in such a state. She'd only managed to hear part of it, having come in in the middle, but she could still get the gist.

_ "I have no desire to meet with your king, and I have even less desire to spend hours listening to that fraud's insipid conversation." Vegeta declared, crossing his arms and turning away with a snort. _

_ "Vegeta, don't be stupid. It has taken us months to convince the King to allow the Krimzon to land, and now that he's really considering it, you're going to refuse to speak with him? It's ridiculous."_

_ "Why do I have to do it? Any one of you can do the exact same thing."_

_ "But he knows who you are. He knows that you are Kurenai's right hand. If we can get him to trust you, we can get him to trust Kurenai. All you have to do is go with Hercule to talk to him."_

_ "You go, if you care so much."_

_ The laconic Namek simply stared, letting his clear disdain for the idea and Vegeta's attitude do the speaking. _

_They shared an inimical look before Vegeta turned away and set off toward the capsule house, ignoring Piccolo's deadly glare. _

With a sigh, Bulma returned to the present. She raised her eyes to the sky for a moment, asking for patience, and then turned the doorknob.

* * *

"Vegeta." He knew from the tone of her voice exactly what she wanted to talk about. He didn't respond—didn't even look up from his book. He felt the bed shift down as Bulma sat beside him, and she gently took the book away.

"I know you don't want to—"

"Yes. So why are we still talking about it?" He longed to be in his oozaru state, to be stomping around and knocking down mountains, but even he agreed that as angry as he was at the moment, turning oozaru now would be too risky.

"Vegeta please understand. This means a lot to everyone." She placed a hand on his cheek and turned his face toward her. "You know what it's like to live in fear. A temporary opening of relations could mean that we can finally try to return to a normal life. We need Kurenai's help, Vegeta, and you know it. Defending the Earth indefinitely is too much of a burden. Look at us, Vegeta. We've lost our home; Gohan, Videl and Goten haven't been to school in months; Yamcha's lost his job. People who have no idea how to survive in the wilderness are trying to make it in the mountains and forests. Our hospitals are gone. People are going hungry and dying of curable diseases, Vegeta. And it's all because people are too afraid to go back to their lives. If we had some sort of assurance that the Earth would be protected from future invasions, people would start going back. Society and civilization could get back on its feet. They would rebuild hospitals, and reopen their grocery stores and schools. We could finally start living again."

She looked up at him with her big, pleading eyes. "I know you've already done a lot for us…" She ran a hand through his hair again, knowing all-too-well how heavy a burden had been placed on his shoulders. He still had nightmares, still flinched sometimes when she touched him. He would never be okay after this. "Too much, but…you're the only person who can do this now. Vegeta, please."

He scowled and looked away. "I will not go and bow to your king and beg for him to make decisions that are good for his people. It's not my fault that you Earthlings are ignorant. Perhaps you do all deserve to die."

"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that, just because I know you don't mean it." Bulma said, and then ran her hand down to his bicep, rubbing it gently with her thumb. "Just think, when you go back to Iro…don't you want to know that I'll be safe, here?"

That suddenly seemed to break his silence. "I've been meaning to talk to you about that." He said idly, seemingly happy for a pause from their current conversation. "Kurenai has expressed an interest in your research and would like for you to work alongside her scientists to reproduce your radar."

"You mean…on Iro?" She asked. All thoughts of the king suddenly fled her as she tried to wrap her mind around the change in topic. Images of what she pictured Iro to be like started flashing through her head.

Vegeta simply nodded, studying her face.

"I…I'd have to think about it." She said hesitantly. "I suppose Trunks wouldn't mind going back, and…if…_if_ Earth weren't really in danger anymore, there would be no real obligation for me to stay either." She looked up at him from under her eyelashes.

He glanced away. "The Krimzon ships protecting Earth will be rotated with others every few months so that the soldiers don't go crazy from living on a ship indefinitely." He assured her, still hoping against hope that she would forget the whole idea of him talking to the king. "The next change is in three weeks." He hesitated, before continuing. "I will be leaving on that ship."

The last sentence caused her to take a deep breath and turn away. He could tell by her silence and her heavy breathing that she was fighting the urge to cry.

Finally, without turning back to him, she whispered. "I hate this."

He raised an eyebrow in confusion, wondering if she meant something about him. A moment later, though she turned back and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Why can't we ever just be left to live peacefully?" He could hear the quiver in her voice.

"Well if you damned Earthlings would just accept that other races exist outside of Earth and take measures to integrate into the system you would not suffer near as much as you do."

"You think you know everything." She murmured into his shirt.

"In this case, I think you'll have to accept that I know more than you do."

"Do you really know about the laws that regulate international space?"

"I have a rough knowledge, but what I said the other day was true. The Earthlings can overrule the King's decision in the eyes of the Krimzon Empire if they have a fair referendum."

"So we could become permanent members of the Krimzon Empire?"

"Would you really want to?" He asked.

"I don't know much about it. Do the costs outweigh the benefits?"

"It depends on who you ask. You're more at risk of being invaded, but I'm sure that as long as a Meiyochi isn't involved, you lot can handle anything thrown at you." Bulma didn't miss the way he didn't count himself in his future projections. It made her heart burn. "After Hui is defeated, I expect things will become a bit more peaceful. At least temporarily."

"Wouldn't Hui's soldiers still be around to cause trouble even if he's gone?"

A dark look crossed his face, and she wondered just what he was thinking then. A moment later though, he looked down into her eyes. "You won't have to worry about them."

She smiled at the protective look in his eyes, and realized that she couldn't live any longer without him around. The thought of him dying once he met Hui was too real. And even if he survived, he would not be returning to Earth. He would remain on Iro, either as a prisoner, or as Kurenai's soldier.

She had to stick by his side. As long as she could. And when he was sent off to battle, she would be waiting for him to come back.

"I'll come with you." She finally said.

She felt his body relax some and a playful smirk lit his face. "With me?" He asked. "I don't recall this having anything to do with me."

"You know it does." She countered.

"It's not like we'd see each other." He continued, ignoring the hand that she brought up to play in his hair. "What with you living in your crappy apartment, and me in my penthouse."

"You'd be awfully lonely there by yourself." She said, pressing herself closer.

"I've always made out fine."

"Oh really?" She backed away. "I guess you'll make out fine tonight then."

He grabbed her hand and pulled her back, eliciting a laugh. A moment later, he captured her lips, happier than he cared to admit that she would be coming with him to Iro.

She pressed herself closer, deepening the kiss. The two stayed that way for a few moments, but finally she pulled back. He could still feel her warm breath on his cheek. "Will you talk to the king?" She asked.

He rolled his eyes. "Fine…though it won't do any good."

"Thank you." She said, and allowed him to pull her into another kiss.

* * *

A/N: Yay, another one finally up. Vegeta's time on Earth is running out, and Bulma has agreed to come to Iro with him. Who else is going, and will Hui get his hands on a saiyan? You'll just have to wait and see.

You all had some great ideas, and I'm trying to work in as many of them as I can. I hope you enjoyed that. Sorry again for the wait. Let me know what you think. As always, your ideas and opinions are very much appreciated!


	41. Trust

Chapter 41- Trust

Vegeta roughly adjusted his glove, jerking it nearly hard enough to rip it. Damn Kakarott and his caring nature. Did he really have to help people every second of his life? Couldn't he just accept that sometimes people didn't want to be helped?

Vegeta's face was a stony mask as his stormy thoughts coalesced to show the image of a stupidly grinning caricature of the other saiyan with impossibly huge, shiny eyes. "Oh what, Vegeta?" The character said in a ridiculously high-pitched voice. "You can't meet the King without a Krimzon uniform? No problem. I'll just pop up to one of those spaceships and get you one. Oh my instant transmission doesn't work in Krimzon territory? Huh, I forgot. No worries, I'll just fly."

The image disappeared in a poof and Vegeta glared down at his shiny black uniform. His alien uniform stood out in stark contrast to the Earthling dress clothes that the majority of his company had chosen to wear. A quick glance in the rearview mirror of the jet they were riding in confirmed that Goku was still trying to get comfortable in the tie that Chichi had strapped on him earlier.

Vegeta's frown only deepened at the sight of the other man. Vegeta's current situation would be far less frustrating if Goku had caught on to Vegeta's repeated hints that he would have preferred not to visit the king at all.

Leave it to Kakarott to rob him of his only out.

If the fact that he had been nearly forced to attend the meeting with the King wasn't bad enough, Mrs. and Dr. Briefs had decided to pop in for a visit. Apparently the necessity of having Android 17 accompany the group to their visit with the King was just the perfect opportunity for the couple to visit with their grandson and son-in-law.

He was fully aware that he was a rather striking figure in his uniform. Women across the galaxy had frequently gossiped about him on the TV and in magazines. Some had even gone so far as to tell him to his face. It was enough that Bulma had spent the morning blushing and dancing on flower petals, but to have to deal with her mother as well?

He was rather fortunate perhaps that the old woman hadn't brought along a camera, but she could have at least stopped fawning over him. There were only so many times he could hear that silly giggle of hers without going crazy, and it had been with a small sense of relief that he had gotten into Bulma's jumbo jet and taken off.

The cherry on top of the cake came when Kurenai called him, curious about the strange saiyan who had flown up to the Krimzon ship floating above Earth and started knocking on the port window asking to be let inside. The mages had sensed a powerful hidden energy inside him apparently, and the reports of the incident had reached Kurenai almost instantly after Kakarott had left.

_"How powerful is he, exactly?" Kurenai had wanted to know._

Vegeta figured that there was no real harm in answering honestly. He probably should have known better. He had immediately been read the riot act. How dare he not tell Kurenai that the other saiyans on Earth were phenomenally powerful as well? Apparently "it slipped my mind" wasn't a good enough answer.

_ "Do you think you could convince him to join the effort against Hui?" _Had been her next question, to which Vegeta's flippant reply had been,_ "He's already convinced himself that he'll be the one to defeat him and save the universe. Whether he'll take your orders is another matter entirely."_

_ "Oh Vegeta, you always did underestimate me." He could practically see her sneaky grin, and he rolled his eyes when she continued. "He'll do exactly what I want him to whether he knows it or not."_

_ Vegeta just snorted. _

_ "Besides, I'll need another powerhouse to handle my special cases. You may be indisposed."_

_"What?"_

_ But the question had only been met with a small beep and the line went dead._

"We're here." Bulma's voice was shaky with excitement and nervousness as King Furry's palace came into view. How the ruler of the planet's home had escaped the massacre of the Earth was beyond Vegeta. Perhaps the Tik were smarter than Vegeta had given them credit for in leaving the ruling monarch alive. He had certainly done nothing productive to shelter the Earth from the Tik invaders after all. If he were somehow indisposed, there was a far better chance that the people would put their faith in a figure who was more open to accepting aide from the Krimzon…someone like Hercule Satan perhaps.

Vegeta cocked his head in thought. He wondered if assassinating the King could have saved him a whole lot of trouble. He supposed it was too late toy with that option now.

He glanced over at Bulma who was flipping switches in preparation for landing. Bulma had caught on quite quickly to his volatile mood, and had remained quiet throughout most of the ride. If it hadn't been for Krillin trying to make small talk and Goku whining about his clothes, the entire ride would have been quite silent.

He turned to look back out the window. It wasn't bad enough that he was being forced to go to this place. He had been denied the privilege of flying there under his own power—something about adhering to Earth customs and not frightening the King and his guard out of their minds.

The jet touched down before the steps of the palace. Chairo and Momoiro were already waiting for them in their shiny black Krimzon uniforms. An entire platoon of palace guards flanked them, eyeing the odd visitors uneasily. Vegeta noticed that the majority of their eyes lingered on him. He wondered just how much these Earthlings knew about his role in the war.

Vegeta glanced at Chairo as he stepped out. He had not really interacted with the woman, but he was fully aware of her opinion of him. He should have relished the hidden defiance in her eyes and the clear disgust that accompanied the fact that he outranked her, but he didn't. He had fallen back into an apathetic state, pushing away the dread of the meeting with every other emotion he might have felt. Only the slight lingering annoyance remained.

When Chairo remained studying him for a moment too long, Vegeta impatiently bit out. "Well, woman, lead us inside."

Her eyes narrowed into a glare and she stepped closer to him. In a low hiss, she spoke. "Even if you can't pull off _being_ a civilized being, it would be better if you put on the show of it just for today. We _do_ want to make a good impression."

"I thought that we also want to create the impression that my rank is respected within the Krimzon Empire." Vegeta hissed back, being careful to keep any sign of hostility out of his expression. "I don't think that calling me uncivilized is going to help with that. Do _you_?"

To all of those gathered around them, it appeared that the two were just having a quiet conversation—perhaps a briefing on the situation. "There is no point in us arguing." Chairo whispered sternly. "If I ever called you uncivilized or a disgusting criminal it was only because you were one. Some might argue that you still are. In any case, we both aim to keep this planet safe. We should put aside our differences and work toward that goal."

Vegeta just scowled and looked toward the entrance of the building. He was not in the mood to argue. He did not even want to be here. He already knew that the entire event would be awful.

"Let's go, then." Chairo finally said, leading them toward the entrance of the palace.

Vegeta's gaze fell upon the other Krimzon officer, Momoiro. The younger woman was standing by the entrance, sending a rather interesting smile to someone behind him. Vegeta looked back to see Android 17 looking determinedly in the other direction. Vegeta just cocked an eyebrow and kept walking, deciding that he really didn't want to know what that was about.

The short walk to the room in which the king had decided to receive them was a quiet one, save for the sound of their light footsteps on the tiled floor. Finally, they were led into a large office. The dog-like king was seated behind a large white desk. He had clearly been waiting for their arrival. He seemed slightly surprised at the number of people who had walked into his office.

The King did not rise from his seat, but only stared around at the people before him with a stony expression. His eyes landed upon Goku first, with clear recognition in his eyes. Then he took in the rest of the people in turn. It was evident from his expression that he had at least a vague idea that these people were not quite normal.

Hercule was already standing beside the King's desk, regarding them all with hope in his eyes.

"I have met with all of you already at one point in time." The king began. His eyes remained fixed upon Vegeta. "But not you. You are the one that everyone has wanted me to meet."

Vegeta just nodded.

"Why? I have continued to refuse to allow extra terrestrials to set up shop upon this planet—even when this planet's past saviors…" His eyes darted to Goku and Gohan in turn. "…have pleaded with me. Why do you think I would change my mind for a complete stranger?"

"With all due respect, your tendency to universally refuse the entry of any alien to the Earth has only brought about a continued genocide. We had all hoped that, by now, you may have noticed this."

"Are you suggesting that I am responsible for the deaths of thousands of humans across the planet?"

"I'm not suggesting it. I'm saying it outright." Vegeta said. Ignoring the stern looks that the majority of the people in the room sent his way, he continued. "As the sovereign ruler of this planet, it is your responsibility to make informed decisions to keep your people safe. As the sovereign of a _free_ planet, it is also your responsibility to ensure that your people are kept informed of the things that might affect them so that with all of your combined knowledge you may come make good decisions. You refused the people this right, and in doing so, you damned them to a life as ignorant prey."

The King was too shocked to respond to this, and Vegeta continued before he could catch his bearings. "Now I fully understand your initial hesitation. I've dealt with more intergalactic empires than I care to remember, and it is always tricky business deciding which ones to trust. There was no way that you could have known which empire were peaceful and would respect your planets rights upon first seeing them. Over time though, you should have been able to gather more than enough information to have made an informed decision about which one you would trust." He paused before adding a little sarcastically. "_Clearly _it is not the one that is slaughtering your people."

Chairo quickly cut into the conversation. "Please remember, sir, that no one is trying to push you to adhere to either of these empires. We just ask that you allow the Krimzon Empire to protect this planet."

The King finally spoke. "Why the Krimzon?"

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Because you have no other options. The Krimzon have respected your planet's sovereignty to date. Why do you continue to distrust them? Do you have any other reason besides blind ignorance?"

"Watch your tongue, boy." The King said, finally rising from his chair.

"No." Vegeta said plainly before continuing. "For decades, you have been relying upon the efforts of the people before you to keep this planet safe. They are the ones who have been keeping the Tik from continuing to run amok across this planet, and it is because of them that the Earth is more than a bunch of dust floating in space. They have saved your life more times than any of us care to count, and yet you do not trust their word. They tell you that the Krimzon Empire is trustworthy and that their only interest in this planet is in keeping the population safe, and you have refused to believe them, instead allowing the Tik to continue to kill your people."

"That's enough! You say that the Krimzon respect my planet's sovereignty, but what about you? I gave no authorization for you to be on this planet, and yet you are here."

"I have been an inhabitant of this planet for nearly fifteen years. I have also been a registered citizen of West City for over ten years, and you never had any complaints about me being here then."

"So you _are_ an alien" The King said as if Vegeta's testimony just proved something that he had long thought.

"Yes. My home planet was destroyed 30 years ago. I have since sought refuge here on Earth at the home of Bulma Briefs."

The King's serene face confirmed that the story was nothing that he did not know already. He sat comfortably back in his chair before continuing. "I am led to understand that it was because of some past crimes in space that you were mixed up with the Krimzon Empire in the first place. Am I to believe the word of a criminal?"

"You can believe whatever you want, but if you want the truth, I will tell you. I'm sure it will be nothing different from the stories Chairo has already told you." He sent a withering glare at the blonde Krimzon officer standing beside the throne before launching into his explanation. "I was the crown prince of a race of powerful warriors on a planet called Vegetasei. A tyrant, much like Hui, took me from my father to ensure my race's continued obedience. Even after that very same tyrant destroyed my planet, I was forced to serve him as his own personal conqueror. It was for the crimes that I committed under his reign that I was arrested and tried by the Krimzon, but as you can see from my continued liberty, I am no longer quite as dangerous as I was then."

"And this emperor?" The king asked, and Vegeta got the distinct impression that he knew the answer already. "What became of him?"

"It was again because of the combined efforts of this lot back here," He motioned vaguely to the people behind him. "That that particular Emperor was defeated, and _I_ personally saw to it that the remainder of his…business…did not revive under some new leader."

"Hmm…" The king considered that. "I have heard about this. Someone named Freezer or somesuch?"

"Frieza." Vegeta ground out the name with some difficulty.

The King now placed his elbows on the table and laced his fingers beneath his chin. "And what was your role in the incident three years ago?" Vegeta's eyebrows shot up, and he quickly searched Hercule with his gaze. Hercule gave him a brief nod.

"You mean the Wizard Babiti and Buu's genocide?"

"Yes."

"How…" Again, he brought his eyes to Chairo. She met his gaze evenly, and he scowled back. He straightened. "Again…The people you see before you are the ones responsible for the Earth's continued existence." Was all he said.

"Chairo and Hercule have explained to me that you…" he turned his gaze to Goku. "…and you, Goku, played a rather special role in that event."

Vegeta clenched his jaw before he finally spoke. "Together with Hercule we were finally able to put an end to the evil incarnation of Majin Buu."

"I see." The king scratched his jaw. "And you have some sort of special powers, I am told?"

Vegeta scowled again.

"Would you show them to me?"

Vegeta sighed and closed his eyes for a moment to fight back the migraine that was forming. Flexing his arms at the side, he quickly made the transformation to super saiyan, shattering all of the picture frames in the room as compensation for his annoyance. The king quickly lept back into his chair and shielded himself.

"Need more proof?" He asked above the sound of the building shaking.

The king quickly shook his head with a terrified look on his face.

Vegeta powered down, sending a withering gaze to the man.

The King shifted into a more dignified position. "Alright, I buy your story, and despite your rude and uncanny approach, I acknowledge that the people behind you are in fact primarily concerned with the wellbeing of this planet. However, how am I to know that you haven't lied to them as well?"

"You mean besides the fact that two of them can read my mind?" Vegeta asked sarcastically.

The king raised an eyebrow. "I can't read your mind, so you'll have to prove it some other way. How will you prove to me that your empire is less of a danger to this planet than the empire of this Hui fellow?"

It was then that Chairo finally moved. "Momo." She called, and instantly Momoiro came forward carrying a small computer.

"If I may, sir." Chairo said, coming to stand before the King. "You have seen many of the newscasts concerning the war, but due to its graphic nature, we decided not to show you this one. Perhaps, we were wrong to do this. This video was broadcast throughout the universe to inspire fear into the hearts of the people and make them submit to Hui without a fight. This sort of occurrence is, as I hear it, commonplace within the Tik Empire. This particular event was broadcast because it involved a certain…celebrity. Unfortunately sir, I must inform you that due to your planet's continued resistance to Hui, what you are about to see will likely be your fate and the fate of everyone in this room if the Tik soldiers ever find you."

Vegeta's stomach was clenching into knots, and he turned his eyes away from the large screen that was dropping down from the ceiling across the room. There was no point in stopping her. The king needed to see it. They all needed to see it. They had all convinced themselves to go to space to find Hui. They needed to see what they were dealing with.

His hands clenched into fists as he stared out of the small window at the grassy grounds below. Small, trimmed hedges surrounded a gently trickling fountain.

The video started then, and Vegeta could hear the voice of some pompous young man bragging. He did not recognize the voice, but he could easily guess who it belonged to.

He heard the cheers, that same dark rumble that had greeted him that fateful day. Now, they seemed just as deafening. He focused his eyes on the fountain outside, trying to block out the sounds of the video.

At some point, amidst the sounds and flashing light, he recognized that someone had grabbed his arm. It took a real effort not to react from sheer instinct and attack. However, when he looked down, he realized that it was only Bulma, her hands latched tightly onto his arm, her face against his shoulder, and her silent tears dampening his shirt.

He could find no way to react to that, and so he just stood and turned his gaze back to the fountain.

He could feel Goku's and Gohan's powers fluxuating behind him, as they usually did when they were in the grip of strong emotions. He could hear Videl's quiet sniffles and smell the salt of the girl's tears.

He wanted them all to go away. But he didn't move to tell them so.

The fountain became all that there was to see, and he strained his ears to pick up the sound of the gently trickling water. All he could hear was the clash of metal and the screams and cheers of the people.

Suddenly the air felt hot. He could feel himself sweating. He could smell the salty air around him and the scent of blood that drifted over from the nearby tables where the Krimzon agents had just met their ends. He could see the dirty, churning mass of people cheering in anticipation of his brutal death. He could feel the hands of the guards as they lifted him and threw him onto the table. He could see the sky, she shining blade…

"Vegeta?" He jumped slightly and stiffened as he recognized the feeling of someone strong holding onto his biceps.

"It's just me." Goku's soft voice came from behind him. "I'm going to let you go now."

Vegeta just blinked and met Bulma's red-rimmed, worried eyes with some surprise. When had she come to stand in front of him? He glanced down to his sleeve where the tell-tale signs of her tears were just visible on the dark fabric.

"Are you okay?" Bulma asked quietly.

He just blinked at her and turned his gaze toward the screen. The video was over now, and he could feel the stares of everyone in the room on him. What had happened? When did the video end? Certainly his execution hadn't been that quick.

He swallowed thickly. He suddenly wanted to leave—to just burst out of the window and high-tail it home. But his pride kept him rooted in place.

"'M fine." He said gruffly.

There was a long silence in the room, but finally the King cleared his throat. "How am I to know that your primary allegiance is to the Earth?" He asked in a gruff voice.

"I'm not sure how else I can convince you." Vegeta ground out. "You clearly already know that the Earth is my home and that my family lives here."

"Son, I am nearly convinced. Don't ruin this for yourself." King Furry said calmly. "If I have your sworn oath that you will act in the good interests of the Earth, I will authorize the Krimzon to make landfall."

"An oath?" Vegeta scowled, remembering the many men who had knelt before his father giving oaths of loyalty.

He had knelt before far too many men lately, and this fool was certainly not worthy of the honor. However, the fate of his home and family was, and so therefore, with great pain, he dropped himself to a knee before his pride and good sense could reinstate themselves. He supposed one more humiliation hardly meant much compared to all of the ones everyone had just witnessed anyway.

He heard the gasps of astonishment behind him as the small band saw the surprising gesture.

The king himself seemed quite surprised. He had frozen in the motion of pulling a small book out of his desk to simply stare at the scene before him.

Vegeta crossed his right arm over his chest, resting his fist on his heart. "I swear to you on my father's grave that I will kill Kurenai with my own hands before I allow her or her soldiers bring any harm to the Earth."

The king gave one glance to the small book in his hand before reverently stowing it back in his desk.

Vegeta stood back up and laced his fingers behind his back. His outward expression was cool, as if he did not care whether or not the king accepted the oath he had just given. Inside, Vegeta's rage was spiking. If the old dog refused again, Vegeta would not be responsible for his actions.

However, with an expression that Vegeta did not want to look too much into, the king nodded. "Alright then. You may tell your people that we will begin negotiations for their protection at their earliest convenience.

Vegeta just nodded and motioned for Chairo to take care of that. Without another word, he turned and pushed his way through the group of people he had learned to call his friends. It wasn't until they heard the sound of the sonic boom of him taking to the skies outside that any of them moved.

They all stared at each other for a moment as if unsure of what they should do next. It was Videl who finally came forward, her shoes tapping lightly on the floor. "Thank you, sir." She said gratefully with a small bow. "I think we should be going now."

As the group turned to go, Bulma quickly caught Goku's arm. "Goku?"

He drew his gaze toward her as if his thoughts had just been miles away. In all likelihood, they had. He hardly had to ask what she wanted. "I'll make sure he makes it home in one piece." He promised, and putting two fingers to his forehead, he disappeared.

* * *

Goku had found Vegeta speeding aimlessly away, unknowingly in the direction of the huge crater that had been left by his self-destruction years ago. After the initial frustrated cry of "go away!" there were no words spoken between the two.

Vegeta's rage finally reached its boiling point at being denied the simple right to some privacy, and Goku hardly had the time to transform into a higher state before Vegeta was attacking him full-force in super saiyan 3.

Their fight was epic—brutal and intense, just the way it should be. Their punches flew faster than most people could see. The sounds of the impact, flesh hitting flesh boomed throughout the canyon-filled area. Mountains crumbled under the force of their collisions, and new craters pock-marked the ground.

Vegeta's anger and humiliation bled out with every punch. Goku knew that Vegeta needed this. He needed to get his mind off of the memories and so he gave it his all, not pulling any punches, forcing his friend to focus on the fight and only the fight.

By the end of it, they were both left panting and exhausted lying in the grass below.

"Vegeta."

Vegeta frowned. He knew that tone, and he did not want to hear it now. Unfortunately, his body was too tired to make an escape possible. "Don't, Kakarott."

"Vegeta," Goku repeated. His voice was low and he was still trying to catch his breath. "I think you should talk about it."

"No."

"I know it still affects you."

"Kakarott, in all honesty, I think the fact that I was executed bothers you more than it bothers me."

"I didn't mean that. I meant Frieza."

Vegeta's entire body tensed, and he remained silent. The man was so random at times. Vegeta never knew where the next blow would be flying from.

"I think you're right when you say that your execution bothers us a lot more than it bothers you. But in reality, that is something that _should_ bother anyone. It was horrific and violent. It was a horrible event that should never have happened to anyone, and we all see it as such. But you…you take it as common course. It should affect you more than that. You should not have been able to recover from something so horrible so quickly. And you certainly shouldn't do it alone. You shouldn't be able to have violent flashbacks of something so awful and then calmly go about the rest of your business."

Vegeta knew that Goku was staring straight at him, but he kept his eyes fixed resolutely on the fluffy white clouds in the sky above. He should have known when Goku had followed him and then fell right into a spar without a word that something was up.

"But you do…because you have seen such horrors before. You have lived through them, so this doesn't seem quite so different, does it. Vegeta, what happened to you…none of it should have happened."

Vegeta frowned.

"You should not have been taken from your father."

His fists clenched around the blades of grass beside him.

"You should not have been forced into servitude for years."

"Stop it." His command was forceful but quiet.

Goku ignored it. "You should not have been forced to kill innocent people at the cost of your own innocence and life."

"Kakarott…" His voice was warning now.

"You should never have had your entire race's safety resting on your shoulders. You should never have been punished and for doing something good. You should never have been tortured and abused."

"Kakarott, stop it!"

"No, I won't stop. Vegeta, you need to talk to someone about this. You can't just keep trying to shove it all away and act tough. Sadness and fear are just part of what makes us human."

"I'm _not_ human."

"You know what I mean." He said. "I'm not as blind as you think. We all saw what happened today. Now everyone knows exactly what happened, and we know that it still affects you, no matter how much you try to hide it…And I know too, that even though you try to act as though your past doesn't matter anymore, it really does. It still haunts you. I've seen the way you look at everyone. You hardly ever join us. It's because you don't trust us."

Vegeta opened his mouth to protest, but Goku continued before he could.

"You trust us much more than you did initially, and I imagine that you trust me quite a bit, but, your trust is very fragile…very…timid. You're afraid that we will turn on you, that we'll sell you out and betray you."

"Shut up, Kakarott.

"No, it's true. I've been in your head, remember. You want to trust us, but you're too afraid to." He seemed to sense that Vegeta was about to start protesting for he continued quickly. "I don't blame you for that though. You've been betrayed too often by people you trusted. If I'd lived through what you had to live through, I don't think I'd trust anyone ever again. But that's what I'm trying to tell you. What happened to you all those years ago, it can't be erased. You will probably never forget it, and it still affects you. You should accept that, and allow people to help you. Just talk about it some…it helps if people understand you better."

"I don't want your—"

"It's not pity." Goku was quick to say. "It's understanding. The two are different. Understanding breeds friendships and better relationships."

The two lapsed into another silence. Vegeta stared resolutely in the opposite direction.

"We all saw the execution now," Goku continued after a few moments. "and none of us pity you. If anything, we admire you. It pains us to see something like that happen to a friend, but to see you overcome it, and act more like your usual self can ease our pain over the issue."

Vegeta snorted.

"I know you find it hard to believe that any of us actually care about you, but we do. You already know that Bulma and Trunks care about you, but you try not to notice that the rest of us do too. You've seen how Chichi keeps piling food on your plate when we're eating. Dr. and Mrs. Briefs clearly adore you. When you first came back and refused to spar, Gohan and Videl spent hours finding books that would be interesting for you but wouldn't spark any bad memories. Goten…well, as much as it pains me to say it, he looks up to you as a second father. Piccolo may seem a little cold, but he made sure that you were wished back to life. Krillin struggled for days to keep confidence with you no matter how much I begged for him to tell me what had happened to you."

Vegeta shifted uncomfortably, and felt the strain of his muscles at the movement.

"You don't have to talk about it now, but you should sometime." He paused for a moment as if expecting Vegeta to say something just then. When he didn't though, Goku sighed. "Well, I guess if you take anything away from this just know that we're all here for you." He sat up then. "Come on. Let's get home. Chichi's probably almost done with dinner, and I promised Bulma that you'd come back."

Vegeta didn't say anything. Even after that spar, he wasn't particularly hungry. He would like a shower though. Without a word, he stood up and allowed Goku to put a hand on his shoulder. A moment later, the two had disappeared.

* * *

She understood it now. The empty looks, the renewed distrust. The horrid nightmares. All it had taken was to look at his face for one moment—to see those glassy, exhausted eyes, so full of pain and grief. So devoid of hope. He was a man betrayed. He had risked his life for all of them. He had saved the entire universe from destruction, and he was repaid by being abandoned and forgotten by his friends. No person's death should be cheered.

She could not stop her tears. They had been falling off-and-on for hours now. Their success with the King did not seem to be a victory anymore. Not with the pain in her chest. And along with that was the question: How had he recovered so fast? What had happened in this man's life to make him desensitized to something so completely horrid?

The answer was simple. Frieza. Frieza had destroyed every opportunity for him to have a normal life of normal joys and sorrows. His pain was so much more pronounced than everyone around him. His scars were so much deeper. And yet he bore them as if they were nothing.

How did he do it?

She hadn't been surprised when he had refused to come to dinner. She and Gohan had carried over a few dishes for him, but he had claimed that he wasn't hungry. Bulma insisted on eating with him, but he had pushed her to go back with her friends. She had refused, until he finally snapped and told her that he would go to the other side of the planet if he couldn't get a moment's peace on Mount Paz.

Bulma had agreed to return to the Son house on the condition that he promise to be there when she returned. Only a half hour after she'd left, she found herself back in front of the bedroom door. Her heart was pounding in her chest, hoping that the light that she saw from under the door was a confirmation that Vegeta was still indeed in the room. She pushed open the door to the bedroom quietly, frowning when she saw all of the untouched plates of food still laid out across the desk.

A moment later, though, her eyes fell upon her husband, and she sighed in relief. Vegeta was stretched out on the bed, freshly showered, and making a semblance of reading the book that Gohan had given him. He didn't acknowledge her entry.

Bulma grabbed one of the plates and set it on the bedside table next to him before sitting beside him on the bed. A quick glance at the book confirmed that he'd only read two pages in the time that she had been gone.

Slowly, she wrapped her arms around his waist, just relishing the feel of his warm body pressed against hers.

"You should eat something." She said.

"I'm tired of everyone telling me what I should and shouldn't do today." Was his grumbled reply.

She simply nuzzled closer and then noticed for the first time that Shiro's scouter was on the bed beside him.

"Did Kurenai call?" She asked.

"Yes." He answered tersely. "Krimzon ships will be landing here in approximately three days. We will be leaving with them when they go again."

Bulma grinned. "Thank you." She said earnestly. "I know that today was very hard for you."

He just grunted.

"I'll make it up to you, I promise." She said.

He snorted.

She simply grabbed the plate that she'd set on the bedside table and brought it before him. He made no move to take it and so she simply continued holding it. "Chichi and Mom really outdid themselves tonight." Bulma said, grabbing a piece of chocolate dessert from the plate. "Here, try some." She coaxed. "It's your favorite."

"I'm not hungry." He responded.

"Vegeta, you're pale, and you're still not back to your previous weight. You shouldn't be skipping meals."

He turned a glare on her.

"Vegeta, if you're not going to take care of yourself, someone's got to take care of you. I'm appointing myself. Here." She pushed the chocolate cake closer.

He just rolled his eyes, unwillingly thinking back to Goku's words earlier. With a dark look, he took the plate from her, slowly picking at the food like a child.

Bulma watched him with a mixture of relief and concern. Sure he wasn't eating with much gusto, but at least he was eating. She would have to see if he would talk later. For now she would have to be content with what she could get.

His eating slowed, and she snuggled closer to his side. "So tell me about Iro." She said idly, hoping that this was a safe topic. "If I'm going to live there, I'd like to know what it's like. I can't wait to meet Pop, and try this famous Pato that Trunks tells me so much about.

That brought a ghost of a smile to Vegeta's face, and he unconsciously took another bite of food before giving a few grumbled descriptions of the city where he had been living.

She smiled a bit in response.

Oh yes, they may have hit a setback, but she would be there for him. The Earth would finally be safe and she would not be separated from him again. They would make it through this.

* * *

A/N: Yay, finally another chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. Hopefully I will be going back to updating once every two weeks. It's been a really hectic and stressful month or two, so thanks so much to all of you who have been sticking with me. I'm always very happy to hear your opinions and ideas, so let me know what you think!


	42. The Last Page

Chapter 42- The Last Page

The weather was finally a little warmer. It was still quite chilly, but it was welcoming enough for Vegeta to be comfortable sitting in a tree outside. He was on the last few pages of his book, and he wanted to finish before he had to go inside and hear the woman fretting about what she should pack. The plot was rather gripping at this point, and he had not appreciated her constant disruption.

His eyes roved swiftly over the words, finally coming to the end of the page. Just as he was turning the page, he heard a small click.

He glanced up idly to see the Son home's back door opening and Goku stepping out. The cheerful man took an appreciative look around his back yard, stretched, and then let out a content sigh. Vegeta couldn't see what beauty there was to be found in such a deadened area. The snow was gone, and the peaceful blanket of white had been replaced by brown grass and mud. The trees still bore no leaves, and the sky was a dull gray. Nonetheless, Goku's small smile could be seen even from Vegeta's vantage point.

Vegeta shook his head slightly. There was no doubt about it. Goku had progressed to the stage of relishing his last days on Earth.

As Vegeta watched, the small smile suddenly dropped off Goku's face, and he turned his gaze directly toward his fellow Saiyan. A curious look graced Goku's features, and cocking his head to the side, he stepped off the porch.

Vegeta resisted the urge to sigh in annoyance as Goku made a beeline straight for him. He didn't bother to pretend to still be reading. As it happened, there was something he'd been meaning to talk to Goku about.

"Hey, Vegeta." Goku said, coming to stand beneath the branch Vegeta was currently sitting on. "What are you up to?"

"I_ was_ reading." He said, emphasizing the past tense. He let his eyes drift over the old, worn pants and jacket that the other Saiyan was wearing but didn't say anything. His own still-slightly-large clothes were nothing to write home over either.

If Goku noticed the look, he pretended not to. "Hm." With a nimble jump, he pulled himself onto the large branch as well, turning to face toward Vegeta. "You look like there's something else on your mind."

Vegeta cocked an eyebrow and then fought back a smirk. "Actually, there is."

Goku's eyebrows shot nearly to his hairline at the unexpected admission. He leaned forward slightly. "Anything you want to talk about?"

Vegeta just chuckled. "Believe it or not, yes."

Goku leaned forward even more, his eyes as wide as saucers. He seemed to consider saying something then, but then wisely settled for just waiting silently for Vegeta to speak.

"It's about your sons." Vegeta said simply.

"Eugh?" Goku nearly lost his balance on the branch, but quickly righted himself. Scratching the back of his head, he fixed Vegeta with an odd look. "What about them?"

Here, Vegeta's face darkened. Goku noticed the subtle change, and grew more serious as well. "Kurenai's scouts report that Hui is currently scouring the universe for a Saiyan to add to his army. So far, they've come up with nothing. The Earth is the only known planet in the non-Krimzon universe that is the home of anyone with Saiyan blood. Hui will not wait long, and he has apparently made it clear that a half-saiyan will do just as well. Kurenai thinks that it's only a matter of time before he sends more people here to hunt you and your sons down."

Goku just blinked at him. "Hui…is after Gohan and Goten?"

"I don't think he's so picky. He'll be happy with one or the other. Or any of the rest of us, really. But he won't be able to get to me, Trunks, or Tarble since we'll all be on Iro."

Goku's gaze drifted back to his house, where smoke was rising gently from the chimney. Idly, he reached down to pick at the bark of the branch on which they sat.

Vegeta noticed the small movement with little interest and continued. "The point is, as long as they're here, they are in danger, and they are putting the Earth in danger as well."

Goku's jaw clenched.

"There's a simple solution to this, of course."

"Really?" Goku's fingers stopped their movements, and his head shot back toward Vegeta in surprise. "What?"

"Take them to Iro." Vegeta said. "There's no way that Hui's forces could penetrate that far into Tik territory. If we make the move a public ordeal, then Hui will know that there are no Saiyans left on Earth, and could possibly decide that there are no resources worth the trouble of trying to break through the Krimzon shield around this place."

Goku just blinked. It was clear that the gears in his head were turning. Vegeta leaned back and gave him time to think. With the sun starting to dip down, it was getting a bit chillier. He shivered slightly as a light breeze rustled through the branches, and raised his Ki a bit.

After what seemed like nearly ten minutes, a huge grin lit up Goku's face.

"That's a great idea!" He exclaimed. "Then I won't have to worry about them when I'm searching for Hui. Oh man, this will be great! You'll be just like one big happy family!"

"Huh?" Vegeta hoped that that statement did not mean what he thought it meant.

Goku squinted slyly at him. "Well they won't exactly have a house on Iro, and you're the only person around with anywhere to stay."

"I don't see what you're getting at." Vegeta said stubbornly, opening his book again for good measure.

Goku continued undaunted. "And we did let you stay here after all, so you kinda owe us."

Vegeta decided to make things perfectly clear for him. "Your entire family will not be living in my apartment, Kakarott."

"Why not?

"Well first of all, because they wouldn't fit inside it. I can hardly accommodate two extra let alone five."

"Oh come on—"

"Nope." Vegeta hopped down from the tree. His good deed for the day was done, and he was not going to get any more reading time in. With purposeful strides, he set off across the lawn toward the capsule house he shared with Bulma.

Goku followed behind him, still making his case.

Vegeta ignored him for the most part, coming to the door and pulling it open. Upon taking one glance at the inside of his temporary home however, he froze so suddenly that Goku nearly slammed into him.

What he had come across was nothing short of a disaster area. He had made smaller messes on most of his purges.

A small "wow" behind him alerted him to the fact that Goku had seen the state of his home as well. Both Saiyans stared with wide eyes at the living room of the capsule house. There were machine parts covering every surface. It looked as if someone had been attempting to sort them, but had given up halfway through. The bedroom door was open, and inside, they could see huge piles of clothes and shoes.

"Vegeta?" He heard Bulma's muffled voice coming from within the bedroom. "Is that you? I need you to help me. I just realized that I had no idea what's in fashion on Iro. Can you come help me go though my outfits?" He heard something spill in the back bathroom, and a low curse.

Thanking the Kais for her momentary distraction, he took a silent step backward out of the house, forcing Goku to back up with him. Then as quietly as he could manage, he shut the door behind him.

The two men stared at each other in something resembling shock for a moment. Then, Goku broke the silence. "You're a little pale." His own face was still slightly horrified.

Vegeta just blinked at him, before quickly shaking himself, and sending an exasperated glance back toward the capsule house.

Goku finally chuckled as Bulma's statement registered. "Are you sure you don't want to help her?"

Vegeta just snorted, and hurried away from the door.

"I guess you'll have time to finish that book after all." Goku said cheerfully, lacing his hands behind his back. "Ordinarily, I'd suggest a spar, but I've gotta go break the news to Chichi." As one, both Saiyan's let their gazes drift to the sky, where they could make out the growing Ki of the fast-approaching Krimzon soldiers. "Our rides are probably landing tomorrow after all."

Vegeta just nodded, and made his way back toward the tree as Goku turned toward the house. The taller Saiyan was already at the door, when he threw back, in a voice just loud enough for Vegeta to hear. "She won't be nearly as hard to convince when she hears that you guys have offered them a place to stay."

Vegeta could practically hear the victorious smirk in his voice, and he cringed. With a sigh of annoyance, he turned again to follow Goku. Whatever intention he had harbored to set Goku straight, however was quickly lost when he heard a sudden shriek. The sort of shriek that that could only be produced by Chichi, and only when she had received some news that was not at all pleasant to her.

Officially dissuaded from intervening, he turned back to his tree. This was strategy, he convinced himself. Not cowardice. He would simply find some other way to ensure that he was not living under the same roof as Kakarott's entire family. With that thought, he settled back against the tree to finish the last few pages of the story.

* * *

It was an impressive sight, all the huge red and black ships slowly dropping down to Earth. The humans stared with looks of apprehension and awe. Scruffy news crews surrounded the area, looking out of place in their salvaged business clothes. At least twenty different languages could be heard, as field reporters from around the globe relayed the events, step-by-step to viewers back home—whatever homes those may be. There was no doubt that, at that moment, this was the only news in the world worth seeing.

The ships kicked up large clouds of dust as they landed, but it only took a few minutes for the dust to settle. Silence fell with the last specks of dust, and stillness reigned in the valley. The cameras were still rolling, still fixed on the ships.

And then suddenly, a click. Then another. And more, quickly followed by hisses as air escaped the pressurized ships through the cracks in the doors. Eight doors almost simultaneously opened, and their gangplanks slowly lowered to the ground.

Then came the soldiers, filing out of their ships, their eyes straight forward, and their backs rigid. Their black uniforms shone in the mid-morning sun, making them look positively regal. Anyone who was unfamiliar with space travel, would likely not notice how much effort these men were putting into hiding their joy at finally being free of the confined area. Their faces remained stern. No one took a grateful inhalation of fresh air. Not a single one missed a step, despite being in a new gravity and an unfamiliar terrain. The men all formed neat ranks in front of their ships and stood still.

It was not lost on Vegeta that not a single one of them was armed. It was perhaps not easy to see the nervousness in some of the younger soldier's expressions, but Vegeta was familiar enough with the life of a soldier to know the signs. Venturing out onto an unknown planet without a weapon was often considered suicide. Especially when that planet's welcoming committee consisted of virtually the entire remnants of its army.

This was nothing like the Krimzon landing all those months ago. Then, they had come to save a people who didn't want saving, and to arrest one of the men who was risking his life to save them. Now, the Krimzon were welcomed. Technically.

The ranking officers of each ship strode forward a few steps, but otherwise did not approach. It was then that Vegeta noticed that the majority of the soldiers were staring at something in the sky behind the Earthlings.

Vegeta instantly recognized the familiar Ki signature approaching and turned just in time to see the space pod fly over their heads and impact with the ground. He could have kicked himself for not sensing it before.

There was a frenzy of shouting and activity among the humans at the sound and at the subsequent dust cloud that rose into the air, but the Krimzon soldiers did not move. Nonetheless, it seemed that the anxious tension was immediately broken by this new arrival, and that now the Earthlings were fully convinced that they were under attack.

Vegeta sighed in exasperation.

"Who's that?" Gohan finally asked from behind Vegeta. The young man was leaning forward slightly as if that might help him to see better.

Vegeta didn't respond. He just stared at the small figure rapidly coming toward them. The person did not seem bothered to have every weapon in the Earth's entire army pointed at her. In fact, she seemed more concerned with the dust that was clinging to her clothes.

"It's…" Trunks started.

"Midori." Father and son said together. They glanced down at each other, Trunks with a grin and Vegeta with a raised eyebrow.

The woman in question arrived a moment later. She ignored everyone else gathered, and grinning, dropped down in front of Vegeta. Her boots made no sound as they touched the ground. She flipped her long hair back over her shoulder, and gave him a quick once-over. He couldn't help but notice that her gaze lingered on the places where he had been…most injured.

The news crews were timidly inching closer now. Clearly some of them recognized this woman, for the reporters were chattering in excited whispers to the cameras.

Neither Vegeta nor Midori paid them any heed—Vegeta because he honestly didn't care about them, and Midori because she was too preoccupied inspecting the health of her long-lost friend. Vegeta wished that she hadn't had that odd shine in her eyes. For some reason, it made him embarrassed. Her entire countenance held far more concern than was necessary.

As her gaze traveled up toward his face, she noticed Vegeta's scowl. She quickly shook the silly grin from her face to adopt a much more professional stance.

Vegeta was rather impressed to note that she had also gotten rid of the traces of tears. Perhaps, though, that had simply been magic. While Midori may have been given good marks for quickly cutting the sappy act, she clearly couldn't help one small jab. "Surprise." She said, with a sneaky smirk before finally glancing back toward all of the news crews, armed men, and tanks. "Nice welcoming committee. Are Earthlings always so friendly?"

"Yes." He said flatly, and he swore that he heard Piccolo and Goku both snort laughs.

"Seriously, though." In her survey, she had clearly spotted the Krimzon technology that had been used to upgrade some of the weapons, and had grown a little more serious. "Are they going to shoot us?"

"Earthlings aren't a particularly trusting bunch, and their only real contact with extra-terrestrials has been of a violent nature." He informed her, before turning toward the group of Earthling generals behind him. "Tell your men to stand down." He ordered. "No one here is a threat." With that, he turned back to Midori. He made sure to let his displeasure ring clear in his expression and stance. "Why are you here, exactly?"

Midori drew her gaze away from the dust-covered Earthlings and back to Vegeta. "We couldn't take you back to Iro without confirming that you are who you say you are, could we?"

Vegeta supposed that was a reasonable enough justification.

It was rather fortunate that he required no further explanation, because apparently Midori was not willing to give any.

"So…is your king around here somewhere? I'm supposed to talk to him, apparently."

Although he cringed at the notion that anyone on this planet was "his king," Vegeta nodded over his shoulder to the furry gray man. "He's the guy that looks like a Loup."

"Hm." Midori studied him for a moment, and then let her eyes rove over the people gathered behind Vegeta again, stopping momentarily on each of the Saiyans and Piccolo. "For people who have never had contact with extra-terrestrials, humans are a pretty racially diverse bunch." She said with some humor, and then winked. "Well, let's get this over with then. Come on and introduce me."

Vegeta scowled, but she crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at him in clear order.

He tried to stand strong, but he knew that he would never hear the end of it if he didn't do as she asked. With a long suffering sigh, he complied, gathering the scraps of his pride and shoving past her toward the king.

As the two approached the furry gray wolf man, Vegeta was fully aware that the eyes of every Earthling around were trained on him. He hated the attention. What was worse, Kakarott, and the whole band had decided to tag along to watch the show.

Chairo and Momoiro stood to the left of the King; some Earthling generals and Hercule stood to his right. Vegeta hated formality, but some of the training from his youth had not been lost. It was therefore with perfect princely grace that he gave a slight nod of respect to the king before gesturing back to Midori. "King Furry, I present to you Midori, the second ranking officer in the Krimzon Empire and Empress Kurenai's personal assistant."

The king was silent. He studied her for a moment, his eyes wise, but curious, as he took in the odd, reptilian appearance the likes of which he had never seen in such close quarters. His eyes lingered for a moment on her transparent pants, the flat chest, and the chain that linked the nose ring on her nearly non-existent nose to her earring.

"Yes, I've seen you on TV." He finally answered.

She nodded in acknowledgement. "Yes, my position requires me to make frequent appearances." She paused, but when he did not say anything further, she got right to business. "There are of course several things that I must discuss with you. The time of these discussions is at your discretion, but I am of course available indefinitely from now."

Vegeta had to give her credit for her stamina. He was fully aware of how space travel made you tired and hungry. He could see the evidence of bags under her eyes, and the slight, frequent shifting that told of stiffness and aches in her bones. The others most definitely didn't notice, but he was used enough to space pods to recognize the symptoms.

"I think it would be best to do this now." The king said, and the rest of the statement "_and get you off my planet as soon as possible" _was only strongly implied.

"Of course." Midori said graciously. "If you'll just give us a minute." The king nodded and she turned to Vegeta, taking a step away. Vegeta followed her for a few steps. There was really not much to be done. They were literally surrounded by Earthlings. Nothing that Midori had to say would not be overheard by at least one of them.

However, once Midori judged them to be a sufficient distance away from the King, she whirled toward him, and then saying in a language that he'd hoped to never have to hear again asked, "You understand me don't you?"

The shock of hearing _that_ language sent a chill down his back. He stiffened, and he knew that she saw his face pale. He only just managed to not take a step back in his surprise. She blinked at his reaction. "I'll take that as confirmation that you do." A sudden flash of guilt came over her face. He hardly registered it. He was still trying to get over the shock of the sudden, nasty blast from his past. She seemed to see that. "Look." She started. "I'm sorry to have to use Ice-go, but we really don't have much time, and I never learned Saiyago."

"A…" He cleared his throat before saying in that same slithery, disgusting tongue. "Any language would be better." From the corner of his eye, he saw Goku asking Trunks what they were saying, and Trunks responding that they weren't speaking any language that he knew.

Of course he didn't know it. There was no way that Vegeta would ever teach his son the language of the Icejins. It had been bad enough that he had been forced to learn it all those years ago—first by his father in preparation for dealing with the Kold Empire, and later to ensure his survival while living under Frieza's cruel reign.

He looked around at the clash of dusty Earthling clothes and crisp black uniforms amidst the brown clearing. He wondered which of them could hear his heart pounding out of control. Certainly the Namek could.

"We don't have the time to figure out which ones we both know." Midori said, studying his eyes closely for a reaction. "You're lucking out this time. I'll be going alone with Chairo and Momoiro to talk to the king. Kurenai thinks that it would be much better if only women did the negotiations because of the Earthling conception that women are weaker than men. We wouldn't want to intimidate him, now would we?"

He cleared his throat before replying. "You mean…" The language came back to him much more fluidly than he would have wanted it to—yet another reminder that that past would never be fully behind him. "You want to let him think that he's pulling the strings, when really you're just batting your eyelashes and conniving him into agreeing to anything you put on the table."

Midori grinned. "I do it well." Was all she said. "Now, go and pack your things. You and everyone who plans on accompanying you will leave first thing in the morning." She glanced around at the group of people that she vaguely recognized as his family and friends before suggesting in a half-embarrassed whisper. "You may want to bring along some sort of explanation of Earthling anatomy. Someone's bound to get sick in the first few days they're on Iro."

He just nodded, and gratefully switched back to Standard. "Is that all?"

She nodded, and again her expression switched to one of concern. The look annoyed him. Since when did she have the right to be concerned about him?

Seeing that she had nothing more to say, he took a step back. "Good." He said, and with a small nod, turned, and blasted into the sky.

* * *

Much later, they were all stuffed into the Son's small kitchen. Bulma had informed Midori before Midori had ventured off to her official meeting with the king, that she was more than welcome to stay on Mount Paz for the duration of her time on Earth. The others in their little group were curious, no doubt, but they would not be afraid or distrusting of her as many of the Earthlings would have been. Midori had been baffled enough by her rather short discussion with the king and hadn't questioned why anyone would have been afraid of her. Distrusting, certainly. Afraid…she wasn't that scary, was she?

She had accepted in less than a second. There was little doubt that she was curious about the people that the Saiyan Prince Vegeta had come to call his family and friends. What extraordinary people they must have been to tame such a volatile man and turn him into a hero.

She was quickly finding Bulma to be an amazing person, both for her unyielding spirit and her superior intellect. Kurenai was certainly going to be pleased once this woman was in her labs.

The rest of them all seemed like warm, caring people, full of smiles and laughter. It was a direct contrast to Vegeta's usual cold, hard persona, but in this small, cozy home, sheltered from the rest of the world by a thick forest and steep cliffs, it seemed to fit. This tiny house, warmed by a roaring fire in the fireplace, with its hand-made curtains and tablecloth, its wooden furniture, and walls covered in pictures, was where some of the most extraordinary people she had ever met were congregated. And she had met, plenty of people.

This house seemed out of time, the people charmingly out of touch with reality. It was a beacon of calm in a world ravaged by invaders. Looking at this place, at these people, one would never think that thousands of people were losing their lives every day due to that raving madman called Hui. It was no wonder that Vegeta had chosen these people as the ones to call family.

Midori had tried to help with dinner, but she couldn't cook the food of her own home planet, much less that of any other. That admission had been met with understanding laughter and the insistence that she just make herself at home.

She had decided to go and find Vegeta, only to learn a short while later, that he and the other saiyan hadn't been seen for several hours. Apparently that was a normal occurrence.

The man in question had slunk in, just as the food was being laid on the table. Where he had been before, she had no idea, but judging from his state and that of the other Saiyan—what was his name? "Go" something—she could only assume that they had been fighting.

The two had somehow avoided showering before eating, despite the incessant hounding of their wives, and had plopped down at the overladen table.

It was only much later, once most of the food had been eaten, and there were tall piles of plates and bowls all around that Vegeta finally said something to Midori. "What the heck is up with that jewel on your head anyway?" The quiet question was certainly not the first one she'd been expecting, but this man had a habit of surprising her.

Midori's first response was to sigh as if he were a frustrating child. "How often do I tell you to try to learn at least a little bit about the cultures of the people you interact with?"

"Huh?" He blinked, and his chopsticks hung over his plate for a moment. "What does that have to do with it?"

"This," She said, with a grin and a glimmer in her eye. "Signifies that I have chosen a life mate."

He stared at it before frowning. "Please tell me that Chet is not wearing one of those too."

She growled and rolled her eyes. "No, he's not. If you must know, he will get a tattoo on the day we are actually bonded."

"That is just lovely!" Bulma's near-shout alerted them both to the fact that she had been eavesdropping. The blue-haired woman turned to Midori with a slight blush. "Ahem… Congratulations!" Then she turned to Chichi, who had clearly also been eavesdropping. "That's one that I haven't heard of."

"I wonder if Han'nei will do that too?" Videl shouted from the other side of the table.

Trunks's head immediately whipped around at the mention of his friend's name. Goten blinked at his friend, wondering why he had cut off in the middle of a sentence with such a nervous expression.

"Yes, but Trunks with a tattoo?" Chichi asked, drawing the young boy's gaze toward her.

"The times are changing." Bulma said with a shrug.

"Mom, what are you talking about?" The boy in question asked, looking as though he was dreading actually hearing the response.

"Your wedding, honey." She said simply.

Trunks turned scarlet. "Mooooom!" He slumped down in embarrassment as a loud roar of laughter echoed through the small kitchen. "Seriously!" He turned his eyes to his father. "Dad, do something!"

But Vegeta was already in an argument with Midori. "Well forgive me for not knowing about…" He paused, clearly wracking his brain for the name of her race. When he came up with nothing, he continued. "Your…mating ceremonies." He snatched the last eggroll from right under Goku's and nearly inhaled it, smirking when Goku's outraged shout added to Trunks's whining.

Midori had caught the hesitation in Vegeta's speech. "Vegeta, where am I from?" She asked, propping her elbow on the table and fixing him with a stern look.

He glanced over with a catty smile. "I have no idea."

"I'm from Inhalaho!"

"I would have never remembered that, even if you'd told me." He said, and then seeing her look, quickly tried to defend himself. "But it's not as if you know anything about Saiyan mating customs."

"Nor do I want to." She grabbed her water and took a sip, more for a reason to look away from him than for anything else.

"Double standard." He pointed out.

She rolled her eyes.

As Trunks continued to shout complaints, and laughter rang through the small mountaintop clearing, the sun was setting on an era. With the rising of the new sun, the group of family and friends would have to say their goodbyes. Some would be leaving. Some would be staying. Some would part with determination and smiles. Some would part with tears and broken hearts.

But tonight, there was only happiness. As if this night were the last night they had to ever be happy. And for all they knew it could be.

* * *

While a large dinner was being shared on Mount Paz, in the middle of the ocean the sun was dipping low on the horizon. Master Roshi's island was usually warm and cheerful. This evening, it was only warm.

The sound of a dish shattering could be heard inside of the small beach home. Master Roshi didn't look up from his magazine and Marron and Turtle continued building their sandcastle. That was the third piece of glass that had broken in the past hour, and Master Roshi was certain that many more would follow.

While the semblance of peace had been maintained on the beach outside of the house, inside was an entirely different story. "So we're not good enough for you, is that it?" 18 asked, taking another picture of Krillin off the wall and slamming it face-down on the table.

"No, 18. That's now what's happening, and you know it."

"Oh do I?" Why were there so many pictures of this man? She found another and shoved it into a drawer. "What I know is that you were only brought back to life two months ago, and now you're leaving your wife and daughter again to go and get killed. All for the sake of a little fun."

"Oh come on." Krillin chuckled at the absurdity of the statement, and then blanched as she turned her sharp blue eyes toward him. He cleared his throat and tried again. "18, please try to understand. I'm useless as long as I stay on the Earth. Do you know how helpless I've felt over this past year? Those Tik warriors were so much weaker than I was, but I was hardly any more use against them than a normal Earthling. Someone needs to get to the root of the problem, and I trust that Goku can do it. But he shouldn't do it alone. He's my friend. I want to help him. And besides, it's not cool needing your wife to protect you all the time."

"I _like_ protecting you, you foolish little man!" She snapped, slamming another picture frame face down hard enough to break the glass.

"But_ I_ don't. I want to keep everyone safe just as much as you do. How can I keep looking at you and Marron knowing that I could do something to finally stop this war, but that I didn't?" He lowered his voice to a less severe volume. "Look, I'm sorry that it had to be this way, but it will hopefully not be for a long time."

18 crossed her arms and glared at him. "The Meiyochi is gone." She reasoned. "You can fight again here."

"Yes, but the Krimzon are finally protecting the planet. Hopefully, there won't be anyone to fight."

"Then why do I have to stay?"

"You don't. We can leave Marron with 17 and Mrs. Briefs." He said, fully knowing that she would never submit to being separated from her daughter for that long. Unfortunately the blonde Android's choice was between being with her husband or being with her daughter. Krillin already knew which she would choose, and he didn't blame her for it.

He stepped closer to her and pulled the newest picture out of her hand. It was of the three of them on a picnic several summers ago. "Look, I won't be gone for long, I promise. I won't be killed again either."

"You'd better not be." She threatened.

He smiled. "In any case, Bulma has already given us one of those video chat thingies, so we'll be able to talk every day."

"I still don't like it."

"I know you don't." He said, and then finally steeled himself. "But I've made up my mind. I'm leaving tomorrow morning with the others. Can we just make today count?"

She bit her lip and looked away. He could see the indecision in her eyes, and the saddened knowledge that neither situation was ideal. There was nothing to be done however.

He took her hand gently. "Come on." He said. "I think Marron still needs help with her sandcastle." It tore him up inside to leave his family again. His conversation with Vegeta all those months ago came unbidden to the forefront of his mind.

How awful it would be to never see his little girl grow up. The very thought made his stomach clench. He would make sure to come back to them. No matter what.

* * *

"Ok, so clothes…check. Capsule blueprints…check. Meiyochi radar blueprints…check…" The midmorning sun chased away the bitter chill that had kept them in its clutches for so long. Vegeta had again had to listen to all of Bulma's giggles and comments about his uniform that morning, and he swore that if Mrs. Briefs tried to dust off his armor one more time, he was breaking her hand. The older woman had not stopped giggling since they had arrived on the site where the Krimzon ships were landed, and her husband had long since wandered off to inspect the Krimzon technology. He'd apparently completely forgotten that his daughter and grandson were leaving for space in a few minutes.

Midori's face was missing from the crowd. She would be meeting with the King for at least a week, and would take her pod back to Iro. Vegeta was surprised that he wasn't being shipped back to Iro in a Veet pod as well, but apparently Kurenai thought that his presence wasn't urgent, and she wanted to give him a little more time with his family.

Mrs. Briefs giggled again and dusted off his arm. He glared darkly at her, which oddly only caused her to blush. Vegeta swore that the moment he was on the ship and out of public eye, the uniform was coming off.

He just turned back toward Bulma. "Look, woman, stop checking things. We're already at the ship. If you've forgotten something, _I'm_ certainly not flying back to get it."

She rolled her eyes and was about to tell him that he most certainly would have, when a sudden cat-call and a hoot drew their attention. Off at some distance, Gohan and Videl were sharing an intimate goodbye. It had taken quite a bit of arguing to convince Videl that Hui was way out of her league, but in the end, she had agreed to stay on Earth. But only with the promise that Gohan would call everyday, and that she would be called if it looked like they needed her help.

Bulma quickly left Vegeta and together with Chichi grabbed their two now laughing sons and steered them toward their respective families. Only a few feet away from the Briefs, the Ox King and Master Roshi were saying their goodbye to Goku.

The two women let go of their sons, and the boys immediately gravitated toward each other again. Neither woman paid them any mind. Chichi, in particular was taking the separation from her father hard. "I never thought I would be moving into space." Chichi mused, giving her giant of a father a large hug.

"It will be an adventure." The Ox King said. "And if it's to keep the boys safe…"

Goten overheard his grandfather's comment and turned toward his friend. "I don't really see how we're not safe here." He said. "Not that I'm complaining, but the Tik are gone."

"Yeah, but the Earth is still a target as long as we're on it." Trunks informed him. Trunks noticed that one of the Krimzon soldiers was giving his father a signal. Clearly their time was up. Trunks nodded to Goten and the two began walking toward the ship. "They'll come back."

"Why?" Goten asked, noticing that the rest of their family was now following them.

"Didn't any one tell you?" Trunks asked quietly. "That Hui guy wants a Saiyan in his army. Kurenai called my dad and told him that Hui was probably going to come after one of us. That's the only reason why your mom agreed for you to come to space with us."

"Really?" Goten asked. "Cool!"

The two passed the soldiers guarding the gangplank without being stopped and continued on inside the ship. They were met with the sight of a sleek, black hall. The two stopped, and turned back to wait for the rest of their party.

* * *

Vegeta had a sudden feeling of deja-vu stepping into the sleek black-tiled halls of the Krimzon spaceship. As far as design went, Krimzon spaceships were not much different than ones he had traveled in during his time in Frieza's employ. Of course this one did not have the bright pastel coloring, and seemed a bit more modern in general. He couldn't escape the feeling that he'd been in this exact situation before.

Back then, all of Vegetasei had been expecting him to defeat Frieza. Now, most of the universe was expecting him to beat Hui. He hardly noticed that he and the rest of the group were being escorted through the halls of the ship toward their sleeping quarters.

He remembered staring down at his much-smaller, white-clad feet as they made even strides across the pinkish metal floors as he was escorted to his first interview with Frieza. He remembered Dodoria's rough hand pushing him along, and Frieza's unnerving and foreboding smile.

The walls of the spaceship blurred by him, occasionally becoming much lighter, but much colder at the same time.

"Prince Vegeta, this room was set aside for you." The soldier who had apparently been escorting them through the ship had paused in front of a door.

With no indication of what he had been thinking, he turned his attention to the door that was sliding open in front of them. Inside was a rather large stateroom, with a large bed and more space than he would have expected. He just nodded and walked inside. Bulma followed him, ignoring the soldier's curious look.

The door slid closed behind him, and Vegeta succeeded temporarily in brushing away all thoughts of any previous time that he had been on a ship like this.

* * *

Goku watched the door slide closed behind his two friends. His curiosity and excitement had been somewhat quelled by the expression he'd seen on Vegeta's face a moment before. Unbeknownst to Vegeta, Goku had been watching him closely since they'd entered the ship. While he had wanted to ogle the modern technology and talk excitedly about their coming trip to space, he found he couldn't. As soon as they had entered the ship, Vegeta had adopted the air of someone who was awaiting some dark calamity.

Goku didn't quite understand it, and as they were led down the hall to a lower level, he scratched his chin in thought. He wondered what it was about this ship that had put Vegeta in such a dark mood. No one had said anything to him, so it couldn't have been that.

He wondered if it had to do with his last time in space. That certainly had ended painfully for him, and was enough to leave its mark on anyone.

But Goku suspected it was something else. He suspected that the look had to do with something from a long time ago. From a dark, cheerless childhood, and a bitter youth.

He knew that Vegeta desperately ached for his home planet, for his own race and customs. Certainly having everything he loved torn away at such a tender age had scarred him. Goku knew that none of Vegeta's acquaintances—barring perhaps Bulma—gave enough thought to the hell that Vegeta's past life had been, and the way that that life had shaped who he had become.

He knew that the man had never fit in as well as he'd have liked, and that the Earth and its culture perpetually baffled him and made him uncomfortable. He was painfully aware that Vegeta regretted the fact that Goku didn't behave more like a Saiyan.

Goku occasionally wondered if it was even more personal than that. He wondered if Vegeta regretted that Goku didn't act more like Raditz. Vegeta never mentioned the other Saiyan, but occasionally, Goku could see in his eyes that something he did or said reminded Vegeta of someone. Someone from long ago. A friend that he'd lost. A friend that Goku himself had killed.

"This is your common room. The soldiers' common room is one level below yours."

A long chorus of "Woooow!" Drew Goku's attention toward the inside of the room. He had to agree that it was impressive. A large TV stood against one wall. A strange table that was clearly for some game was on another wall. Tables and comfortable sofas were positioned around the room, and in the corner was a small kitchen area.

Goku immediately forgot about his worries when the soldier informed them that although meals would be served in the cafeteria, the kitchen would be kept fully stocked by the catering crew. Goten and Trunks immediately bound across the room to check out the fridge, and Goku couldn't help but follow them. He had plenty of time to get to the root of Vegeta's strange attitude. For now, he would just enjoy the tour.

* * *

On the other side of the universe a slender, dark-haired man sat in a white dining hall enjoying a spread of delicacies that would have taken the average man years to afford.

He had been thoroughly enjoying flaunting his wealth in front of his servants when one of the great double doors of the dining room cracked open and a messenger slipped through. The messenger wasted no time in striding across the room and dropping to a knee beside Hui's chair. "Sir, all of the Saiyans have been removed from Earth." He said hurriedly. "It's all over the Krimzon news. The adults are apparently going to be part of Kurenai's army, and the two children will be guarded on Iro."

Hui frowned, and took a rough bite of meat. The messenger flinched back. Hui maintained his silence for a few minutes, partially to savor the power that he held over this man and partially to solidify his plan.

The messenger waited patiently, but a drop of sweat running down his temple betrayed his fear.

Finally Hui spoke. "Tell Fenn that I want their ships tracked." A small smirk crossed his face, and he chuckled slightly. "Oh Kurenai, she really thought she had me. She never thought that her own media would betray her. Have some ships fitted with cloaking devices and a Meiyochi and sent to the Gemini region. That should be directly between Iro and the Earth, and the most likely route that that ship will take." He shook his head with a small smile, almost as if he were musing about the antic of a young child. "Kurenai will deliver those Saiyans right to me."

* * *

A/N: I swear I tried to update this in two weeks. Every day, I sat down and opened the file and stared at it, and tweaked little parts. But I just couldn't get it done. Terribly sorry about the long wait. I am doing my best to publish them in two week intervals, but I don't want to sacrifice quality for frequent updates. I hope you enjoyed it. Please let me know what you thought. All comments and advice are welcome!

And now for something really cool. One of the long-time readers of this piece, Cara2012, has drawn a picture for Crimson. The picture depicts Vegeta in his Krimzon uniform on planet Oso. Definitely go and check it out! Here is the link (just take out the spaces): http:/delilah2012. Deviantart .com/#/d4ucsd7


	43. Specter

Chapter 43- Specter

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Bulma said, staring out of the circular window at the stars as they flew by. The dim room would have seemed cold had it not been for several lamps casting a warm, yellow glow throughout the room. The cozy interior of their shared bedroom made the idea that they were actually hurtling through space all the more surreal.

Across the room, Vegeta was inspecting the suits and armor that Kurenai had sent along. He'd discovered them hanging neatly in the closet only minutes ago. They were nearly identical to the ones he'd worn before in her service. "You should know better." He called back, without looking up. "Out here is nothing but cold, heartless space. There's no beauty in that."

Bulma's awed expression switched to one of concern and she turned her gaze toward him.

He did not turn around, but only continued to inspect the suits—rubbing the material between his fingers, testing how well it stretched and feeling how much pressure the armor could take before it cracked.

Bulma took one last glance out the window. From their position, it looked as if it were raining stars. Close planets, moons, and rocks whizzed by the window, catching the light from nearby stars or from the ship itself and appearing to shine. In the distance, a web of stars crawled slowly on the inky background. She could not help but find beauty in it. Her one experience in space had been terrible, sure, but it was not enough to make her disenchanted with space in its entirety.

She could understand though, that a lifetime of horrors among these very stars would be enough to scar anyone.

As she gazed at her husband, for a moment, she saw a child—one she had only seen in a picture. He was a proud boy, so much resembling her own son, but with the raven black, upswept hair that she had come to adore. She imagined him standing in a ship just like this one, seemingly calmly testing the quality of his armor, but being utterly terrified of what the future held for him. She of course knew the next chapter of that story. The next two decades of the boy's life would be nothing but pain and horrors. He would be betrayed, hurt, and exhausted with life.

She had a momentary flash of horror at the thought that Hui was hunting a Saiyan. If he ever got his hands on Trunks, what would he do to him? Her poor little boy. He would be subjected to the same horrors that his father had been. She quickly shook the image of her son, pale and abused in a gray and black Tik uniform, out of her head.

Bulma stood from the bed and padded across the soft rug to her husband. Finally reaching him, she wrapped her arms around him from behind, laying her cheek on his warm back.

The man who that spiky-haired boy would become eventually fought for his freedom, and won. His accomplishments would be nearly forgotten though, as he struggled to adapt to a new world and way of life and to a people who neither knew nor cared about him. He would never be like the others, but he would eventually find a home—and have it ripped away again.

Her arms tightened around him as tears rose to her eyes. His scent drifted over her, and she inhaled deeply, dedicating every aspect of this man to memory as she had done so many times before. It was so difficult to know that any day he could be ripped away from her permanently.

He would be taken away to repeat the horrors all over again. No, for him, space was not beautiful. She wondered if anything was.

"Woman," His soft appellation broke the silence that had settled over him, and Bulma realized that she had not clued him in at all to her train of thought. "Usually I have some general idea of what you're thinking, but now you've got me at a loss. Do kindly explain to me why you are wetting my shirt."

She couldn't help but chuckle slightly, though the sound came out as more of a sob. "When…" She paused and cleared her throat. Knowing that trying to delve into his past would just cause him to shut off, she decided to address only part of her concern. "When we get to Iro, will you be staying there?"

He didn't respond immediately, but she could feel the muscles in his back tense. "Kurenai has rarely sent me away for more than a week before, but…she is expecting me to eventually go after Hui."

Suddenly their cozy little room seemed much colder. Her arms tightened around him again. "Alone?"

"_I_ would prefer it that way, but Kurenai might think otherwise."

"Please don't go alone. That man is a monster."

Vegeta finally put down the armor and turned around to face her. He gazed down at her for a moment as if he were trying to think of something to say. Perhaps some words of solace. Finally though, he settled on saying flatly. "You shouldn't worry."

"I know, I know, you can handle it." She said.

"No, I mean…" He paused. "Worrying won't help anything, so…don't."

She laughed out loud. "And how do you propose I do that."

"Go tinker with your machines." He said. "Isn't that what you always do?" When she opened her mouth to respond, he suddenly remembered that she hadn't brought anything other than her completed projects along. No tinkering required. "Or better yet," He hurried to continue. "Go wander around this ship. I'm sure there's bound to be something here that you've never seen. The hyperspace mechanism on the Veet pods, for example."

He could tell by the way that she didn't immediately respond that he had intrigued her. "The what?" She asked, curiosity leaking into her voice, and slowly taking over her worried expression.

"The hyperspace mechanism. It's a relatively new idea—certainly wasn't around when I was in service all those years ago—which is pretty lucky for you because I would have certainly destroyed that little mudball you call home if I had gotten there even a day sooner." She rolled her eyes, but there was a hint of a smile on her face. "Basically, it's a mechanism that bends time and space, allowing space pods to jump from certain select points throughout the galaxy."

"Jump?" She asked, and he could see that curiosity had finally won the battle. Her big blue eyes were wide with the excitement for new knowledge as she gazed up at him, and he couldn't help but smirk slightly at the fact that _he_ was teaching _her_ something about technology.

"It's something like Kakarott's instant transmission I believe. It requires two devices, one on the pod itself, and one on what we call a Puerta. Somehow, the two devices interact to allow the ship to jump through the Puerta without even slowing on its course. Lessens travel time."

Her jaw was slightly slack now, and her eyes, if possible, had grown even wider. "Teleportation mechanisms…" She mumbled quietly, more to herself than to him. "Used in space travel. Amazing."

"Would you like to see them?" Anything to keep her from blubbering.

Her face lit up.

Suddenly there was a loud banging on their door. "Mom! Dad!"

Bulma's face fell slightly, but without hesitating, she moved to the door to open it for their son. "Yes, Trunks?"

He looked a little frazzled, and immediately started rambling. "I can't get my video game hooked up, and Yamcha and Gohan think they can do it, and they're going to break it because they've got no idea what they're doing!" He paused and took a deep breath. "Help!"

Vegeta rolled his eyes, but Bulma smiled, and grabbing his arm, tugged him off to rescue their son.

* * *

The days passed. The passenger's initial excitement at the prospect of going into space dulled. Sparring was always a fun activity, but their power-levels had to remain lowered due to the close confines of the space.

It after a few days, threads of patience were shortened, tempers were heightened, and whispers of a ghost on the ship began making their way through the crew and passengers. It had all started at Iro standard time 26-H, when the majority of the crew and passengers were asleep. Two lone soldiers were up and about—one patrolling the halls, and the other manning the ships controls and surveillance.

The lone officer, in the control room that particular night was a seasoned warrior, not an easily excitable man, and not one prone to superstition. His name was Layn. A large scar that ran from his darkened, left cheek down his neck and to his shoulder told of his days as an infantryman at the front. His quick wit and skill had carried him through many battles, and after eight long years of constant fighting, he had requested to be moved to a more secure position. It was in this way that he had landed the job as a transport guard several years before. And his skill and dedication in that profession had gotten him the privilege of being one of the few people that Kurenai trusted to bear her most precious soldier across the galaxies.

Nedless to say, he was not a frivolous man, nor was he one to jump to conclusions. However, the events that would happen that particular night were enough to shake even him.

The ship was quiet, just like other nights. Inside the cockpit was bright, small lights were flickering on the controls around the room, and only the quiet whirring of machines and the slow beep from the radar which announced that the ship's path was free from obstruction could be heard.

This soldier took his duty seriously. He did not engage in watching television or even reading during his patrol. It was his duty to be completely vigilant for those several hours, and vigilant he would be.

He therefore noticed when a security camera on the second floor hall went black. He furrowed his eyebrows rising from his seat and leaning over the controls for the security cameras. Another security camera suddenly went black. The soldier recognized that it was the one in the hall beside the next one.

"What the…"

The screens began flickering to black in rapid succession, and Layn realized that there was a clear path to it. Whatever was happening, it was making its way to the control room.

He drew his weapon and trained it at the door. If there was an intruder, it would be his responsibility to deal with it.

The door slid open suddenly. The door itself opened nearly silently, but the strange, gasped moan that met his ears was enough to send chills down his spine.

He charged toward the door, intending to stop the threat in its tracks but upon reaching the doorway, he found that nothing was in the hall.

All that greeted him was a cold wind and the distinct feeling that someone had just been there.

He spun around checking the control room, but there was nothing there either. Only the quiet. With a frown, he tapped his headset. "Rutal, this is Layn."

The reply was instant—the quick, eager reply of a young soldier who was bored of patrolling the same quiet halls for hours. "Yeah, what's up?"

"Have you seen or heard anything strange tonight?"

"Nope, same as usual."

"Are you sure? No voices, no doors opening? Have you felt a cold wind?"

"Hmm." That last statement seemed to spark something. "Come to think of it, a while ago, when I was just coming out of the stairwell…there was a pretty powerful gust of wind when I opened the door. I thought maybe it was a change in air-pressure, but I checked the walls, and there doesn't seem to be an air-leak anywhere." The younger soldier paused. "Why? Have you seen something?"

Layn paused for a moment before speaking. "A few minutes ago, the security cameras went black. Not all of them. Just the ones between the dorms and the control room."

"All at once? Strange."

"No, not all at once. They went black, one after another—in order. As if something were moving through the halls and destroying the cameras one by one."

Rutal did not respond to that, but Layn could almost feel the soldier's discomfort.

"Rutal, go down toward the dorms and check it out."

"I…I'm there already. I'm looking at the security camera now, and nothing seems broken."

Layn frowned and looked back toward the surveillance footage. He let out a small gasp at what he saw.

"What? What is it?"

"The cameras." Layn said, staring at the footage. "They're coming back on one-by-one."

"In order?"

"In reverse-order." Layn said. "If you're in the dorms, whoever is there is making their way toward you. Be ready."

He could hear Rutal's breathing get a bit heavier and uneven.

The cameras kept clicking back on, one by one, winding a path through the ship, but on each screen, not a trace of the invader could be seen.

Finally, there was a small gasp just as one of the cameras in the dorm hall clicked back on. Layn stared at the screen, seeing his comrade standing in the hall stiff and unmoving. His weapon was aimed down the hall, but there was no other person or creature near him.

"Rutal!" Layn yelled. "What did you see?"

"Nothing." Rutal answered. "I saw nothing and heard nothing. But there was a cold wind. What…" Rutal finally spun around, bringing his weapon around 360 degrees and looking around almost frantically. When he saw nothing again, his breathing got even more uneven. "What are we dealing with?"

"I don't know." Layn stared at the now fully-functioning security cameras. "Patrol the ship again, and keep your eyes peeled for anything unusual."

* * *

The next night another patrolling guard heard a small bump and what sounded like a whine from the room where space suits were stored. The soldier froze. News of the events of the night before had quickly spread through the patrolling officer dorms, leaving everyone alert and uneasy.

He pressed his ear to the door, and heard a whisper.

When he opened the door to investigate, a cold breeze swept over him. The room was empty, but two space suits had been removed from their hangars and were lying in piles on the floor.

* * *

After the third night, news of the strange occurrences reached the special passengers on the ship.

Goku and Krillin were playing one of Trunks's video games. Gohan, Goten, and Trunks were at the table. Books were spread out before them. Gohan's head was studiously bent, while Trunks and Goten dodged Chichi's watchful gaze and drew silly pictures of each other in their notebooks, snickering silently.

Chichi occupied the forth chair at their small table, holding a small computer much like Shiro's and reading up on the climate and culture of the planet she was soon to settle on. Periodically, she glanced up from her reading to send a stern glance to the two younger boys.

Overall, the bright room was quiet, save for the occasional snorts of laughter from Krillin and Goku as they got the better of each other in their game.

Shortly before noon, the door to the passenger's common room slid open, and Yamcha came in. "Have you guys heard?"

The game paused, and six heads looked up toward him.

"Heard what?" Goten was the first to ask what everyone was thinking. The boredom of being in such close quarters for so long was leaving them all itching for news.

"The patrol officers are saying that there's a ghost on the ship."

"A ghost?" Chichi asked, a small hint of fear in her voice.

Goku echoed her question a moment later, but with much less worry. "A ghost? Get out. Are you kidding?"

"No." Yamcha headed over to the fridge and pulled out a drink. "These past three nights, strange things have been happening. Security cameras shut off and back on, things are moved, door open on their own, guards on patrol hear voices and noises. And then, they feel a cold wind that comes from nowhere."

Everyone shared glances, some more skeptical than others.

"The soldiers are all pretty freaked out about it, but they're trying to keep it under wraps."

"Weird." Krillin said, and most of the others had to agree.

* * *

The days passed, without much difference, bleeding into each other. The passengers were growing bored with their time on the ship, and the soldiers were growing more nervous by the day as more strange events interrupted patrols. Soon though, an event would happen which would take their minds off of all that.

On that particular day, most of the ship's passengers could be found—as per usual—in the lounge.

"Daaaaaad! Come on!" Goten's whine could be heard even from the down the hall.

"Man, you're really bad at this game." Trunks was sprawled lazily across the couch, looking miserable. It was painful to watch someone playing his favorite game so badly. The "game over" jingle was far too familiar by now. Trunks thought he might dream of it that night. "Why don't you give it a break before you hurt yourself?"

"Nah." Goku said with a grin, "I think we should just practice until we get better."

"That will take forever!" Trunks gasped in despair, and Goten's horrified expression was enough to make it clear that he was thinking the same thing. Even Gohan sighed at the idea.

The door to the lounge slid open a moment later, and Vegeta and Bulma walked in. Vegeta looked bored out of his mind, but Bulma was poring over some papers, hardly paying attention to where she was walking.

Trunks saw his parents and shot up. "Mom! Dad! Do something! Take them away! Please!"

Vegeta lazily slid his gaze over to the group of people around the entertainment area. "Why?" Trunks could tell by his current gruff mood and the way he kept rubbing his temples that his mother had coerced him into explaining some aspect of the ship's technology to her again.

Trunks didn't care however. His game was too important. "Because…look!" He waved a hand to the screen. Without looking, Trunks knew that Goku had yet again missed the jump, and that his character was falling to his death.

"What could be more fun than watching Kakarott fall into the same abyss fifty times?"

"More like five hundred." Krillin cut in.

Vegeta rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to speak when the ship's alarm suddenly began blaring. Red lights began flashing and a gruff voice came over the speakers. _"All hands to stations. This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill."_ Everyone in the room froze, looking at each other in surprise.

"Oh Kami!" Bulma had finally looked up from her notes to gaze around frantically. "What's happening?"

Of all the people in the room, Bulma was the only one without a Ki sense. Everyone else had known as soon as they'd extended their senses why the alarm had been sounded.

"We're being attacked, woman." Vegeta said dully, as if it should have been obvious.

Goten and Trunks finally forgot about the game. They both jumped up, with excited grins on their faces.

"Let's go get 'em!" Goten cheered.

"Yeah!" Trunks seconded. They both began marching toward the door, when Gohan grabbed them by the collar and pulled them back.

The gruff voice came back over the speaker. _"All civilian parties please report to the lounge._"

"Civilian." Gohan said, looking down to his younger brother and friend. "That's you, I think."

"Yes." Vegeta confirmed. "Trunks, stay here with your mother." Without waiting for a response, Vegeta spun on his heel and left the room. Goku, Krillin, and Gohan wasted no time in following him.

They met up with Yamcha and Piccolo in the hall, and within seconds they all filed into the control room. All Krimzon eyes immediately fell to Vegeta. It looked as if they had been waiting for him to arrive. He, in turn, looked toward the captain. "What's the protocol for this?" He asked.

"Well…usually, the ship carrying civilians would flee while the other ships engaged." The soldier paused. "But now…Kurenai told us that you would know what to do."

Vegeta frowned and looked around at all the expectant faces. He narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "She did, did she?" That old bat. What was she up to? "I take it she foresaw this."

"She warned us that Hui would almost certainly attack and try to make off with some of the civilians." He stared at Vegeta for a moment. "You of course foresaw this as well, sir." When Vegeta didn't respond immediately, the soldier began to look nervous. "Sir?"

Vegeta let out an angered sigh. "Well they're too close to try to outrun them now. We'll just have to stay and fight." He spun on his heel to regard the motley crew behind him. "Do any of you lot feel up for a little hand-to-hand?"

"Aw yeah!" Goku cheered excitedly. The small, enclosed quarters had begun to wear on him, and he had been longing for a fight.

Vegeta had hardly needed to ask. He looked back toward the Krimzon officer and asked quietly. "What's the nearest planet?"

"There's an uninhabited planet about five minutes from here."

"Bring up a picture." The officer did as told, though with some confusion.

Vegeta took one glance at the picture, and smirked. "Perfect. Head toward it."

"Come on. Everyone who's going outside needs to suit up."

"Outside?" The commander shouted. "But sir—"

"We can't very well fire off energy blasts in here, can we?"

"No…I guess not."

"Alright then." He glanced at the rest of the Earth's special forces behind him. "This way." And he took off down the hall.

* * *

The grayish room where the space suits were kept was hardly more than a locker room. The one-size-fits-all suits were all hanging in glass chambers on the right wall. Small lockers lined the left wall for any personal items that soldiers removed when suiting up. In the corner was a small bathroom. On the back wall was a sealed door leading to the airlock.

They were hardly through the doorway when Vegeta pulled one of the suits out of the glass chambers and turned to the others. "I'm not sure if any of you have ever worn a space suit before, but I'm going to assume that you haven't worn a Krimzon issue one." He glanced at the faces of his five comrades. Their expressions ranged from anxious—in the case of Krillin and Yamcha—to serious—Piccolo and Gohan—to giddy—guess who. I don't have time for a full run-down, but I'll tell you the basics. This," He pointed to a small microphone inside the helmet. "Will keep you in touch with everyone else in a suit and with the people in the control room of our ship. If somehow you get separated from the ship, hit this button," He indicated a small black button on the belt, "And that will shoot out a signal to any Krimzon ship in the galaxy. On the boots there are propulsion mechanisms. They are somehow operated by brainwaves, so just think of whatever direction you want to go. It's not too different from flying, though it may take a bit of practice."

The sound of something heating up caused Vegeta to glance toward the door. "The ship's blasters." He explained upon seeing the others look over as well. "Tutorial's over." With that, he began tugging on his suit. The others quickly followed his example.

It took them less than a minute to gear up. Fortunately some of them had worn space suits before, though they hadn't been nearly as sleek as the ones they were wearing now.

"Can everyone hear me?" Vegeta said once they were all standing in the airlock. They all responded in the affirmative. "Ok, stay close to the ships. If a Meiyochi is activated, get onboard the nearest Krimzon ship, got it?"

They all nodded. "Good." He hit the button to open the hatch, and allowed himself to be sucked out into space.

Once outside, they could immediately see the fleet of black ships that Hui had sent after them. They glimmered like enormous precious gems in the faint moonlight of the stars, beautiful and deadly. Hui had clearly spared no expense in assembling his fleet, and Vegeta could only wonder how they hadn't detected a fleet of at least 25 ships until they were nearly upon them.

Vegeta didn't bother to glance back toward the others behind him. He knew they had followed him and that they were all probably staring in awe at the impressive sight before them.

He had to give them credit. Not every man could be on the barrel end of over 25 Tik ships and not even flinch.

Vegeta floated forward slightly, carefully keeping his back to the ships behind him. It felt strange to be weightless. He had been in space like this a few times, but he had never really learned to enjoy the feeling. It was even less appealing now, with the knowledge that in just a second, he could be stripped of all his power again. "It's only a matter of time before a Meiyochi is activated." He said, trying to determine which ship might hold the Meiyochi. It was most likely one of the ones in the back…but which? "Do as much damage as you can before then."

A green beam of light suddenly shot out of one of the Tik ships. The attack seemed to move faster than light, but the Z fighters, all quite skilled in detecting movement faster than light, followed it clearly. The attack was quickly followed by beams from the other ships. The Krimzon ships didn't budge. They simply awaited the beams' arrivals. Vegeta knew that the Krimzon Empire had invested a lot of time and money into creating shields that could stand up to Tik onslaughts like this. Unless they were held under siege until the ships ran out of power, the Krimzon ships had nothing to worry about.

On the other hand, 25 or so to their handful were not happy odds, and it would only take one mildly clever strategy to crumble the entire Krimzon force.

The first beam struck the targeted Krimzon ship's shield, causing green and yellow lightning to seem to shoot across an apparently invisible orb. Even though the attack evaporated, the Z fighters sprung into action. Krillin and Piccolo moved some distance to the left, charging up Ki blasts. Yamcha and Gohan moved to the right, doing the same. Goku and Vegeta remained in the middle, both transformed into super saiyans floating far enough apart to give each other room to maneuver.

Vegeta was the first to fire off a shot—a final flash—but was quickly followed by the others. The Tik ships, Vegeta knew from experience, were made of some tough material. It took a pretty powerful attack to breach the exterior and a ridiculous amount of power to destroy the ship entirely. Vegeta, Gohan, and Goku could manage high powered attacks with ease. Piccolo was not too far behind. The others, however, might not be much use.

"Krillin." Vegeta said almost too calmly for the situation. A large blast from one of the Tik ships hit the barrier right in front of him, causing the barrier to ripple with lightning and eliciting a startled squawk from Kakarott. Vegeta had to admit that the blast had made him nervous as well, but he was certainly not going to show it. The blast dissolved a moment later, only to be followed by others. The barrier held strong.

"Yeah?" Krillin's reply was somewhat surprised. Vegeta spared him a glance, to see that the smaller man was floating slightly below the ship, nearly completely blending into the darkened backdrop. Smart move.

"See what a destructo disk does to these things."

Krillin chuckled slightly and stopped charging up his Kamehameha. "Sure thing." A moment later, the small, highly concentrated Ki disk was sent hurtling toward one of the ships.

Vegeta watched its trajectory from the corner of his eye. The ship that he himself had been firing upon was finally breached by his final flash, and Vegeta knew that the heat from the attack, combined with the holes in the ship's exterior would, if it didn't kill all the soldiers immediately, at least keep the ship out of commission for the duration of the battle.

Krillin's destructo disk hit the ship he'd been aiming for, it ground for a few seconds against the exterior of the ship, sending up sparks. Vegeta nearly cringed, as he imagined what sound it would have made. To his mild surprise, Krillin's destructo disk broke through the wall of the ship.

Vegeta smirked slightly, and targeted another ship, with a final flash.

A sudden bright yellow blast shot out of the Krimzon ship behind them.

"Whoah!" Yamcha's shout came into their helmets. He had been the closest to the blast at the time. "Holy shit! It's so freaky that we can't even hear something like that."

The other Krimzon ships in their very small group began firing off shots as well. "Yeah it would really suck if we got hit by a blast from our own ship." Gohan agreed.

"Don't worry about that." Vegeta cut in. "They know where we are. They won't hit us. Though, Namek you should probably move to the right a bit. You're right in front of the main cannon." Ignoring the deep grumbling of the Namek, he sent on final burst of power into his final flash for a moment. Almost immediately, he saw the tell-tale explosions that signaled that his attack had breached the ship. "Two down here."

"Me too." Goku's voice came over the speaker. "Race you to three."

"You're on." Vegeta chuckled, but his chuckle was cut off a moment later when he felt all of his power drain from him.

"Uh oh." He wasn't sure whose voice that was, but he certainly agreed.

"I'm actually surprised it took so long." Piccolo murmured, somewhat awkwardly using the thrusters on his boots to start making his way back to the interior of the ship. "If they had turned the thing on before they engaged us they would have saved at least eight ships."

Vegeta blinked at the statement. That was indeed puzzling. Why on Earth would the Tik wait until the battle had already commenced to render their opponents powerless? The answer suddenly hit him. "Gohan, get inside now." Vegeta ordered sharply, directing his gaze toward the Tik ships and narrowing his eyes as if searching for something. Sure enough, he just barely distinguished the small one-man jet ski-like contraptions that were heading toward them.

"What?" The young half-saiyan's response was confused and a little worried.

He whirled around, and said in a voice that was nearly a shout. "Everyone, inside _now_!"

Clearly, no one was up for arguing. They all nodded and quickly made their ways back toward the ship.

"Vegeta, what's going on?" Goku asked, as they were all filing back into the ship.

"The Tik lured us out to try to kidnap one of the Saiyans without having to breach the ship. Their purpose here wasn't to kill us, but to capture one of you." Vegeta was the last to reach the doorway, and he paused before hitting the button to close the doors.

"Keep your suits on. You may be able to come back out in a few minutes."

They all nodded, and turned toward the entrance back into ship. The outer hatch doors began to close, and it was only then that Goku noticed that someone was missing from their group. "Vegeta?" He turned just in time to see the last bit of Vegeta's dark uniform before the doors closed completely.

"What the…!" He spun around and began pressing buttons on the control panel beside the door. "Vegeta what are you doing? Get inside!" He turned back to the others. "Someone, open the doors again."

"I'm on it, dad." Gohan rushed to the keypad on the wall beside the door, swatted his father's hand away and began to examine it. "Uhh…what's the passcode?"

"Vegeta, Vegeta what's the passcode?"

"Busy right now, Kakarott." His voice came over all of their headsets.

"Busy doing what?"

He heard a small chuckle, but oddly the chuckle deepened several octaves right in the middle.

"What the…?" Goku and the others moved over to the small window in the door to gaze out. It was then that they noticed that Vegeta had backed some small distance away from the ship, and that he was staring at something behind the Krimzon ship. His body was seemingly throbbing. Suddenly, Vegeta hunched over. His body suddenly rapidly expanded. A deep roar sounded in their headsets. Suddenly, an enormous oozaru floated before them.

* * *

It was lucky that whatever planet they had flown to had a few moons. Otherwise, overwhelming the 50 or so Tik soldiers who were hurtling toward him right now might have been far more difficult. Now, even with the Meiyochi in place, with his increased size, his normal strength increased tenfold.

He rocketed out toward the Tik soldiers, and was immediately swarmed by them. They fired their weapons at him, but in this form, the shots would only cause small gashes. He grabbed one of the strange jet-ski hover craft things—soldier and all—and swung it around, sending it colliding with two others. All three crafts exploded into flames severely injuring one soldier and killing the others.

Vegeta could see from the corner of his eye that several of the Tik ships were taking aim at him.

Clearly the others in the Krimzon ship saw it too, for a plethora of voices suddenly came over his headset. "Vegeta get out of there!" "Move, he's going to shoot!" "Look out!" "They're firing!"

"Yeah, yeah I know!" He responded. When would these people figure out that he had the situation well in-hand? He continued watching the ship charge their cannons, but didn't move.

Finally, one fired, and he hurriedly flipped over and shot downward as fast as the propulsion mechanisms on his feet could go. The sudden movement sent him tumbling for some distance, but he quickly righted himself. He turned back just in time to see the majority of the Tik soldiers get disintegrated by their own ship's blast. Even the several small crafts that escaped the blast suddenly exploded due to the sheer pressure and heat that the blast had produced. It was actually quite a pretty show, in his opinion—even if it was a little macabre.

He didn't have much time to think much more on that, for the few soldiers who had escaped the blast were apparently just ordered to finish the job. They quickly formed themselves back up and—even if it was without any real vigor or clear hope of winning—moved back on the attack.

Vegeta almost brought himself to feel sorry for them. He had certainly been sent to his death several times, and even if he had managed to pull himself out alive all those times, he never did forget the feeling of being carelessly ordered to enter a situation where he would almost certainly be killed.

For some reason that feeling wouldn't leave him, and instead of immediately killing the men, he found himself only knocking them unconscious. It was an issue he would have to explore more later.

He took one quick look around to make sure that there were no more stray Tik soldiers. He noticed that one of the ships was again targeting him, and growled slightly. He grabbed a large chunk of scrap metal that was floating nearby and, with aim borne of decades of combat, flung it directly into the cannon the ship. The cannon, which was in the middle of warming up to fire, immediately backfired. The wind pushed Vegeta back a bit, but he quickly righted himself, and did a careful sweep to make sure that he wasn't being targeted again.

The Krimzon ships were doing a surprisingly good job of keeping the Tik engaged considering how badly they were outnumbered.

Assured that he was safe, he latched onto one of the strange hovercraft that had escaped his wrath, scooped a few discarded weapons into his large hand, and floated downward. He immediately knew when he had put one of the Krimzon ships between himself and the planet with the moons.

The haze of battle fever that always clouded his brain during his Oozaru states lifted significantly. Without the moons' light to sustain the transformation, he found his body shrinking back to its normal state.

Once back in his normal body, he immediately recognized an unnatural freezing sensation on his arms and back. Somewhat alarmed by the extreme, unfamiliar pain, he quickly glanced down to see that his suit had been ripped in several places by the Tik soldiers' beams. He certainly did not have to worry about bleeding to death, though, for he could see that his own blood had frozen as it reached the surface.

The pain radiating out from the frozen gashes on his body led him to wonder at the possibility that the damage may be spreading. Certainly his body couldn't freeze solid from just a few cuts, could it? He wasn't sure, but he was fairly certain that one of the abrasions on his back was a bit more that a little cut. Just the sight of his frozen blood and the darkened skin around the cuts was more than a little disturbing, and it convinced him that he needed to carry out his initial plans quickly.

He wasted no more time on inspecting himself. He quickly strapped the salvaged Tik weapons to his body, and hopping on the commandeered craft, he shot off in the direction of the Tik ships.

He was fairly certain of the ship that contained the Meiyochi. It was always pretty easy to spot the one that did not engage at all in combat, and which seemed to have its own guard ship to defend against any shots that came close.

"Vegeta?" Goku's voice came over his headset again. "Vegeta where'd you go? Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Came his quick reply. "I'm going after the Meiyochi. Prepare to come back out as soon as I deactivate it."

He ignored the burning pain in his arms and back, and stared at the two ships before him. _Ok, so I'm at the ship, but how will I get rid of it? _He wondered, surveying the ship for any weak spot. To all evidence, there was none._ I suppose I could just break a hole in the wall and go inside, but that's difficult enough to do even with my Ki. Hmm…_ His gaze turned to the ship hovering beside it, and after a moment, a smirk lit his face.

* * *

Within the fourth Krimzon ship, the officers in the control room were staring at each other with bafflement. Until that point, the room had been a flurry of excited activity, as officers screamed orders, and soldiers ran back and around to carry them out. Now the room was dead silent.

"Should we…" The fourth Krimzon ship had just been directly contacted by Prince Vegeta, and had been given a very strange order indeed.

"Do as he says." The chief in command ordered. "I have no idea what Prince Vegeta is planning, but if he wants us to break the line, then he must have a reason for it. Go exactly where he tells you to."

"Yes sir."

* * *

The Saiyan Prince himself had just come upon the ship that was guarding the one that he suspected had the Meiyochi and quickly abandoned his little hovercraft. It was much easier to move undetected without it. He floated to the top of it, just beside the main canon. The canon was aimed toward the Krimzon ships, but it was not engaging in the battle. Hopefully, his little trick would give it a little encouragement.

He moved along the wall slowly, hoping that no one noticed one of the Krimzon's highest ranking officers was well within Tik territory. He certainly had no desire to be captured again. He quickly unstrapped the weapons that he had grabbed and laid them onto the top of the ship. With any luck they would not float away.

He did not glance over to see whether the Krimzon ship was moving as he had asked, but when after a moment, he heard the tell-tale sign of the cannon charging, he knew that it had.

He smirked. A seeming direct attack on the ship that housed the Meiyochi would certainly cause the ship guarding it to respond. The smirk never leaving his face, he slowly raised his head to lock his eyes onto the planet with the moons. The feral call of his oozaru state sang to him, warming his freezing blood and causing his heart to pound. For the second time that night, his wild side took over him. He felt his body expanding. His gashes stung with the transformation, but the feeling was easily overpowered by the call for a bloodbath.

The humming in the cannon grew louder, and he knew that it would fire soon.

By some miracle, no one had noticed the huge, dark figure looming behind the two ships. He stood still for a moment. His hulking figure was shrouded in shadow, and only his eyes and the occasional glint of his sharp teeth could be seen.

The sound of the humming suddenly changed, and Vegeta knew that this was his moment. With a roar, he charged at the ship, ramming it at an angle with his shoulder. The ship shifted just as it fired, turning just enough to clip the ship beside it and melt a hole in the wall.

Vegeta frowned. He had rather hoped that the blast would incinerate the ship with the Meiyochi entirely, but he hadn't been strong enough without his Ki to shift the guard ship enough for that.

The Tik ship immediately stopped its blast, but the damage was already done to the one carrying the Meiyochi.

Vegeta knew that he didn't have much time before someone came out to search for him. He could already see that the other Tik ships were closing in on the Krimzon ships. They clearly sensed that something was wrong, and were increasing their efforts to get the Saiyan they had come after.

Vegeta quickly turned away from the moon, concentrating, slowly overcoming his oozaru side. Far too slowly, his body shrank back to his normal state, and huffing from exhaustion, he propelled himself back to where he had left his weapons. He quickly snatched them and began moving toward the ship with the Meiyochi, strapping the guns on as he moved.

He reached the ship, and pushed along the wall to find the place where the metal had been blown open. He pulled out one of the guns that he had brought along and held it ready, as he prepared to infiltrate the ship on his own.

* * *

A/N: Yay, I updated in two weeks! Hoorah! I hope you enjoyed this. Finally a bit of action! I hated to cut it off right there, but the second half of the battle is also fairly long, and if I'd have included the whole thing this chapter would have been way too long. Anyway, as you've probably guessed this was the first part in the two-part segment of the gang's space travels. Next chapter, the battle concludes. Will Hui get the saiyan that he wants?

As always, I would very much love to hear your opinions, insight, or suggestions, so please leave a review.

Translation:

Puerta (Spanish)- door/gate


	44. A Pitstop in the Past

Chapter 44- A Pitstop in the Past

Small pieces of shrapnel floated by, silent and almost peaceful, as he made his way along the side of the Tik ship. Many of the warped pieces of metal were still glowing red with the heat that had melted and tore them away from the ship. The heat was a small but welcome reprieve from the blistering cold that was shooting pain down his arm and back. He could practically feel his core temperature dropping as his body struggled to compensate for the extreme cold. Without his Ki to warm him, it was a losing battle. He had to do this quickly. It was perhaps a little reckless, but he much preferred having his head blown off to freezing to death—especially in enemy territory.

He could practically see himself in a trophy case in Hui's palace—his own personal Saiyan Prince popsicle.

He finally reached the hole that the other Tik ship's cannon had made and slowly peeked inside. The gaping hole gave into several now demolished rooms. It was clearly a bunking area but was now blackened and warped. Vegeta floated up to the highest bunker. It appeared that whatever had not been sucked out into space had been charred by the heat of the flames. There was no one there. If there had been any people inside, they had been completely incinerated by the blast.

He quickly slipped inside the hole and made his way to the door, pushing the button on the small panel beside it. As the door slid open, he felt the air from inside the ship quickly rush out and suddenly realized why no one had come to inspect the damage to the wall yet.

Vegeta paused for a moment, to ensure that all his weapons were loaded and ready. Then with a deep breath, he made his way into the hallway. As he moved along the corridor, it soon became apparent to him just how much he had caught these Tik soldiers off-guard. He smirked slightly at that small advantage and sped up. There was no time to study the ship's décor—there wasn't much to see anyway.

On his way, he came across several soldiers floating dead in the hallway with their hands clutching their necks and their faces twisted and mangled by the loss of air. Vegeta cringed at the eyeless bodies but kept moving.

He knew exactly where he was going. _The Tik should really learn to start varying the style of their ships._ He mused. _If you've been in one, you've essentially been in them all._ Vegeta understood that varying the layout of the enormous ship could lead to potential confusion and chaos if the ship were attacked with new soldiers onboard—he chuckled at the mental image of terrified young Tik soldiers running around with no idea of where they were going. The uniformity made it far too easy to infiltrate.

It wasn't until he was nearly to the control room that he met any opposition. Apparently the soldiers had wised up to his presence, and had quickly donned their space suits. It almost came as a surprise to him when, after making it easily through the deserted halls of the ship, he rounded a corner to be met by gunfire.

He quickly ducked back around the corner. Judging by the amount of shots that had been fired, he guessed that there were five soldiers there.

He was running out to time. Aside from the fact that he couldn't seem to stop shivering, the cold was making his arm numb. He would be at a severe disadvantage with only one arm. He couldn't just sit there. Taking a deep breath, he raised his weapon and swung around the corner. His superior sight and reflexes combined with years of combat experience allowed him to almost instantly lock on to the soldiers' masks, and he fired off eight shots. He didn't take the time to see if his shots had hit their targets, but ducked back around the corner.

He wished that he could hear what was happening—a body falling to the floor, a shout of pain…anything—but with the absence of air, that was impossible. All he had was his Ki sense, which, now that he thought of it, he should have been relying more on. It was definitely hard to focus when his open wounds were literally freezing.

He took a deep breath of recycled air and then sighed in relief when he felt the last of their Ki flicker out. Unless the Tik had suddenly learned how to hide their Ki, Vegeta knew that he had killed them all.

"Vegeta." The familiar voice cut through the silence, almost making him jump.

He growled impatiently at the poorly-timed interruption. "What, Kakarott? I really am busy right now."

"Just making sure you're still alive." Came the reply. His voice was tinged with relief, and Vegeta could practically see the small smile on his fellow Saiyan's face.

He rolled his eyes. "I'm still here." He said, and then managed a smirk despite his situation and the pain he was in. "And I'm about to beat you to three."

"No fair. You cheated." Goku pouted, but it was hard to tell if he really meant it. His next words were far more serious. "Be careful okay. We don't need you getting captured again."

Vegeta just snorted, and moved around the corner again, weapon raised cautiously. He saw just how good his aim had been. Six—not five—soldiers were all floating motionless in the hallway. Their helmets were cracked and frozen droplets of blood were floating around them like red rain frozen in place.

He pushed by them—snatching some of the more powerful weapons on the way—and made his way to the control room.

This would be the trickiest part. He could already feel the large power-levels of the two soldiers in the control room, and he knew they would be expecting him.

There was no point in trying a sneak attack.

He took a deep calming breath as he reached the door to the control room, and readied his mind for an upcoming fight in which the odds were stacked against him.

He didn't have time to complete this however, for the door slid open before he could exhale. He just barely dodged the attack that was sent at him and flipped weightlessly back down the hallway. His boots connected with the wall, and he regarded his opponent—an enormous man with arms the size of Vegeta's waist.

The man charged up a Ki blast and flung it at him, but Vegeta dodged again, flipping off the ceiling, and landing in a crouch on the opposite wall. The large man took a step further into the hallway, and Vegeta quickly moved again. It was certainly better not to remain in one place for too long with such a powerhouse mere feet in front of him.

Mid-flip, he glimpsed the Meiyochi, green and glowing, in the middle of the floor. Beside it, another, very similar machine glowed. _Ah…a Myomoshu. Good thing I didn't try to use any magic._

His moment of distraction cost him. Vegeta was too slow to dodge the next Ki blast completely, and it ripped into his side sending blood splattering out into the hall where it froze almost instantly. He gasped in surprise and pain.

"Vegeta?"

"Shut up, Kakarott! I really don't need your distraction right now."

His large opponent was apparently saying something. From the angry set of his eyes, and the way he seemed to be spitting his words, Vegeta could only assume that they were aimed at him. He couldn't hear what the man was saying, but he could probably guess.

He didn't have time for such things, though. Gently, so as not to spook his opponent into attacking, he kicked off from the floor and slowly floated upward until he cold see the Meiyochi behind the big man. The action made him a clear target for the large Tik soldier and the smaller one behind him, but this was the only way.

Vegeta knew that this next move was his best chance. He had to pull this off. He took a deep breath and tried to quell his shivering. He was only mildly successful. With no time to waste, his left hand darted to the holster on his hip, his right to the large blaster strapped uncomfortably to his back. In a flash, he pulled the two weapons free, leveling the smaller one at the giant Tik's face. He fired two shots, one at the Tik he was currently engaged in battle with, and one at the smaller figure that was hovering slightly behind, guarding the Meiyochi.

Both Tik soldiers easily swatted the blasts away, but the moment of distraction was all Vegeta needed. Without waiting to see the Tik soldiers' reactions, he had aimed the larger weapon at the Meiyochi—the part he had learned was the weakest—and fired.

The larger Tik soldier immediately knew that he had been tricked. Vegeta could almost hear the man's growl of rage so contorted was his face. The blast had not yet even reached the Meiyochi when the giant charged him, but Vegeta already knew he had won. The Tik soldier rammed him, cracking a few ribs and sending both of them flying backwards. Pain flared in his chest, and Vegeta mused that this was the most injured he'd been in battle since he'd joined this war. Vegeta readied himself to be crushed between the soldier and the wall, but just as his back hit the wall, Vegeta felt his power return to him. Instantly, he was a super saiyan.

The familiar warmth of his aura surrounded him, somehow making his injuries hurt even more than before.

He coughed a bit, and then looked almost curiously at the spots of blood that had splattered onto his mask.

When he looked back on this later, he would decide that the surroundings had gotten to him. He didn't particularly like the feel of spaceships. Too confined. Too many painful memories. Lethal instinct took over for a moment. Vegeta's hand shot up to block the punch that was being thrown at his face. However, before the Tik soldier's hand could reach Vegeta's, his heart was sitting in Vegeta's other hand. Vegeta watched the life drain from the soldier's shocked eyes, and then looked curiously at the bloody organ in his palm. He didn't remember deciding to rip anyone's heart out, and he found it slightly disturbing that his hand had done it of its own accord. He shook the thought away and looked at the large soldier who was floating upright in front of him. He cocked his head, slightly intrigued at the way the soldier's body did not slump to the ground. He supposed that with no gravity, there was really nothing to cause the soldier to fall to the floor anyway.

Vegeta shoved the body to the side where it drifted peacefully down the hall as if being carried by a cloud. He turned his gaze to the smaller Tik soldier still guarding the Meiyochi, and tossed the heart aside.

_A woman_? He mused. _Oh well._ She clearly recognized him. She was probably informing the other Tik ships of his presence there. He couldn't hear her though, so he had no idea if his assumption was correct. It didn't matter much anyway. Raising a hand, he fired, killing her instantly. He shot another blast at the Myomoshu, disintegrating it.

His mission finally over, he fell back to lean against the wall—more out of instinct than because he felt heavy. He slowly pulled himself into a sitting position, almost comically sitting a few feet above the actual floor. Even with his aura protecting him, he could feel the cold radiating from his cuts and the large, open wound on his side. He glanced down at his arm and felt his stomach heave at the ugly sight. He turned his eyes away, stubbornly refusing to look back at it.

"Vegeta?" Goku's voice came over the headset again. "You okay?"

Vegeta choked and was not at all surprised to see more flecks of blood appear on the glass inside his helmet. "Peachy." He grumbled, but his voice told that he was really anything but.

"I'm coming get you." Goku said instantly. "We've all got our Ki back we're heading back outside to fight. I can't use my instant transmission now, but I'm going to fly over."

"Okay." Vegeta let his eyes slide closed and leaned his head back against the wall.

Only moments later, Kakarott, in all his super saiyan glory was at his side. Vegeta opened his eyes at the feeling of a hand on his shoulder. Goku looked him over. "That looks nasty." He commented upon seeing the open wound on Vegeta's side." He turned his attention to all the frozen droplets of blood floating around the hall. "Oh weird." Goku said, touching one of the droplets with his finger, and sending it floating slowly in another direction.

"Yes." Vegeta said dryly. "It's frozen, and it floats. Space is very cold. Just a bit of warning, try not to rip your suit."

"Oh yeah." Goku leaned closer to see that Vegeta's lips were blue from cold and blood loss and that the skin around the cuts on his arms appeared to be nearly frozen. Goku raised his Ki higher to encompass both of them.

"Weren't you coming to do something useful?"

Goku grinned. "Haha yeah." He grabbed Vegeta's arm and slung it over his shoulder. "You can lower your Ki." He pulled Vegeta up, causing him to cough again. In an odd moment of trust, Vegeta's aura almost immediately flickered out.

Goku sent a worried look in his direction. "I've got some senzu beans in my room back on the ship, so you'll be right as rain in no time. Just try not to bleed to death on the way there."

"I'll do my best." Vegeta said pressing down on the large wound on his side with his free hand. His hand was not nearly large enough to cover the damage.

Goku laughed, and making sure that he had a good grip on his friend, blasted off back toward the ship. Although the trip was a short one, the twists and turns that Goku made while dodging blasts from both sides compounded with Vegeta's growing feeling of lightheadedness and made him feel positively nauseous.

"You still with me, Vegeta?" Goku asked as they neared the ship. Vegeta nodded, not trusting his stomach enough to open his mouth. Goku, of course didn't see the nod, and instantly grew more worried. "Vegeta?"

Vegeta could see the others, their backs to the Krimzon ship, throwing Ki blasts and destructo disks at the dwindling number of Tik ships before them. He noticed Gohan and Krillin glance over to them.

"Is he okay, dad?" Gohan asked.

"He'll be fine. I'll get him a senzu. He's just lost a lot of blood so he's out of it now."

Vegeta wanted to contradict him, but his nausea was just too strong.

Goku pulled him into the airlock without pausing. Somehow, he must have discovered the code for the doors—otherwise they wouldn't have been able to come back out again—for he quickly shut the outer door and commanded the room to fill with air again.

In less than a minute, the inner door opened, allowing them both into the locker room again.

Even before the inner door shut behind them, Vegeta pulled himself away from Goku. He quickly stumbled over to the small bathroom on the side of the room, dropping his helmet to the floor. Not caring that Goku was following him, he collapsed over the toilet and emptied his stomach. The bile that came out was mixed with a large amount of blood, and every cough and retch sent shooting pain through his chest and side.

Goku had apparently pulled his helmet off as well. He came up beside him, flushing the toilet once it seemed like Vegeta's vomiting had stopped.

"Hang tight right here." Goku said, resting a reassuring hand on Vegeta's shoulder. "I'm going to go get a senzu. Don't move."

"Does it look like I'm going to move?" Vegeta growled out, pulling himself away from the toilet and leaning back against the cold metal wall.

"No, I suppose not." Goku said. "I'll be right back." And then he was gone.

Vegeta was not sure how long Goku was gone. He shut his eyes and let his head drop down to his chest. His hand clutched the bleeding mess on his side, and he took shallow breaths to try to keep the pain in his chest and stomach under control.

It seemed like only seconds later that Goku returned, a fuzzy black and peach mass with points on top. He had grabbed Vegeta's chin and some, and pulled his head upward. A moment later Vegeta felt something small being shoved into his mouth.

Goku's familiar voice came then, sounding like it came from far away. Vegeta couldn't understand just what he said.

Something was rubbing his throat, and Vegeta struggled to swallow without gagging. When he finally managed, his vision suddenly cleared. The burning pain throughout his body subsided, and he found himself staring in mild surprise into Goku's familiar black eyes.

Goku grinned at him. "Much better." He said. "I think we underestimated how injured you were. I was calling your name for at least a few minutes.

Vegeta blinked in surprise, but Goku was already heading back toward the airlock. "Let's go see what they've left us" He fixed his helmet on, and Vegeta quickly located his own and scooped it up.

Just as he was about to command the airlock to open, however, the door slid open on its own, and Gohan, Piccolo, Krillin, and Yamcha walked in.

"Oh no!" Goku cried—oddly in the most dramatic voice he had used all day. "Don't tell me it's over!"

"Sorry dad." Gohan said apologetically. "We didn't know when you were coming back, so we didn't save you any." He glanced over at Vegeta and sent him a warm smile, but didn't say anything. He turned back to his father. "If it makes you feel any better, I'd be willing to bet that mom was doing some stress-cooking while we were gone."

"Oh yeah!" Goku cheered. Vegeta rolled his eyes at how quickly Gohan was able to deroute his father. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the others shaking their heads in amusement as well. "Let's go eat." He threw an arm over Vegeta's shoulder. "Come on, Vegeta!"

Vegeta sent a disdainful look at his hand and shrugged it off. "I have to go to the control room to talk to the captain."

"About what?" Gohan asked.

"Just protocol really. To see how we fared and if they anticipate another attack."

"I'll come with you." Piccolo offered, and within the next few seconds, Krillin, Gohan, and Yamcha had all volunteered to accompany him as well.

"Ugh fine." Goku huffed when their expectant gazes turned on him. "Control room first." His stomach growled loudly. "Then we eat."

The gang had clearly been anticipated in the control room. Vegeta was quite used to the looks of awe and slight fear that Krimzon soldiers often greeted him with after he had put some of his remarkable power on display. The others however, weren't, and—as was evidenced by the slight blushes that covered Gohan's, Krillin's, and Yamcha's faces—they weren't quite comfortable with it.

Vegeta ignored all of the awed stares. He was aware that his clothes were still torn and blood-stained, but there was not much to be done about it. Before the doors even slid closed behind them, he had asked. "How did the ships fare?"

The captain, a large, orange man with one eye, had his fingers laced lightly behind his back. He was the only person in the room who seemed to be immune to the awe that had taken over. "We have to make a pit stop to make some repairs."

Vegeta took a brief glance at the ship's coordinate tracker. "Trinuto's around here."

The captain stiffened, and drew himself up a little sternly. While Vegeta clearly outranked and overpowered him, there was no doubt that the man before him was older and was used to having his way. "Sir, you can't possibly be se—"

Vegeta raised an eyebrow at him, and the captain cut himself off. "And the boys, sir?"

"Let them out." He said simply. "Trinuto's nothing but good, healthy fun for young men sick of space."

The captain frowned and Vegeta grinned at him before turning slightly toward the door. "It's not an order. Just a suggestion." He said, considering the conversation closed.

"Trinuto." Goku was still standing in front of the doorway, tapping his chin in thought. Before Vegeta could take a step, Goku's eyes locked onto him, and Vegeta could see that the gears in his brain were turning. "Trinuto…hmm…I've heard that name before."

The captain responded before Vegeta could. "It's a hive of drugs, black market dealers, gangs, and prostitutes." He informed him. "It attracts all sorts of criminals and bounty hunters, and scumbags in general."

It was at this point that Piccolo decided to clear his throat, and asked a little too innocently. "Isn't that the planet you were on when Kuro Kon tried to arrest you?"

The captain's eyes immediately grew wide, and he sent a nervous glance to Vegeta as if worried about how he would take his earlier statement.

Meanwhile, Goku snapped his fingers in realization. "Oh that was it. And there was that thing with the scar."

Vegeta just smirked. "Yes, that was the place. Full of scumbags, I will give you that. But it's one of the best places in the universe for…entertainment. And by that" He added to the captain in a tone that was anything but sincere. "I of course mean the casinos and performances."

"Of course, sir." The captain said in a voice that was equally unconvinced. "Shall I set the course then?"

"Please do." Vegeta responded, and with that, he finally pushed by Goku and out the door.

For a moment, Goku could swear that Vegeta was wearing his Saiyan regalia—something that he wasn't quite sure he had ever actually seen. As Vegeta strode swiftly down the hall, his cape cracked and billowed and behind them. Goku shook his head and the image vanished, leaving him to wonder why he would imagine such a thing.

"Come on, dad." Gohan called. He and the others were already down the hall, and Goku quickly took off after them.

Gohan had been right. When they arrived in the lounge several minutes later, they found two very stressed women, two miserable demi-saiyans who had been held captive by their mothers far away from the action, and a huge buffet of food on the table.

* * *

The next few days passed slowly for the crew and passengers of the ship. The waking hours were always filled with reports of strange happenings, and in the evenings, the younger soldiers were nearly bursting in anticipation of their landing on the famed Trinuto.

Vegeta had to admit that he was a little excited to go back there as well. It had certainly had its attractions back then, although he had only been there once when he was old enough to enjoy the majority of them.

With all the anticipation, it was immediately clear to everyone on the ship the moment Trinuto was spotted. Every off-duty soldier rushed to the front windows to catch a view of the huge, purple planet with its thick swirling clouds and three moons. Kurenai would have certainly frowned at the view of her neatly-dressed soldiers shoving each other out of the way to look through the port windows, but Vegeta hardly paid them any mind as he quickly moved toward the ship's lounge.

Vegeta had to be careful to keep himself away from the windows. It was something he'd been taught to do when he was still a child. It certainly wouldn't do to become an oozaru in the middle of the ship.

Vegeta's announcement of their arrival as he entered the lounge, let loose a flurry of motion. Trunks and Goten's video game was immediately paused, the controllers dropped onto the ground, and twin streaks raced out of the door before it had even shut behind Vegeta. Gohan and Chichi abandoned their books on the lounge table and followed the boys out only moments later.

Bulma regarded her immobile husband with a curious look as he crossed the room to drop to the couch. She glanced toward the door and back at him for a minute or two before finally asking whether or not he wanted to watch the approach. After a quick reminder of the moon-tail situation, however, she left him with a quick kiss, a smile, and her notebook of mechanical blueprints—to keep him entertained.

He rolled his eyes and made his way over to the table where he snatched Gohan's book before dropping back onto the couch.

The small bump and slight vibration that came a few minutes later were almost too familiar to him, and he realized that they were now moving through Trinuto's thick atmosphere. He dropped the book onto the couch—it had only been mildly interesting anyway. Judging that the danger was over—no one ever saw the moons or even the stars on Trinuto due to the permanent cloud cover—he got up to join the spectators.

He reached the windows where the entire group from Earth was gathered just in time to see the ship zooming over Trinuto's vast purple ocean. The city came into view at the edge of the water a moment later. It grew and grew until it was all that could be seen. Right in the middle at the edge of the ocean, the spaceport stood out like a gray blob against the colorful city.

The ship had hardly touched down on the ground before Vegeta turned away from the window and began walking down the hall.

"Where are you going?" Bulma asked, noticing that he seemed to be making his way for the exit of the ship.

"We'll only be here for about three hours. I'm going to go have a look around and see how much has changed since I've last been here."

"Oh." She blinked at him.

He cocked his head. He knew the sound of that 'oh.' It was a disappointed one—one that told him that he needed to do something and fast or there would be repercussions. "Did…you want to come with me?" He hazarded.

A bright grin lit her face, and he instantly knew that he'd guessed right. "Yes!"

"Me too!" Trunks bound forward with Goten right on his heels. The two boys were jumping up and down in their excitement. It would be unfair to leave them on the ship when there was such an interesting new world right outside.

"Go get jackets then. It's usually pretty cold out there." Vegeta had no idea that his command would be obeyed by all of the travelers from Earth. Within seconds, he was standing in an empty hallway. The noise of the Z gang's loud, excited chatter and their hasty footsteps traveled back up the hall toward him, and he blinked as a strange cloud of dust on the normally spotless ship settled to the ground in their wake.

He huffed a small laugh. These people clearly didn't get out enough. Knowing that he had a minute or two before they came back, Vegeta turned and looked out the window.

The spaceport was familiar to him. It hadn't changed at all since the last time he'd been there, and he could almost hear Raditz's excited and crude chatter. The walls were the same dingy gray, and he could swear that taped to the windows of the building were the same posters and advertisements as 20 years ago.

People in faded uniforms were running back and forth. Some people drove old dingy vehicles around, and young men loaded boxes of supplies into the storage compartments of the various docked ships. The old rundown place was almost comically different from the shining black marble of the Krimzon spaceport with its efficient service.

Vegeta could see a group of off-duty service workers, leaning against the wall of the rather smallish port building, smoking, and staring at the Krimzon ships. Yes, a small Krimzon fleet was certainly an unusual sight in this place, he imagined. Although the Galaxy Police still had a branch on Trinuto, it was rather notorious for its lack of real control.

Trinuto had always been a lawless place—ever since the weather had been deemed too inhospitable for the planet to sell at a good price. It had become a haven for the poor first, a planet with a breathable atmosphere, but which wasn't quite appealing enough for any of the warlords to want it. Refugees from purged planets frequently took up residence here and caused the population to swell. However the different races, beliefs and ways of life had made it difficult for the planet to establish a government. So it had remained anarchical.

This status quickly caused the planet to become a magnet for criminals and people who were unwelcome on other planets. These people took up residence here as well. Many established gangs, more for protection from the planet's other inhabitants than for anything else. Many of the universe's more notorious crime syndicates had their main headquarters on Trinuto, and over time, these syndicates began employing gangs to do their dirty work. At night, the streets were filled with violence between rival syndicates—the bangs of gunshots, flashes of Ki blasts, shattering glass, and rumbles of explosions. In the morning, silence fell. Patrollers picked up the bodies from the nights brawls and carted them away. A daily rain shower would wash the blood into the cracks where it would settle and eventually turn an ugly brown. When the sun rose behind the thick clouds and cast a dull light on the single huge city on the planet, the people emerged from their homes and went about their lives almost like "normal" people.

While Trinuto had a diverse and colorful permanent population, it was still universally known as a "pitstop planet," where weary travelers and soldiers touched down on solid ground to feel the sense of being among other people. The docks were a relatively safe place. People from every social strata stopped by to fuel up their ships and stock up on rations. However, only a few minutes outside of the port was a different world.

As soon as you left the spaceport, you walked into a huge sprawling market, where hawkers tried to sell travelers anything from candy to new ships. Many sold home-grown foods or fish caught in the planet's huge ocean. Others sold imported products. Down the alleyways, it was rather easy to find illegal goods. The black market on Trinuto was thriving, selling everything from illegal magic charms, to the supposed body parts of hated people.

Past the huge markets, in towering buildings of various architectural styles were the casinos. These too were renowned throughout the universe. Many were run by syndicate bosses, and they formed an odd, luxurious world in the midst of all the dingy markets and brothels. Vegeta could just glimpse some of the casinos over the wall. That was where he really wanted to go, but he probably wouldn't have the time for it today.

It was a shame. He rather liked Trinuto. Just like so many other homeless young men.

This was the place that had taken Kuro Kon and changed him from a poor, young upstart to a seasoned police chief—a man who had seen just about everything. This was the place where people who had survived the Cold Clan's purges escaped to, blending into the narrow winding streets and sundry population. This was the place that so many weary soldiers over the centuries had learned to love so much that no warlord had dared order them to destroy it.

For Vegeta this place was almost a home. It was the only place that he remembered feeling any peace or security in the entirety of his youth—with the notable exception of his home planet of course. He had only been to this place a few times, but, hidden among the hive of scum and low-lives, he, Raditz, and Nappa had nearly blended in. They had done well for a while—week or two at least—until Kuro Kon had been tipped off to their presence on the planet

"Ok we're ready." Bulma's call drew him out of his thoughts and he looked down the hallway to see that everyone was now bundled up and ready to go outside.

He pushed himself off the wall and, without a word, led them down the corridor toward the hatch.

They were met by the one-eyed captain standing at the bottom of the gang plank. The man looked rather unhappy about their situation, but up ahead, he could see young soldiers, still in uniform rowdily racing toward the exit of the spaceport. "We're lifting off again at 16-h standard time."

Vegeta glanced at his scouter. That left them only a little over two and a half hours. Oh well it was enough to see a bit. He just nodded, and headed off toward the exit.

"So what exactly is there to see here?" Bulma asked, but before he could answer, she called up ahead to the two boys who had just taken off at a sprint toward the gates. "Trunks, Goten, stay in sight. We don't need you two getting lost."

"Kaaaay!" The two called back, and jogged excitedly in place while the others caught up.

"I don't know what you were talking about when you said this place was full of low-lives." Goku said from just behind him. With his hands shoved deep into his pockets, he was observing the uniformed service workers and _relatively_ tidy spaceport.

Vegeta didn't respond, but just pushed through the gates. The sight before him did all the talking for him.

Goku's quiet "oh" was nearly drowned out by the whispers of surprise from the others.

The sight was nearly overwhelming. Small buildings spread out before them almost as far as the eye could see. To their backs was the spaceport, a small, gray, colorless blob sitting squarely between an enormous purple ocean and the chaos of colors in the market before them. The ocean was calm, only small waves hitting the docks where several old men sat. The noise of the water could not be heard at all over the roar of the market.

"So this is the entrance of the market." Vegeta announced as if they couldn't have figured that out for themselves. He hazarded a glance behind him, and realized with some small amusement that for the majority of them this was their first time seeing the "real" universe. Namek and whatever other random planet a few of them had crash-landed on, hardly counted. They were isolated—completely unintegrated into the rich and complicated network of planets that had grown up over the millennia. Without a doubt, they had never seen so much diversity and eccentricity in one place.

This would be a learning experience for them without a doubt. Where Iro would show them the Universe at its best, Trinuto would show them the universe at its…most…colorful. Yes, it was certainly worth it to make a pitstop here. Perhaps now, Bulma and Kakarott would understand a little better what he'd meant when he'd said that they couldn't imagine what the rest of the universe was like.

A small, personal ship sped low overhead, causing them all to duck down, and Bulma and Chichi to both scream. A moment later, another red one-man ship followed the first one in hot pursuit, while firing off shots.

"Bounty hunter." Was Vegeta's only explanation, as the gang looked between him and the dangerous aerial combat that was now taking place over the ocean. "Don't worry about it." He just turned away from the scene that was so common on Trinuto that none of the normal inhabitants appeared to notice.

"Watch your pockets and any valuables you might have." Was his only warning before he plunged into the madness that was Trinuto's market.

He had hardly taken two steps when Bulma's hand latched onto his sleeve. He glanced back at her to see that she was staring around at all of the foreign goods and people with a look of wonder on her face.

She stumbled slightly as someone bumped her and a moment later cringed as she accidentally stepped in a puddle. Trinuto was a rainy planet. Puddles always lingered in the uneven cobblestoned streets where careless pedestrians would accidently tread in them. Bulma would soon find herself to be one of those careless pedestrians. They had hardly been walking ten minutes before both Bulma and Chichi began complaining that both of their feet were completely soaked.

Vegeta just rolled his eyes, and led them off toward an area where he knew they sold clothes. There wasn't anything in particular that he'd wanted to buy, and with any luck, the women would find shoes and shut up for the rest of their excursion.

He focused his gaze ahead again, almost reveling in how little the place had changed since he'd last been there. The streets were dirty. Bright lights, often missing bulbs shone down on oily puddles. Teenagers on small scooter-like vehicles raced through the narrow streets, blaring their horns and causing shoppers to have to jump out of the way.

It didn't take long for Vegeta to realize that most of the people on the planet recognized him. He had rather hoped that the people here were cut off from the media. Hawkers yelled advertisements from under their brightly-colored awnings, sometimes calling him by name. Several times, the group had to stop as a particularly interesting product caught their eye. Goku, Gohan and the boys stopped at every single food stand, wanting to sample everything. Yamcha tried his hand at sampling as well, even if he wasn't quite as daring or insatiable as the others. It didn't take long for the group to stock up on exotic snacks—all courtesy of Vegeta who was the sole possessor of money that was accepted outside of Earth.

And then there were the clothes stalls, which immediately caught the women's eye. Even Krillin was somewhat excessively amazed at the different outfits, and promised to pay Vegeta back if he bought some for him. Vegeta could kind of understand why Krillin would want some of the more revealing women's harem clothes, but he didn't know why Krillin would want to buy any crazy costumes for himself.

He almost wished that he didn't have money. Perhaps that would keep the prostitutes—who were coming out of the woodwork—from being quite so forward with him. He didn't bother to look back at Bulma to know that she was not appreciating the women who seemed to be gravitating toward him. It was something that she wasn't used to to say the least. Prostitutes and drug peddlers moved freely through the streets here, unafraid of the meager law-enforcement.

When they finally came across a stand that sold shoes, Vegeta ducked inside, hiding behind the drape of the awning. Bulma and Chichi quickly followed him into the small shop, immediately fawning and chattering about the interesting fashions on the planet and deciding that they needed to look at more clothing shops to see what else was different.

It was at that moment that Vegeta realized that he had willingly invited his wife to go shopping. And not only that, he had another hour and a half left of this.

He grimaced, and his eyes accidentally met Goku's. Goku swallowed whatever strange thing-on-a-stick he was currently eating and grinned at him. "I take it you didn't go shoe shopping when you came here with Raditz and Nappa." He said with a chuckle.

Vegeta just sighed. He didn't know what he was expecting. When he'd thought of Trinuto, he'd instantly seen himself in a casino with a scantily clad alien woman beside him—or possibly in his lap…whatever. He had forgotten one small, but rather important detail when making his plans though. Bulma.

The woman in question was suddenly right in front of him. "Just how much money do you have exactly?" She asked.

He blinked at her. "Enough for shoes." He answered.

"I think I want to look in some other shops before I buy anything." Chichi said from behind her.

"Wha…" Just stared at her for a moment while a horrified feeling began to swell in his stomach. Bouncing from food stand to clothes stand while buying whatever caught their eye was bad enough. Focusing on finding the perfect pair of shoes brought all of this to a whole new level of miserable. "Don't any of them fit?"

"Oh yes, they do." Bulma said. "But we've still got over an hour, don't we?"

"We are not spending this whole time shoe shopping." He said drawing himself up and giving her his most final look.

She just raised an eyebrow at him and turned to head out of the small shop. "Come on Chichi. I think there's another shop right up the road."

Vegeta was left standing there with his mouth hanging open. A moment later, he heard a chuckle. Then another. Before long, Goku, Piccolo, Krillin, Yamcha, and Gohan were all giggling.

He scowled at him. "What are you laughing at?" He demanded. "You're coming too."

That sobered them instantly. He didn't really care. With a growl of frustration, he left the shop, hoping that he could find a stand that sold some alcohol soon. That would certainly make this whole ordeal better.

They arrived back at the ship right on time. Vegeta had somehow been conned into carrying a stack of parcels containing Bulma's new clothes. The other men were equally unfortunate. Piccolo especially was taking his new demotion to Bulma's servant quite hard. Vegeta paused at the gangplank, where the Captain was waiting with a small handheld computer, checking names as people boarded the ship again.

He waited until everyone was well into the ship, and ignored the captain's obvious glance at the parcels in his hands.

"Had a fun trip?" The captain asked.

Vegeta brushed the question away. "Don't get cocky. I'm about to solve a problem for you." He had certainly heard an interesting bit of a conversation today in the market, and he had finally found a solution to the ship's "ghost" problem. "It's about your ghost. Call me if something strange happens tonight. Oh…and don't tell anyone that I'm going to be involved."

* * *

A few hours later, the ship was hurdling back through space, again on its way to planet Iro.

Vegeta was dozing lightly. He knew that he was going to receive a call from the night patrolman soon, and for now he was just lying calmly enjoying the feeling of Bulma's warm body pressed up beside his, and occasionally cracking an eye open to check the time or to watch the stars go by outside the window.

Suddenly his scouter started vibrating. He snatched it up quickly, already knowing what was going on. He didn't bother to put a shirt or shoes on, but just strode toward the door in nothing but his pajama pants.

Bulma rolled over and stared at him blearily. "Where are you going?"

"To catch some ghosts." Was his simple reply.

"Oh…that's nice." She mumbled and rolled over again. She wouldn't remember until the morning what he had said.

Once the door slid closed behind him, Vegeta put the scouter to his ear. "It's heading toward the dorms." The patrolman said.

"Of course they are." He said, walking calmly down the hall toward the stairwell.

"I'm almost there." Vegeta's statement seemed to register a moment later. "'They,' sir?'" The young soldier's voice was tinged with fear but was now also curious.

"Mmhm."

Vegeta leaned against the wall just beside the doorway to the stairwell, and waited patiently. The young soldier came running up the hall a moment later.

Without a word, Vegeta motioned for the winded young man stand before the stairwell doorway and aim at it.

It only took a minute for the door to slide open, and by the time the soldier could even think to pull the trigger, Vegeta already had the two perpetrators by their collars.

The hallway was frozen in silence for the space of a moment. Two suddenly very pale boys stared at each other and then up at their captor in shock. Neither of them flinched at the weapon pointed at them, even if the soldier quickly lowered it. They seemed far more afraid of the powerful saiyan that had captured them.

Vegeta glanced down at the two boys with a small smirk. "Did you have fun?" He asked calmly.

The two boys gave each other panicked looks at the calm tone. Such a voice only ever meant that Vegeta had a situation perfectly in-hand. And that was never good for them in such a situation.

Trunks tried one last-ditch effort to get them out of trouble. "No! Dad, I think you're misinterpreting the situation."

"No, no. I understand it perfectly." He said and began dragging them back up the stairs in the direction of the control room. The patrolman followed just behind them curiously. "Your mischief first started several nights after we set off. You two wanted to snoop the control room, I assume, and decided to try to go in the middle of the night. However you did not first feel for anyone's Ki inside of the control room, and were therefore wholly surprised when you opened the door to find a guard there. Using your speed to your advantage, you fled the scene, creating the "creepy" gusts of wind that the soldiers have been feeling." He glanced down at them, as they came into another hallway. "Am I right so far?"

Matching sweat-drops rolled down the two boys' faces.

"The next night," Vegeta continued with some amusement. "You thought you would try on some space suits, and perhaps even open an airlock."

"No, we weren't going to go outside." Trunks quickly intervened.

"Oh, I see, well anyway. One of you made a noise and alerted the patrolling guard to your presence in the room."

"Goten was talking, when I sensed the guard up the hall. I hit him to shut him up, but then he started whining." Trunks clarified.

"Well it hurt." Goten cut in.

"Uh huh." Vegeta deadpanned. "So I'm assuming that instead of being caught in the act, you again fled the scene, too fast for the soldier's eyes to see, and your passing created that same "creepy" wind. I am willing to concede that these first two or even three nights were innocent mischief. You were curious boys and this was your first time in a space ship. I often did the same, exploring and digging into things I shouldn't have far after my curfew. But then you heard that there was some strange intruder on the ship. Knowing full-well that that intruder was you, you both decided not to come clean, and instead continued your nightly outings with the express purpose of making the ship appear to be haunted."

The door to the control room slid open, and the two boys cringed when they saw that the room was full of night surveillance officers and patrol guards—the very men that they had been pranking for the past few weeks.

"Now that you both confirmed my suspicions about what you have been doing, I think it is fair that you both confess to everything. All of these men will then decide your punishment." He looked up at the men in question. "I suggest some form of toilet scrubbing or dishwashing."

The boys sent disgusted looks to each other.

"No dad, come on."

"Please, Uncle Vegeta. We were just having a little fun."

"Yeah, no one got hurt."  
He just shrugged. "Don't plead with _me_. It's _them_ that will punish you."

* * *

The next morning, the news of the "ghosts'" capture spread through the ship like wildfire, and Bulma finally remembered what Vegeta had said the night before.

Two very disgruntled young ghosts were sent to the kitchens for their punishment. Peace was returned to the ship, and everyone was content…with three notable exceptions.

"They'll do their studies after they finish their chores." Vegeta calmly repeated for the millionth time that day.

Chichi was the only person who had come to Trunks and Goten's aid the first day of their punishment. Bulma was thoroughly disappointed in the two boys for their prank, and fully supported the soldiers' decision to make the boys wash dishes as punishment.

Goku had merely laughed at the aprons the two red-faced boys wore and went on about his business.

"Explain to me why they have to wash all of the breakfast dishes, again." Vegeta sighed and launched into the explanation yet again.

Down several flights of stairs, in the ship's large kitchen, were the other two unhappy passengers.

"At least we only have two more weeks of this." Goten mused idly drying a plate and putting it in the small stack of clean ones.

"Uugh!" Trunks moaned dramatically and accidentally splashed a good amount of water onto the floor. While two weeks of washing dishes may not have seemed like much to Goten, it was nearly torturous for Trunks.

Trunks eyed the towering stacks of plates, pots, pans, and bowls. His knees began to weaken with the exhausting thought that he would have to wash every single one of them by hand—even though there was a dishwashing machine less than a meter to his left.

"Straighten up!" The shout caused Trunks's back to stiffen, and a light bead of sweat to run down his temple. He glanced back to the chef who was calmly reading at the table.

He sunk his arms into the water, unintentionally soaking his sleeves—which he had rolled up to his elbows—even further. A few bubbles dislodged from the white mountains in the sudsy water and floated up. One landed perfectly on his nose. It popped a moment later, sending a tiny shower of soapy water onto his face. His eye twitched, and he heard a chuckle beside him.

"Shut up, Goten."

* * *

A/N: Yay! Another update. I hope you enjoyed it. I felt like I had to put that bit about Trinuto there, even if it wasn't terribly important for the overall plot. It was something that's been in my head since I first started writing this and I couldn't just abandon it. I was initially going to have them stay for a while longer, but I changed my mind. Maybe if I get enough positive feedback for it, the gang will visit again sometime. Anyway, next chapter, the gang finally arrives on Iro.

Thank you all so much for sticking with this story, and for giving me such great feedback. I really appreciate it. As always, let me know what you think.


	45. Fortress

Chapter 45- Fortress

The sleek, black spaceport was swarming with guards when their ships touched down. It no doubt had something to do with the massive crowd of people that had crammed into the port. Vegeta had again been forced to don his black and red Krimzon uniform and be subject to Bulma's giggles and huge eyes. It was something he could gladly do without, but he tried to take it in stride.

He could practically taste the excitement oozing off the rest of his co-travelers. Standing in the hall just near the door that would let them out of the ship, Vegeta had no choice but to hear the goings-on of the other people crowded around him.

Chichi wouldn't stop blathering to Goku about the wonderful cultural experiences they were going to have as a family. Goku was participating in the conversation by talking of the interesting martial arts techniques and cuisine that he was bound to run across. Krillin, Yamcha, and Gohan talked excitedly about meeting Kurenai and seeing how powerful she was while Trunks filled Goten in on the location of every arcade and "cool hang out" that he knew of. Piccolo had his eyes glued to the window where he was watching the Krimzon police try to rein in the huge throng of people. And Vegeta was trying _not _to listen to Bulma sizing up the thrust capacity of all the foreign spaceships already docked in the port.

He wasn't sure how he felt about coming back to Iro. Sure, he would have preferred to stay home on Earth and forget about this war, but his more primal side was thirsting for more battle. It was a strange conflicting feeling—to be aching for a fight but to be burnt out on it at the same time.

A small buzzing sound alerted them to the fact that the bottom thrusters had just been opened. The small hallways instantly went silent. Vegeta tried not to shift from foot to foot in his anxiousness.

With hardly more than a soft bump, the ship settled onto the docking bay. The soldiers at the doorway made no movement for a few moments. They knew that it would take about a minute to have the engines shut down and the gangplank lowered.

The silence of the room was suddenly broken by a gasp. The eyes of everyone in the crowded hallway instantly turned to the source of the noise: Bulma. She and Chichi had actually dressed up for the occasion. They wouldn't be attending any balls, certainly, but the two had spent a good three hours choosing what to wear and fixing each other's hair. Thankfully, they had both chosen to wear functional clothes.

"The gravity!" She exclaimed turning instinctively to Vegeta as if he could solve all her problems.

While the Earthlings began passing concerned glances between Chichi and Bulma, Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Don't worry." He said. "This planet may look bigger, but it's actually made of different stuff than Earth. The gravity here is hardly any different from Earth. It's perhaps a little stronger, but all the other species that have settled here have been able to adjust."

"And if I don't?" She asked.

"Then you deserve to be squashed." He said adjusting a glove. "I personally would be glad to be rid of you." He didn't miss the way that the others—even the soldiers—in the hallway stifled laughs at that remark. Bulma just glared at him.

The small pop of the door's locks stifled any comment she might have made, and all heads turned toward the door.

They had been told that they would divide into two groups. The first group, consisting of Vegeta's family and Piccolo would be escorted to the car that Midori was currently waiting in. The other group, essentially the rest of their party, would be taken in a second car to the Krimzon Palace.

With the opening of the door came the roar of the crowd. It pierced through the silence of the hallway and shattered the relative stillness that had settled there since the ship touched down. The soldiers moved closer as the light from the outside filtered through the crack. The roar grew louder as the crack widened.

"It's been a pretty long time since Vegeta's needed a bodyguard." Goku commented just loud enough for Vegeta to hear.

Vegeta threw a rude gesture over his shoulder earning a gasp from Chichi and a few chuckles from the others.

The guards formed a circle around them as they stepped onto the gangplank. Like the first time Vegeta arrived, it seemed a chaos of activity. Cameras were flashing everywhere. Reporters were trying to push through the guards, shouting questions. There was an odd mix of emotions present on the people's faces. Fans bounced and jostled each other behind the reporters, reaching past the guards to try to touch him. The screams of the crows filled the spaceport echoing off the walls. The fans were typical. He had expected them. It was the others who puzzled him

There were many families in the crowd. On many of the men's faces he saw clear hope, relief, and a sort of fierce determination. The expression of a man who had been terrified for their families' sake, but whose fears had been suddenly alleviated. Younger boys bounced through the crowd, throwing him their best impressions of a salute. Here and there he saw women in tears clutching their excited children as if they had just escaped with them from a burning building. He raised a curious eyebrow but refused to dwell on it. Was this all for him?

A quick glance to the sky assured him that Patrollers were surveying the sky to ensure that no one got off the ground.

He was slightly surprised to see just how many people had shown up.

Beside him, Bulma took the attention with the ease of a person who had been the object of reporters' attention her whole life. Reporters were shouting questions at her, asking about her relationship with Vegeta, her tastes, and what she planned to do on Iro. With her head held high, she ignored them all. She was trying to keep herself from darting wide-eyed curious glances around the space port. Trunks scrunched up his nose at the attention. He had already seen the port several times, and so it was nothing new to him. He simply took a step closer to his father and followed without comment.

The rest of their little group was quite a different story. Although Piccolo managed to take in the sight with the air of a dignified adult, the others were gaping and making loud exclamations at the larger ships, and even some of the people they saw in the crowd.

Vegeta resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

Straight ahead of them, Vegeta could see two of Kurenai's personal cars waiting for them. As they neared the cars, one of the doors opened, and the familiar woman stepped out. She was talking on a scouter. She quickly finished her conversation and snapped it closed.

"Took you long enough to get here." Midori commented once they were settled into the plush air car.

"Veet pods are overrated." Was his only reply.

* * *

The ride to the palace was far from silent. Bulma was awed at the sheer size of the city and the architecture of the towering buildings as they weaved their way through them. She talked about everything from the origins of the city to the possibility for such buildings to be replicated on Earth and where the required materials might be procured. Vegeta could generally keep up with her conversations, but today he didn't even bother.

If that wasn't bad enough, Trunks was trying to talk over her, pointing out all the places his mother would need to know, and giving detailed accounts of the places he'd been. The two were each having their own excited conversations—somewhat with each other, and somewhat to themselves—in that way they sometimes did.

Vegeta could only count himself lucky that Piccolo was riding with him and not one of the other loud-mouthed morons. The tall Namek was simply staring out of the window. His slightly widened eyes were the only indication he gave that he was somewhat impressed with what he saw.

It wasn't until they came around the Septagon that Bulma shut up. It was as if they had suddenly burst out of a dark jungle of towering black buildings and their off-shooting orbs into a clearing. Straight ahead of them, sitting high on a mountain, was the dark shape of Kurenai's palace.

It was a sight that few rarely got. The hot, reddish-orange sky glinted off of the shiny black buildings, seeming to melt into them. Down below, trains and hover cars zipped this way and that, their lights shining. The palace was the center of the city. It was an enormous structure, somewhat similar to the mountain fortresses that could be found on Earth, though at times it was difficult to decipher what was mountain and what was palace. This building was evidently more ancient than those that surrounded it—but he knew that the interior was sleek and modern by Earth standards. At the same time the palace felt as if it should be there—as if without it, the city would not complete.

Vegeta glanced over at Bulma to see that her mouth was hanging slightly open, and that she was staring in awe at the palace. Her eyes only widened somehow as they grew nearer to the palace.

"Is that where we're going?" She asked.

"Of course." Vegeta answered somewhat lightly. "Where else would we meet Kurenai."

"Oh Dende, I can't believe this is happening." She mused. "We're meeting Kurenai." She turned her wide blue eyes on him. "We're actually meeting the Empress of the universe."

"Why is that so amazing to you? You've been in spitting distance of Frieza before. Hell, you've even met the Kais." He paused for a moment. "Haven't you?"

Piccolo was shooting a conspicuous glance between Vegeta and Midori, but Vegeta waved off his concern and sent a quick mental message. _"It's okay. She knows I've met the Kais."_

She paused and put a finger to her chin. "Mmmm, well I've talked to King Kai, but I don't think I've ever actually seen him. I feel like I've heard so much about him that I should have though."

He cocked his head. "And the Supreme Kai? He came to Earth a while back when Buu was taking over."

"Hmm…no I don't think I ever talked to him."

"Interesting. Especially considering…" A malicious smirk lit his face.

"Considering what?"

He actually chuckled. "Considering that Kakarott bribed the Elder Kai for his assistance by promising that the old bat could kiss you. It's probably pretty lucky for everyone that he's forgotten about that."

"He…what?" Bulma stared at him wide eyed. Piccolo was smirking lightly. He'd already heard this story, though how it never made its way to Bulma was beyond him. Slowly Bulma's eyes narrowed and she turned to regard the car flying behind them.

A moment later, a scream could be heard from every corner of the city. "GOKUUUU!"

In the car behind them, Goku suddenly sneezed. All conversation stopped.

Yamcha looked around at everyone and asked. "Did someone hear something just now?"

* * *

The car touched down in front of the palace. To Vegeta's dismay, the palace was also swarmed with people, though they were being held at a safe distance by local law enforcement.

They were quickly ushered out of cars and through the crowd of citizens and paparazzi. Like at the space port, the noise was deafening, and Vegeta was rather embarrassed to discover that the crowd was chanting his name.

He did his best to ignore the crowd and moved with—to all appearances—an unhurried stride toward the building. The towering, arched front doors of the palace were being held open for them by two guards in uniform. They had almost reached the doors when Goku appeared beside him.

"Wow Vegeta." He commented in that voice that Vegeta recognized as the one that Goku used to make "innocent" jokes. "You're like the Hercule Satan of this world.

As the others broke into loud laughter, Vegeta turned to send Goku a glare that was far more amused than he intended it to be.

"Yeah." Bulma added tearing her eyes away from the towering palace spires to send him an amused look. "You should do a pose for them."

"Not on your life, woman." He grumbled in reply.

They finally reached the interior of the building, and the doors swung shut behind them. The large entrance hall that they appeared in was still and silent. If anyone had been talking or moving about before, they had stopped upon the small group's arrival.

Midori finally decided to take charge. She turned toward Vegeta and said in a low voice. "I will take them the scenic route to conference room one. Kurenai would like to see you in her office."

He just nodded. He'd figured that that might be the case. Therefore as the others were taken toward one of the guest elevators, he broke away from the group. The walk across the shiny black floor was a familiar one. Before he had left Iro on his ill-fated mission, people had just been losing interest in staring at him as he made his way across the room toward the entrance that only he, Midori, and a select few other people were permitted to use. Now though, the large towering entrance hall was frozen and silent. People stopped what they were doing to stare. He could even see people leaning over balconies in the floors above and staring through interior windows at him as he walked.

He rolled his eyes and paused at the door to await the full-body scan's completion. It only took a few seconds, but today it felt like an eternity. The door finally clicked open, but before he could make his way through it, and small voice stopped him.

"Your coffee, sir?"

He was slightly surprised for a moment and turned to see the young intern—the same one who had brought him coffee every morning—standing behind him with a blush and a bowed head. In her hand was the cup of coffee—probably just as he always took it. He took it from her with a small nod and slipped quickly through the entrance. Oh yeah, he was back.

* * *

Kurenai spun around more quickly than he had ever seen her do. Her loose clothing fluttered around her for a moment before settling back around her ankles. Her eyes roved over him, scrutinizing, from head to toe and back up again, before a small smile lit her face.

"Welcome back." She stood silhouetted against the orange light coming through the windows. "This place has suffered for your absence." The sincerity of her words shocked him to the point of embarrassment. He was definitely not used to hearing niceties from people—at least not from outside of his small group on Earth.

She saw his discomfort immediately, and that familiar devilish smirk crept onto her features. However, rather unexpectedly, she didn't comment. Instead she said. "I trust the trip was comfortable."

"It was fine." He managed to say without the smallest hint of deception and then took a calming sip of his coffee.

"You, of course, enjoyed the surprise party I planned for you." Her head cocked to the side slightly, her seemingly sightless, silver eyes narrowing in amusement. He knew that she was reading him, but he didn't really care. It was not like he really wanted to hide his annoyance from her.

"Thoroughly." He said dryly, crossing his arms and staring down his nose at her. "If you don't count the fact that I nearly froze to death."

"Oh you were fine." She waved a dismissive hand and began moving toward him. Her shoes tapped lightly across the floor, but other than an odd water-like ripple, the floor did not react to her presence. A momentary glance at his feet assured him that her magic floor was working properly. His feet were shining just as brightly as ever. "I must say that I was rather impressed by your fellow warrior's abilities." Kurenai continued. "Tell me, how many of them are of Saiyan lineage?"

"Just two: Kakarott and his son."

"Really?" Her eyes widened in honest surprise. "Besides the green one, I thought they all were. Remarkable. And imagine when I put them in Saiyan-style uniforms. Hui will piss himself when he catches wind that I've got six Saiyans…well five if we don't count your brother." She glanced down to his feet. "Really? You're not embarrassed about _that_ when you were about a simple greeting? Tch." She spun around.

"I'm not sure they'll appreciate you passing them off as a different race. They might not have much pride, but they're bound to have too much for that."

"Oh I won't say it outright. I'll just leave it to be implied. And so will you."

"I most certainly will not." He said flatly, taking another sip of coffee.

She didn't respond to that, and just turned slightly to face the door. "I'll need you here this evening to meet with my strategists about our line in the Cassiopeia region. I also need to check your progress on translocating." He blanched a bit, and she narrowed her eyes. "You have made progress, correct?"

"I guess we'll see." He offered.

She sighed and shook her head. "Typical. We'll talk about this later. First I'd like to see what you've brought me."

"Fine, but don't get your hopes up. They didn't come all this way to sell themselves into your service, if that's what you're expecting."

"I'll make them see reason." She said. "After all, your mate has already agreed to work in my labs, and there is no reason for the rest of them not to work with us. They _do _need my resources."

He frowned, but had to agree. As long as Kakarott's instant transmission didn't work in Krimzon and Tik territory, they would need Krimzon ships to get around.

"Come along then." She said, and then turned and headed toward the door. With a sigh he turned and followed after her. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

The group had split shortly after Vegeta left them. Bulma was escorted toward private tube that connected the Imperial Palace to the nearby science labs. Chichi, Trunks, and Goten were separated shortly after, to be taken on a special tour of the palace. That left the five warriors with Midori.

They were led quickly through the palace's sleek corridors. The group marveled at the high arches, the luxurious drapes, the tall windows that afforded excellent views of the city.

They were soon upon another large, intricately-carved, arched door. The door was opened for them by two palace guards in uniform, and they were quickly ushered inside.

The room they found themselves in was large and semi-circular. In the room was a long table. Comfortable chairs lined the table on both sides with two more ornate chairs on either end. A wall of floor-to-ceiling windows was to there left, affording another excellent view of the city. "Whoah!" Goku nearly ran toward the window, his eyes opening wide at the view.

"Feel free to look around." Midori said with a hint of amusement in her voice. "Kurenai will be here shortly."

The five men were already staring in awe at the city below them.

"It goes on for miles!" Gohan exclaimed and then turned to Midori. "How big is this city?"

"Hmm…" Midori cocked her head as if it were a question that she had not ever considered. "I've rarely met with any immigrations officers. People tend to come and go quite a lot. It's the capital of this side of the universe after all. If I had to guess…" She put a finger to her chin in thought. "Maybe a billion or two people."

Gohan's eyes bugged out. "A billion? Really?" He spun to the window again. "That's incredible." He surveyed the sprawling city again. The dark towers with their odd ball-like outshoots were silhouetted against the reddish-orange sky. Dark purple clouds were moving in, foreboding an upcoming rain. "It's really a beautiful city. I've never seen anything like it. How many different races live here? The guide my mom read said that it was somewhere around 30 thousand."

"That sounds right. Of the couple thousand planets in the Krimzon empire, only a few of them consist of single races. Many ambassadors from those planets live here—usually around those apartments there."

"The seven towers?"

"Yes. That's the Septagon. Seven apartment buildings built especially for housing visiting ambassadors and Kurenai's top officers. Vegeta and I both live there."

"No way!" Krillin spun around. "Will we live there too?"

"It depends." Midori said vaguely.

"On what?" Yamcha asked, turning slightly from the window to look at the woman.

Before Midori could reply, however, Piccolo cut in. "On if we do what Kurenai wants."

"Oh." The four other travelers from Earth shared somewhat uncomfortable looks.

"What does she want from us exactly?" Goku asked.

"I'll let her tell you herself. Despite what you may think, I don't always know what goes on in Kurenai's head. I have my suspicions for why she needs you," She focused especially on Goku when she said this. "But I'm not certain."

The doors to the room opened and a moment later, Kurenai swept in, followed closely by Kuro Kon and Vegeta. Vegeta's eyes swept over his companions, and he raised an eyebrow briefly at the conspicuous absence of the women and children. Something in his expression changed slightly, but he made no comment.

"Do sit down." Kurenai offered to the people by the window. She was roving her gaze over each of them, one by one. Those familiar with Kurenai could only guess how much information she was getting from each of the men simply by her glance. She seemed quite satisfied with what she found.

She ignored the fact that they were sizing her up as well.

Slowly, the five men moved toward the table. Kurenai sat on one end of the table—Vegeta to her left and Midori to her right. Kuro Kon sat on the other. The five visiting warriors filled in between them.

"I assume you already know my interest in you, so I'll just skip that part. What you need to know is that the war has not been going well for us. We are losing far too many civilians, and Hui's tactics get sneakier and more despicable every day. He is not above using child soldiers, intimidation, kidnapping, and torture to get what he wants. With Vegeta back, the empire is more at ease, but when we all believed him to be dead, there was widespread terror. I have come to realize that the fate of the empire cannot rest on the shoulders of a single warrior. I want you to restore the faith of the people, and to let them know that Hui will not win." She paused for a moment. "I understand that there is not much in this arrangement for you." She regarded each of them in turn. "So why don't you tell me why you have willingly come to see me."

The five of them regarded each other for a few moments before all their eyes rested on Goku. Goku in turn sent a questioning look to Vegeta. Vegeta simply shrugged in return. Goku smiled slightly and spoke. "We want to fight Hui."

Kurenai raised an eyebrow. "Is that all?"

"We want to defeat him. The fate of our planet and families rest upon Hui's defeat. We do not want them to live in terror anymore."

"Then our goals and motives are much the same." Kuro Kon cut in for the first time. The tall, dark man was leaned back in his chair. His fingers were laced loosely on the table in front of him. "But what makes you think you can defeat him?"

"I can answer that." At the other end of the long, dark table, Kurenai was smirking. "This saiyan here," She indicated Goku. "Is the one who defeated Frieza on Planet Namek."

Kuro's eyes widened. So did Vegeta's. He did not recall ever telling her that. Goku looked to him for an explanation, but he shook his head.

Kurenai continued. "His power level is nearly the same as Vegeta's, and I sense that he too has some experience with magic."

"Ah, so we're replacing Vegeta?" Kuro asked, sending a smirk in Vegeta's direction. "I must admit this is a surprise." Vegeta took another sip of his coffee hiding a rude gesture aimed at Kuro behind his cup as he did so.

"Not quite." Kurenai said, taking Kuro's half-joke somewhat seriously. "Vegeta has an impressive natural capacity for magic considering his saiyan heritage. That will be necessary in the fight against Hui. We may have to attribute this gift to his ancestors, for _this_ saiyan's magical capacity is quite limited." She waved a hand toward Goku. "I also see that this saiyan has very little experience with the workings of empires, or wars in general." She looked to Goku. "Am I correct?"

"Uhhh…." He blinked at her.

Kurenai just nodded as if confirming her own deduction. "These five men are a very strong team, as they each have their own special capabilities. The Namek brings wisdom, experience, and strategy to the table. This Earthling," She motioned to Krillin. "Is capable of highly-concentrated attacks that are capable of piercing Tik ships." Kuro raised an impressed eyebrow. "The other Earthling has some experience with more advanced technology, and may be the easiest to train in ship and pod maintenance, as I see he has at least seen a space pod being dismantled before."

"Really?"

"Yes, apparently, the blue-haired scientist was once an item with this man. That is until Vegeta stole her away."

Vegeta rubbed his temples and glared at Kurenai. How did she know all of this? The answer came to him a moment later: Shiro. The gossip-crazed alien had certainly studied up on the relationships of the Earthlings who had given him a home, and then passed that information on to Kurenai.

Kurenai cleared her throat, although it was obvious that she was enjoying Vegeta's discomfort.

"As for the two saiyans, they're powerhouses, good for one-on-one battles against enormously powerful opponents, and capable of handling themselves well against an army of less-powerful ones as well." She turned her pale gaze away from the five fighters she'd been studying and looked at Kuro. "Any questions?"

Vegeta raised his hand with as much attitude as he could possibly squeeze into such a simple motion. Kurenai rolled her eyes. "Yes?"

"Can we get on with it please?"

Kurenai sighed and glared at him. She turned again to the five fighters who were clearly confused as to whether they should be embarrassed, nervous, or intrigued. "If it were possible to reach Hui right now, I assure you that I would have already sent someone after him." She sent an obvious glance to Vegeta. "Hui's location is a well-kept secret. He frequently moves from one planet to another, but we are assured that wherever he goes, he is always well-guarded. Rest assured, though that when we do find Hui, you will have my every support in going after him."

That simple assurance changed the atmosphere in the room entirely. "Oh thank you." Goku said cheerfully.

Kurenai smiled a little, but those who knew her well could easily see the slight viciousness there. "It would be my pleasure. However." She marked a short pause. "There is a small condition." Behind her head a large screen instantly flared to life. On the screen were the faces of three people—two women and a man. The Z fighters—including Vegeta—all shared confused looks, wondering what these people had to do with anything.

"These are Tik spies that we have recently captured." Kurenai said without looking back at the screen. "The man was on Kulder, this woman was on Yort, and _she_…" The second woman's picture was enlarged to cover the entire screen. "Was apprehended in an unregistered double-seated spaceship only 70,000 kilometers outside of Iro's atmosphere. All three were apprehended with the same poison believed to have been used by the Mantisi on Vegeta when they captured him."

A tense silence filled the room. "These people were sent into my empire to capture one of your children. Between the three of them, they killed four Krimzon guards and 43 civilians. Never has such a thing happened before." She shared a short glance with Kuro. "Now, I have agreed to give your families protection on this planet, and I and my forces will do our best to ensure their safety. However, Hui is stepping up his movements, and we anticipate more attacks. If I move more forces closer to Iro to protect this planet, I leave the outskirts of the Empire in danger. Do you understand this?"

The five men nodded solemnly.

"It is for this reason that until Hui is located, I would like for you five to form a special unit that responds to attacks on the empire's border."

Vegeta had to resist the urge to shake his head at Kurenai's craftiness.

"You want us to join your army, is that it?" Piccolo asked.

Kurenai smiled a little patronizingly at the question that was clearly meant to rattle her. This Namek may be centuries older than her, but she had done her time as well. "Essentially, yes. But only temporarily, and with different privileges and responsibilities than my other soldiers. You will be allowed to come and go from Iro as you please, except for when I call in your aide. You will wear a Krimzon-issue uniform, and represent the Krimzon Empire wherever you go. In return, I will give you access to my ships and spacepods as well as supplies, apartments, and a salary."

The five men looked back and forth at each other, considering their offer. Kurenai sat back in her seat patiently and sent another glance to Kuro. Kuro's face instantly hardened. "Kurenai, are you really serious about this? You don't know anything about these men. Sure they got lucky with that fleet in space, but that's all it was. Luck. Even if Vegeta won't be available to defend the borderlands," Vegeta's curious and slightly surprised gaze drifted from Kuro to Kurenai and finally to Midori who motioned him to sit quietly. "There are much better soldiers in our army. How could you promise these men more than you give to visiting kings when you've never even seen them throw a punch?"

"Oh we can fight!" Yamcha was quick to protest.

Kurenai remained silent.

"Power isn't everything." Kuro said, rising from his seat to tower over them. "You will also need smarts and experience to go against Hui's army."

"We've been fighting the Tik on Earth for over a year now and we've fared fine." Gohan said. "Rest assured that we can handle them." Vegeta raised an eyebrow at Gohan's newfound attitude. The war, manhood, and his recent separation from Videl were clearly taking their toll on him.

"Don't jump the gun, Gohan." Piccolo warned. "We haven't yet agreed to their terms."

Kurenai darted a quick glance to Vegeta. It was only for a moment, but he read it perfectly. Kurenai wanted his help. Piccolo was clearly the voice of reason, but Goku was their leader. All he had to do was "convince" Goku to agree to Kurenai's deal and the rest would, as usual, fall in line.

"I agree with Kuro." Vegeta quickly shot out.

"Huh?" "What?" The Z fighters turned shocked looks to him.

"Vegeta, this is not the time." Kurenai said—very convincingly. "Just sit quietly. This isn't your affair."

"No!" He snapped. "It _is_ my affair. Hui is _mine_! Let them fight at the border, and have whatever other benefits you've thrown in there, but don't give them free access to ships."

Kurenai finally turned fully toward him. "Vegeta our object here is to defeat Hui. I don't really care who does it. I know you've had it out for him for a while, but if they get to him before you do, then it's the same outcome."

"No." He shouted, jumping up just as Kuro had. "_I_ don't even get free access to ships. How are you going to let them roam about the universe wherever they like and just call them in once in blue moon to actually do something for you? It's not…worth the cost."

"Vegeta hush." Kurenai snapped, but a moment later, her voice resonated in his head. _Thank you._

A huge grin had instantly lit up Goku's face upon hearing Vegeta's words. "I'll do it!" He shouted leaping out of his seat. Vegeta growled and dropped back into his chair with a very convincing glare of smoldering defeat.

A slightly more malicious smirk crept onto Yamcha's face as he started to comprehend the situation, and he stood as well. "Me too."

"Oh, well I guess this is what we came for." Krillin said, sending an apologetic look to Vegeta. "Count me in as well."

"I'm with dad." Gohan said.

"Vegeta, what is the age of majority on Earth?" Kurenai quickly asked, her eyes never leaving Gohan.

"Uhhh…" He paused to think. "18 years?"

"And does this boy qualify?"

Vegeta just shrugged, and tried to not smirk at the idea that he had just helped Kurenai and Kuro trick them all.

"I'm 20." Gohan informed her. "Legally old enough to join Earth's army."

"Ah, I'll need to see something proving that, but I appreciate your assistance."

Gohan nodded and then turned to the Nameckian beside him. "Piccolo, are you in?"

Piccolo sent a short glare to Vegeta—enough to let Vegeta know that he clearly understood what had just happened—but finally stood from his chair. "Yes."

Kurenai smiled appreciatively and bowed her head slightly to them. Kuro Kon sent them a formal appreciative gesture as well.

"One more formality." Kurenai said producing a small computer tablet out of thin air. "One that I rather dislike, but the Galaxy Police like to keep written records of things." She set the small computer on the table before them. "This is our agreement. Please read it carefully. If it is to your liking, sign the bottom and hold your hand up to the screen so that the computer can read your Ki signature.

While they waited for the group to read over the contract together, Vegeta turned to Kurenai. "Why don't I have a contract?" He asked.

"Because you didn't need one." She replied. "Your contract is to do whatever I say without complaint or misbehaving—something which, by the way, you are _not_ very good at."

"Oh right." He frowned, and crossed his arms. His coffee was gone. He needed another.

Finally the group finished reading the document. Apparently, they could find no fault with it, for they each signed their names and allowed the computer to make a record of their Ki signature.

Just after the last one signed, the doors to the room swung open. None of the Krimzon soldiers looked at all surprised by the sudden entrance of a tall blue man with a shock of white hair. The man was in Krimzon attire, but he was clearly not a fighter.

"This is Ura, your guide." Kurenai explained, and the man bowed politely to the five men. "He will take you to get your IDs and show you to all of the resources that are available for your use. He also has the keys to your apartments, which he will show you to later after your tour is done. You may ask him any questions you have about Iro. I hope you will excuse us for now. Do enjoy your tour."

With one last simple bow, Kurenai swept out of the room with Kuro and Midori following behind. Vegeta paused to smirk cockily at Piccolo's glare, but then followed as well.

* * *

The tall double doors swung closed behind them, leaving the four top officers in the Krimzon-Galaxy Police Empire alone. "And you doubted me." Kurenai said, spinning toward Vegeta with a patronizing smile. "I even got them in uniforms."

Vegeta moved over to her desk and sat on it. Shifting a bit, he pulled one foot up comfortably. "Yes but you needed my help. You said that you could do it on your own."

"I never said that." Kurenai countered with some amusement. "I merely implied it."

"So are these warriors really as strong as you say?" Kuro asked. The dark man seemed to blend into the shadows of the room, giving him a slightly more intimidating aura than he usually had.

Midori, too looked to Vegeta for an answer.

"Oh, yes." He replied. "Everything that Kurenai said was true. Though I'm not sure how she knew all of that." He shifted again. The desk just wasn't comfortable today. "They're all quite impressive fighters in their own rights." He paused and narrowed his eyes at all of them. "Don't tell them I said that."

Midori snorted and rolled her eyes, while Kuro raised an eyebrow as if to say "and when would I ever talk to them?" Kurenai just listened silently to their conversation, her back turned to them.

Vegeta picked up a small paperweight and began tossing it from hand to hand. "The two Earthlings are a bit less powerful than the others but they may make up for it." He mused.

"Those were Earthlings?" Kuro asked. "I thought they were all Saiyans."

Vegeta waved the comment away and slipped off the desk. Still tossing the paperweight from one hand to the other, he walked toward the throne and dropped down in it. He ignored Kuro's glare and Midori's amused smirk. Kurenai hardly glanced his way. "They're Earthlings." He confirmed. "The small one, Krillin, created a very high-powered, densely concentrated energy disk, which turned out to be the attack that took down Frieza the first time." Vegeta threw his leg over the arm of Kurenai's throne and sent a curious gaze to Kurenai. "So why is it that you really want them in your army? And don't give me all that 'restoring faith' bullshit."

"Yes, I admit that was only part of it." Kurenai said. "I need some warriors to do your job while you are on a special mission. And…" she paused. "They'll also make a nice diversion for Hui."

"About that…" Vegeta said. "You're making it sound as though I'll be away for a long time. Where exactly are you sending me?"

Kurenai turned her head slightly. The red sky behind her silhouetted her small body and made her white hair seem to be on fire. Her eyes glinted for a moment, but every trace of a smile was gone from her face. Kurenai was serious now—more serious than he had seen her for a long time. In that moment, he could feel all the eyes in the room focused on him. He thought he knew what was coming, but he waited for her to say it anyway. A heavy weight settled in his stomach, and his heart leapt as he finally heard the words. "I'm sending you after Hui."

* * *

A/N: I am so sorry about taking so long to get this out. Thing have been really busy lately, and I've been too exhausted to write anything that I thought was worth reading. Things have finally calmed down a little bit though. I hope you enjoyed this.

This chapter wasn't really action-packed, but it was necessary. We are just about to transition into the final arc of the story and a few details needed to be laid out. For those of you who are wondering, I'm not sure how many chapters are left until Crimson is over, but I've got a general outline of the story laid out already. Thank you all so much for following me this far, and thank you all for all of the suggestions and support you have given me. I really enjoy hearing from you. Drop me a review to let me know what you thought!


	46. Power Play

Chapter 46- Power Play

"After Hui?" He asked, lacing his fingers over his stomach and cocking his head to the side. The position was completely relaxed, but inside he was a storm of excitement and dread. "It's about time."

No one spoke for a moment. The tall, dark presence of Kuro Kon seemed out of place in the equally dark throne room. Midori, standing beside Kuro with her hands behind her back and a slightly perturbed expression on her face, simply stared at Kurenai.

Kurenai was still for a moment staring somewhere over Vegeta's shoulder as if she were contemplating whether or not to elaborate further. Through the large windows behind the tiny empress, Vegeta could see purple streaks in the reddening sky above the skyscrapers as ships and space pods landed and took off from one of the busiest space ports in the known universe.

Finally, Kurenai nodded and turned back toward the window. The red light from outside cast a long shadow across the floor. Kuro and Midori turned their gazes back to Vegeta, and from Kuro's expression at least, he could tell that he'd known of this already.

Vegeta looked between them all, trying to see if he could glean any information from them. "I thought you said you didn't know where he was." Vegeta finally said, locking his sharp black eyes back onto the empress.

"I don't." Kurenai said simply. "But I suspect you will be able to find him quite easily."

He cocked an eyebrow at that, but otherwise didn't react. For a man who had just been informed that he was being sent after one of the most powerful men in the universe—a man who had already succeeded in killing him—he was oddly at ease. A strange sense of curiosity was filling him now, and he let it flood out his feelings of dread. "How?"

"That," She said, finally turning toward him. "Is something you will find out soon. For now, though, I want to see your progress on translocation. Follow me." With that, she turned and began heading out of the room. Vegeta blinked at her retreating back before—for no real reason—sending a decidedly put-off glare to Kuro Kon.

The tall man simply smirked at him and turned to leave the room as well.

"You didn't really expect her to tell you everything out right, did you?" Midori asked with a slightly patronizing smirk. "You should know better than that."

He bristled at the tone. "We could talk all day about people who should 'know better.'" He replied with a significant look. "For instance, you should know better than to keep lying to Kurenai about the fact that you can't do math."

Midori's mouth dropped open and she sent a panicked look to the doorway before turning back to him with a glare. "I _can_ do math." The floor at her feet did not flicker in that telltale way it did when anyone was lying, but Vegeta knew better. He had noticed this a while ago, and had been waiting to bring it up. Now that he was potentially leaving, he figured there was no time like the present.

In any case, if he had figured a way to trick Kurenai's floor, certainly Midori had—and he knew for a fact that she was sloppy in mathematical calculations that took higher reasoning that what an average twelve year old would be expected to possess. As soon as he'd learned his little trick, he had been watching. Kurenai regularly checked his reaction to the things she said, but she hardly ever watched Midori's. The old bag was far too trusting.

"Uh huh." He sent her a knowing smirk. "I'm surprised she hasn't found out about it already—what with the floor and all." He took a step down off the throne, intentionally taking control of his magical energy and distorting the floor's reading of him. She looked down at his feet and nearly grimaced at how far-off the reading was. "Tell me, how long did it take for you to learn how to trick it?"

She didn't say anything to that.

"I suppose the better question would be 'why?'"

"Probably the same as you, I'd expect." She replied.

"Really?" He said. "So…just in case you decide to kill her some day. You want to relish the surprised and betrayed look on her face."

Midori looked shocked for a moment, and he laughed. Her face settled into a glare. "Don't even joke like that." She snapped seriously. "I could have you sent back to prison for life." She narrowed her eyes. "Remember that."

That sent a shiver down his spine, but he straightened and came closer to her until they were nearly nose to nose. "You'd do well not to threaten me." He said. He had no idea how one of their usual verbal spars had degenerated so quickly, but he knew that he was treading on dangerous ground now. "I don't know exactly what secrets you're keeping from Kurenai…yet…but I suspect that the mere fact that you're keeping them is enough to make you lose your position."

Her gaze was positively murderous, but Kurenai's shout cut off anything she might have said. "Vegeta!"

They both looked toward the door.

"This stays in this room." Midori demanded.

He just sent her an innocent look before pushing past her and striding out of the room. Midori stared worriedly after him.

* * *

The space port looked distinctly different now that it was not packed to the brim with people. The dark surfaces were clean, and gleaming in the oddly-colored sunlight. The five Earth-bred fighters followed their guide quietly across the dark, stone floors toward the area that housed the Krimzon ships and pods.

Their guide, a tall blue skinned man named Ura, led them all the way to the end of a hallway, where a number of large, locker-like contraptions lined the walls. They were compact, stacked one on top of the other, with clear windows displaying the contents inside. The five friends all gazed up curiously into the windows of each.

"They're space pods!" Krillin exclaimed as soon as he realized what they were seeing. Sure enough, within each of the clear lockers was a space pod. Some were recognizable as the old white models. Others were sleek and black. Some were oddly-shaped, and some sported crests of what must have been different kingdoms within the empire.

Ura finally stopped and pointed to a row of Krimzon-issue space pods. "These will be your pods. There are five of them, numbers 3075 to 3079 —one for each of you."

As their guide moved to a small control panel on the wall that the others hadn't seen and punched in a few buttons, Gohan pulled out a small notebook that he'd pocketed and flipped to a new page. He had already written down numerous access codes, and the directions to get from Kurenai's Palace to the space port where they currently stood. He quickly scribbled down the numbers of their pods as well.

"To access your space pod," Ura continued, "simply type in the number on the storage unit's door and hit the green button that says 'Prep to launch.'"

Ura must have done just that, for the Krimzon pod to the right was suddenly sucked through the back wall of the locker, and a number appeared on the glass. He gave them a moment to exclaim excitedly over the event before he calmly continued with his explanation. "The number on the storage unit's glass indicates the dock that the pod has been sent to. That pod will reappear at space pod dock number 29. Follow me."

"Fascinating." Gohan mumbled and scribbled that down as well.

They followed their guide, staring in awe as other people docked and withdrew their spacepods. When they arrived at dock number 29, they found space pod 3079 sitting their waiting for them.

Their guide moved closer to it, and turned toward the fascinated fighters. "For those of you who have ridden in spacepods before, you will probably recognize most of the functions. These are Krimzon issue Veet pods. They get you to your destination in a fraction of the time that the old models would need, and they have a few noticeable enhancements over the other models as well."

The guide pressed a button on one of the pods and the door popped open. They all crowded around closer so they could see. "Here is the control panel." The man said, indicating a small keyboard and screen on the right wall of the pod. Goku, who was still gingerly rubbing the spot where he had gotten his vaccinations earlier, nodded as if remembering the layout of the pod that he had flown in before.

"If you know the coordinates of your destination simply type them into the keypad here." Ura pointed. "If you don't know them, then there are two ways to go about finding where you're going. Either type or say the name of your destination, for instance 'Planet Iro' or 'nearest service port.' Or…run a search like this." He leaned over the screen and typed a few words into the search bar. "'Last sighting, Victori Uni.' And hit 'enter.'" The results of the search appeared on the screen. "Victori Uni is a wanted criminal. The Krimzon database reports that the last official spotting was in the JA 2 region near Gemini. However news reports say that he has been sighted more recently in the JA 4 region."

"Wooow." Gohan leaned farther into the pod to inspect the keyboard. "So we could for example type in, 'recent Tik scout sightings' and just order the ship to go there."

"Yes." Ura confirmed.

"That's very convenient."

The man nodded without even the barest hint of smugness. "Any questions?"

"No, I think we've got it." Gohan said, and then noticed his friend's expressions. While they were not entirely befuddled, they would probably need a review of all the procedures. Gohan glanced down at his notes—a step-by-step walkthrough of the whole process.

Ura had apparently noticed his audience's uncertainty as well for he frowned.

Gohan chuckled in embarassement. "I'll…" He turned back to their guide. "I'll explain it again to them later."

Ura nodded. "Good. Now we will make our way to your new apartments."

* * *

Bulma felt positively giddy as she walked through the pristine blue hallways with her brand new badge pinned to her chest. Her guide was an older woman, short, plump, and red, with a pair of tinted glasses that sat low upon her nose. She had told Bulma the name of her home planet, but Bulma had forgotten it in all the excitement of touring the Krimzon labs. Wherever she was from, she spoke with just enough of an accent for Bulma to guess that the "Standard" language was not her native one. The woman, who would be Bulma's supervisor, was named Campesi.

Bulma wasn't sure how she felt about working under someone. After going so many years as top dog, it would surely be a switch. However, the mere fact that Bulma would be continuing her own projects was a relief to her.

Her tour of the Krimzon lab was nothing short of fascinating. Situated two train stops north of the Palace, it was 110 stories—twelve of them underground—of pure scientific research and development. Occasionally, when she passed an outward-looking window, she could see the palace, the sprawling, black goliath of a building that seemed to have grown out of the city like a huge stone and glass tree.

Most of the windows in the building, however, looked inward into a lab full to the brim of machines the likes of which Bulma had never seen. She longed to go over to them, to study them—perhaps even turn them on and see what they did. She knew she couldn't though, so she reigned herself in and followed after her guide, listening with half an ear to what she was saying, while staring with wide eyes into the labs. Bulma had even pulled out a mirror several times to make sure she wasn't drooling.

"This floor and the two below it are for energy research. The labs are on the left, and our energy specialists' offices are just here on the right. My office is this one." Campesi indicated the second door on the right. "While you work on this floor, you will be under my direct supervision. Your ID card will let you onto our computers, but not into any of our databases. If you need to access a database, you can ask your team members, myself…or I daresay your mate, although he's only been spotted in the labs once."

Campesi moved down the hall to the last door on the left. "This is the lab that has been reserved for the study and reproduction of your Meiyochi radar. As Empress Kurenai has requested that you split your time between reproducing your "capsule" technology in the downstairs labs and working more on your radar project, you will have to draw up a schedule with your teammates of when you will meet and who will be doing what."

She took a quick glance at her watch. "Once you've drawn up such a schedule, please have it delivered to me. It's getting quite late, so we will end our tour here. Your teammates are all inside. I will introduce them to you."

Bulma felt a touch of nervousness at the thought of meeting the team of people she would be working with. They were to be her equals—even her superiors. She pushed the thought away, however. It wasn't so much about her anyway. For once, the fate of the universe would be affected by something she did. There wasn't much that could kill her excitement now.

The smile that she had plastered on was suddenly a real one, and she stepped into the lab.

* * *

Hours later, Vegeta had successfully proven to Kurenai that he could translocate at will. The effort had given him a headache, but somehow left him starving as well. It wouldn't have been so bad if he'd only had to transport himself, he supposed. But Kurenai had insisted that the only way she'd be convinced is if he carried her to the assigned destination as well.

Or perhaps it was for his own security. The locations that had been prepared for his arrival were all heavily guarded, and every time he'd appeared, it had been to be met with the business end of a small arsenal of Krimzon weapons. Apparently it was _very_ uncommon—read unheard of—for Kurenai to disable the transmission blockers at certain points of her empire, and the fact that she did so left everyone on edge. He shuddered to think of what might have happened had Kurenai not forewarned the guards of their arrival. Certainly the Krimzon weapons were not enough to kill him when he had access to his Ki, but he would probably have at least had a face full of burns.

As he'd wiped his face free of sweat and rolled his shoulders to relieve them of the tension that had built up there, he finally glanced out of the training room window. The sun had already sunk below the tall buildings, and the sky was dark. A different sky stared down at him than the one that he saw on Earth, but it wasn't unfamiliar. Out of habit, he searched for the spot where Vegetasei would be. He stared at the twinkling light for a moment, lost in thought.

"I expect you back here tomorrow morning." Kurenai said suddenly, breaking his trance. Now that her mind wasn't focused on his improvement, she seemed antsy to be on her way. She followed his gaze out of the small round window. The view was apparently not to her liking for she quickly turned her eyes away.

Without turning toward her, Vegeta dropped the towel to the floor by his feet. Someone would be by to pick it up later.

Kurenai stared at him for a long moment before deciding that whatever was on his mind, she could do nothing about it. She had other issues to attend to anyway. "Same time as always." She said, and then swept out.

The door slid shut behind her. He sighed and massaged his temples before pulling his new communicator out of his pocket and punching in a number. In beeped a few times before someone answered. "Finally!" Bulma said, and he could hear the lingering excitement in her voice. Her tour through the Krimzon science labs had clearly impressed her. He momentarily regretted calling. Surely she would regal him with details of all the "fascinating" technology she had seen. However, all she said was. "I was wondering when you'd call."

He decided not to respond to that, but instead asked. "Where are you?"

"At your apartment. My tour ended hours ago, so I found Chichi and the boys and came back here. The others just showed up, and apparently Goku's about to start gnawing on the furniture."

He just snorted, and headed out of the room into the hallway. The training rooms were many floors below Kurenai's throne room, where the halls were narrow and the layout didn't adhere to any logic he could think of—unless it was to make outsiders hopelessly lost. The windows here were much smaller—if there were any at all—and the artificial lighting did nothing to banish the darkness from the halls. The architecture bore hints of a slightly different, more ancient style—one that he had glimpsed in many of the portraits of Kurenai's ancestors.

He made his way to the left, winding his way between training rooms. He glanced into the observation windows of several to find most of them empty. The few people who were in the training rooms were probably Kurenai's personal guard, but he didn't bother to look too closely.

"Will you be much longer?" Bulma asked.

"No, I'm heading over now."

"Oh good. Trunks is saying something about going eat…what's that honey? Pop's?...Yeah, apparently Pop's is right downstairs?"

His stomach growled loudly as he finally pushed through the arched door that led into one of the main veins of the more ancient castle. This part had been built millennia ago, as the kingdom, and then the empire, expanded—requiring a more modern and impressive palace.

"I'll meet you there." Was all he said, before hanging up.

He had no idea what this hallway used to be used for, but it was deep within the bowels of the castle, and had apparently never seen any natural light. The hall was lined with large paintings of the ancient city—some of them so lifelike that until he had stopped one day to give them a closer look, he had thought that the paintings were windows.

He crossed several people as he made his way down the long hall. They all gave him appraising and slightly wondrous stares, but none of them dared speak to him. He continued on until he reached the elevator that he had been searching for. He allowed the sensor to scan him before stepping inside and commanding the elevator to descend to the Krimzon Palace train stop.

The small platform that sat dozens of meters below Kurenai's Palace was just as it had always been. The train sat waiting, as the palace itself was a terminus. Guards with dangerous looking weapons patrolled the platform and the elevators that opened into it. Vegeta bypassed all of them without any hassle, and made his way onto the train.

Only Krimzon Palace employees were allowed into this stop. All visitors—barring those with special permission—were required to come through the front entrance. Vegeta had no trouble finding a seat, and he had hardly sat down before the train sped off.

He gazed silently out of the windows as the train burst into the city and stopped to pick up civilian passengers. He was aware that people were yet again staring at him, but he didn't pay them any attention. Nonetheless, it was with a small feeling of relief that he stepped out onto the platform by the Septagon several minutes later and hurriedly descended into the underground.

The underground streets were as he remembered them—noisy, colorful, and smelling of spice. He brushed through the crowded street with the ease of someone who had lived there all his life, and then slipped into the small, nondescript door that marked his favorite restaurant on this planet—and possibly in the universe.

It was a busy night, almost full of people. He spotted his group easily. They had pushed together several tables in the corner, and the rotund orange chef was beside them, laughing and giving Trunks firm pats on the back.

Pop turned when he heard the door open, and as usual, he yelled out a loud hail when he spotted Vegeta. It was quite different from the usual shouts—this one was tinged with excitement and an emotion that Vegeta couldn't quite place.

Vegeta shook his head in amusement as the portly orange man hobbled through the tables toward him. The other regular patrons of the pub recognized Vegeta—even if he'd rarely talked to any of them—and many of them echoed Pop's hail with a yell of their own or with laughter at Pop's antics.

Vegeta even did his best not to complain when Pop grabbed him and pulled him into a hug, lifting him clear off the floor. The man's shirt smelled like food, and it reminded him of just how hungry he was. Those patrons who weren't laughing yet certainly were now.

Vegeta was set back on his feet a moment later and held at arms length while Pop studied him. "Yep, it's you alright. I see you brought the whole family too!" He gestured with his thumb back to the group in the corner.

"I just finished telling them about the _first _time we met." He clapped a firm hand to Vegeta's shoulder and jovially led him back to the group. "It seems they were under the impression that there were no festivals on Vegetasei." He raised an eyebrow at Vegeta. "And why might that be?"

"Because they've never taken the mental effort to imagine that civilizations exist elsewhere in the universe." He responded, and then a little louder added. "Or they're just all idiots."

Pop guffawed while Bulma gave a half-playful slap to Vegeta's bicep.

"I'll just get you your usual, and a nice stiff Vermoli. You look like you could use it." Pop told Vegeta. "The rest have already ordered."

Vegeta glanced around the table. The others had already fallen back into conversations. Gohan, Krillin, and Yamcha were reviewing some notes that Gohan had apparently taken throughout the day. Chichi and Bulma were splitting their time between talking of Bulma's tour of the labs, Chichi's tour of the palace, the vaccinations that they had all had to get, and buying school uniforms for Goten. Goku and Piccolo were staring at one of the TVs on the wall trying to figure out the rules of the game that was airing. Vegeta followed their gaze just in time to see one of the players get smashed onto the ground by the other one.

"Ooh. That look like it hurt." Goku commented. "Oh, no nevermind, he's getting back up. He's keeping the ball, though?"

"He held onto it despite the fall." Vegeta said, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. "The ball only turns over to the other team if he drops it and a player from the other team gets it, or if someone from the other team steals it from him."

"Huh." Goku leaned back in his chair as well, unconsciously mirroring Vegeta's pose. "Strange. I don't know much about sports, but I've never heard of anything like that."

"I'm not sure if there's anything like it on earth. I suppose rugby could be similar, but you don't play that on hoverboards, and the rules are entirely different."

"Can you play?" Goku asked him.

"Uh…" He looked at the men flying around and crashing into each other. "No."

"Hm." Goku turned his attention back to the game and was quiet just long enough for Vegeta to hear Bulma say. "Vegeta took Trunks to buy his uniform. I'm sure he won't mind taking you tomorrow to get Goten's."

Vegeta slowly turned his gaze toward her and sent her a rather telling glare.

She just smiled back at him before continuing. "We need groceries too. We could even make a day of it and do a tour of the city."

Chichi and Bulma began a new conversation about how exciting that would be, gesturing wildly and reminding each other of the things they had seen on their rides through the city.

Vegeta sighed.

* * *

The next morning, the new uniforms were delivered to Vegeta's apartment. "Wow, that was quick." Goku noted, holding up his Saiyan-style armor for inspection. "They just measured us yesterday."

Vegeta was glad that he wouldn't be part of the show. He just sat to the side, watching the group try on their new uniforms. Chichi and Bulma were both giggling and blushing at the show, and Goten and Trunks were putting on the most concentrated show of pouting that he had ever seen.

"Wow, Piccolo!" Krillin shouted, upon seeing his friend's dark red cape and turban. Created to be as close to the attire that Piccolo normally wore, the outfit was all black and, just as all the others did, sported a small red Krimzon insignia on the left. "I should have gone with the Namek model." Krillin mused.

"No kidding." Yamcha said, checking out his own saiyan-style armor. "But it doesn't look like that one affords much protection."

It wasn't lost on Vegeta that all of the saiyan style armor had the symbol of Vegetasei just under the Krimzon insignia. He did not mention this to the others, but it made him curious about just what lengths Kurenai was going to go to to ensure that the universe mistook them all as Saiyans.

"The material is quite durable, and can hold up to minor Ki attacks." Piccolo said, rubbing the material between his finger and thumb. "You're right though. It's definitely not as sturdy as your models."

"Hmm… These have smaller shoulder guards than the other ones." Gohan noted pulling his red and black armor on over his black suit. He raised his arms above his head. "Good for mobility though."

"Oh, I almost wish I could go with you." Chichi said, holding her face in her hands with a wistful smile. Goten and Trunks sank down farther on the couch clearly mirroring the thought.

"Me too." Bulma said with a giggle. "If only to see you in your uniforms. Gohan's going to pick up girls wherever he goes."

Gohan's face became beet-red, and he turned away with an embarrassed cough.

"He'd better not!" Chichi said hotly. Vegeta had a momentary thought that he was back on Earth. He could practically see himself standing in the Son kitchen waiting for Kakarott to join him on an unplanned spar while Chichi scolded them both without pausing in washing the breakfast dishes. Certainly, the familiar sight of an angry Chichi, still in her apron and with her sleeves rolled up to her elbows was enough to give anyone déjà vu. "I won't have my grandchildren growing up on some other planet." She advanced on Gohan and poked a finger into his chest. "You hear?"

If Gohan was surprised by his mother's sudden vehemence, he hid it. Vegeta supposed that years of living with the woman had made the boy prepared for the odd sudden explosion. Nonetheless, Gohan's face was still red, and his eyes were panicked. "Heheh…yes ma'am."

Yamcha chose that moment to butt in. "What about me." He said with a whimsical grin. "What if I find a special lady on another planet?"

"Then that planet can keep you as far as I'm concerned." Chichi said, and Bulma and Goku burst out laughing. Krillin and Gohan let out nervous chuckles, and Vegeta and Piccolo simply shook their heads in amusement. Trunks and Goten just continued pouting.

* * *

Later that day, Vegeta was dragged grumbling and sulking out into the streets of Iro. Chichi and Bulma insisted on doing some school shopping. Trunks was all set to return to school, but Bulma wanted to get out and see the sights a little so she had volunteered for them to go along. It wasn't bad enough that he had to deal with Bulma and Chichi stopping at every clothing store they passed and Trunks and Goten constantly disappearing into arcades and game shops. No, Chichi had insisted that Goku join their family outing—"because uniform shopping was a big part of Goten's life, and he shouldn't miss that."

So now Goku was walking next to him intermittently whining and stopping to stare in restaurant and candy shop windows. The only point of interest in the entire outing so far had been when Goku had mentioned off-handedly that he and the others had decided to waste no time in leaving. They would apparently be off the next morning just after sunrise.

Vegeta's ears had perked up in curiosity, and he'd asked where they were headed to. The answer had been a little vague. Gohan had found a planet on the Krimzon Empire's frontier. Tik ships had been hovering far too close to the planet for comfort, and even though there had not yet been an outright attack, there was worry that Tik soldiers had been quietly slipping onto the planet for some time.

If the Tik ships had a Meiyochi, they had not yet turned it on. In the event that they did though, there were Krimzon ships in the area to take care of the problem.

Vegeta shoved his hands into his pockets, feeling conflicted. While he did not appreciate being left behind, there was no certainty that the trip would turn out interesting at all.

"I don't think we'll come back after." Goku had said rather suddenly, sending a sidelong glance to Chichi. "It's going to be hard on Chichi saying goodbye to us once…I'm sure there's lots of help to give around the frontier, and that's probably the best place to get a heading on Hui…without going into Tik territory anyway." From what little Vegeta knew about the area in question, he had to agree. "There's no point in coming back here after every trip." And then his face had turned sly. "If we did that, I would never beat you to Hui."

Vegeta stopped for a moment and blinked. Goku stopped two steps ahead and turned back with a fake-innocent look.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes at the other saiyan, but a hint of a smirk was clear on his face. "So it _is_ a race then."

"Hasn't it always been?"

Vegeta's smirk grew. "I suspected so…Well if this is a competition, we need some stakes."

"Ho ho." Goku's grin grew nearly feral. "A friendly wager? You're on. Name it."

"Alright." Vegeta thought for a moment. "If I get to Hui first—"

Goku cut him off. "If you _beat_ Hui first…It doesn't matter if you get to him, you have to clearly beat him. Knock out, surrender, or death." Goku's grin turned a little silly and he waved a finger. "No ring-outs."

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Fine." He said easily. "If I defeat Hui first, then you have to become a servant at Capsule Corp. for a month. You will do all of the things that Bulma or I tell you to do—and that includes taking out the trash and mowing the lawn and all those other ridiculous tasks she always wants me to do." He paused. "And when you talk to me, you must call me 'My Lord.'"

"Hohoho." If Goku was worried about losing, he certainly didn't show it. He seemed positively thrilled by the stakes Vegeta had set. "Alright then." A vicious smirk wormed its way onto Goku's face. "And if I defeat Hui first, you do the same at my house. Wash Chichi's dishes, scrub the toilets, and do anything Chichi or _I_ ask _you_ to do." He paused for dramatic effect. "And when you talk to me, you will address me as 'My King.'"

Vegeta frowned. He'd better not lose this one. Still though, he had already set his stakes. It would be cowardly to back out now. "Deal." He said, extending his hand.

With a cocky grin, Goku took it. "I'm going to love seeing you wash dishes." He said.

"I'm going to love seeing you in an apron." Vegeta replied with a matching grin.

"What are you two talking about?" The two blinked and looked toward the source of the voice to find their wives and sons several steps ahead staring at them.

Vegeta quickly dropped Goku's hand, and Goku spun with an innocent look. "Nothing, just..." He floundered for a moment.

"Just wondering why this _short_ shopping trip is taking all day." Vegeta finished for him.

"Yeah." Goku instantly plastered on his pouting face. "I thought we were just getting a uniform."

"And _I_ thought this didn't concern me at all." Vegeta added, glaring around at everyone who dared so much as glance at them.

Bulma rolled her eyes and spun around with a huff. "Just try to keep up." She called back as she and Chichi meandered on through the crowd and past the brightly lit shop signs. Goten and Trunks sent their fathers gazes that told that they weren't so easily fooled, but they followed after their mothers as well.

Vegeta and Goku glanced at each other and then continued walking.

"Don't say anything to Chichi yet." Goku said quietly. "I'll tell her tonight, but I don't want her to fret over it all day."

Vegeta just nodded. He wasn't going to say anything to the woman anyway.

The small group wandered on down the street, occasionally stopping to stare in a colorful shop window or to go buy something absolutely "necessary."

Vegeta shoved his hands deep into his pockets and began keeping a more careful eye out for paparazzi. He was fairly certain that at least a dozen people had taken pictures of the group already.

After another hour of complete and utter boredom, he'd had enough. He extracted one hand from his pocket grab Trunks' sleeve as he tried to dart into another shop. "Go tell your mother to get the hell on with it or I'm going home." He ordered gruffly.

"Should I phrase it just like that?" Trunks asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Phrase it how you want." Vegeta told him. Beside him, Goku chuckled.

Trunks darted ahead to his mother, and a moment later, both women stopped walking and turned glares upon the men behind them. Goku laughed nervously and pointed an accusing finger at Vegeta. Vegeta just glared at him.

Bulma spun on her heel and stalked up to her husband. "Vegeta, can't we just have a nice day out for once without hearing you complain?"

"If you didn't want to hear me complain, you shouldn't have forced me to come."

"Oh stop your bellyaching."

"You haven't even bought what you came for. We've been walking around for over four hours. Either buy something or don't. Either way, make up your mind so we can leave."

Bulma rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to respond, but she was cut off by a beeping sound from Vegeta's pocket. They both stared at each other for a moment before looking down toward the source of the noise. Vegeta ignored the fact that a few people were slowing down as they walked by to watch the events unfold. Really, with all the bright flashing sights, music, and good food around, was _he_ the only thing these people could find to look at?

For once in his life, Vegeta was glad of Kurenai's constant, ill-timed interruptions. He was tired of "shopping," tired of being stared at, and tired of hearing Bulma complain. He almost thought he'd prefer living the bachelor life again. Almost.

He sent Bulma one last glare before fishing into his pocket and pulling out his communicator. "Yeah?"

"Vegeta, I need you here in my office." Kurenai said calmly as if Vegeta were just down the hall. "Now." And then she hung up on him.

Vegeta couldn't even bring himself to be upset by her rude demand. He was only relieved that he would be escaping what was clearly going to be many hours of window shopping. "I have to go." He said calmly, and wasn't surprised to be met with a loud wail of despair from his fellow Saiyan.

"Oh come on!" Goku looked in panic back at the women. "Can I come too?"

"No." Vegeta smirked at him and then without another word, turned to stride toward the nearest train platform. He could hear Goku's continued whining as he was dragged off down the street again.

* * *

Vegeta arrived at Kurenai's throne room fifteen minutes later to find it empty. Far from being upset, he was rather grateful at the peace that a moment of solitude afforded him. With all the comfort of someone who owned the place, Vegeta strode across the throne room and dropped into Kurenai's throne to await the arrival of the empress.

The door to the throne room opened several minutes later, and Kurenai, Kuro, and Midori walked in. He felt a fourth familiar Ki, but he did not see the person.

He glanced down at the floor with interest. Sure enough, between Midori's and Kuro's shining footsteps was a fourth trail of glowing footprints. He cocked his head curiously, wondering why exactly Kurenai had seen it necessary to make the fourth member of their party invisible.

Kurenai motioned him over with a small wave of her hand, and more out of curiosity than obedience, he rose from his reclined position in her throne. By the time he had come down the steps, the three—no four—were just before him.

Kurenai smirked when she saw that his eyes had barely left the empty space where Vegeta knew the shrouded person would be standing. With a small wave of her hand, the person appeared beside her. He was wrapped in a cloak with the hood pulled up, but Vegeta had instantly recognized his Ki.

"I'm sure you've figured at least_ this_ out by now." Kurenai began. "While you are away, your brother will be your replacement."

Vegeta nodded. He had suspected as much. And especially if Kurenai wanted him to sneak into Hui's territory, it would be better if Hui still believed him to be safely at Kurenai's side.

"Tarble." Kurenai nodded to the cloaked man, and he reached up and pulled the hood back. Instantly three sets of eyes were darting between the two, now-identical brothers. Tarble reached up and unclasped the cloak, letting it fall to the floor at his feet. It was like staring into a mirror. In three quick steps, Tarble traversed the room to stand beside his brother, crossing his arms in the same fashion as Vegeta's.

Vegeta stared at him for a second. Tarble smirked back, and then turned his gaze stonily forward.

Vegeta continued staring. He was impressed by how much his brother now looked like him—even down to the musculature. How had he done that? He'd been downright scrawny before. There had even been a more-than-modest rise in his Ki since he'd last seen him.

"Eyes forward." Kurenai requested. Vegeta glanced at her, and then, feeling slightly odd, mimicked his brother's imitation of him.

"In case you're wondering, your son trained with Tarble while you were away. By the time Trunks went back to Earth, Tarble had a good enough basis in your fighting style and technique to carry on by himself. The Super Saiyan transformation is unfortunately still out of reach for him, but he can imitate you in a battle."

Vegeta couldn't think of anything to say to that. To make it worse, Kuro decided to take that moment to begin circling the pair. Vegeta adopted an annoyed expression.

"Today, we will do a trial run, just to see if this will work. Tarble will accompany me to the council meeting—though he will not participate. The general meeting will be televised as usual. If no one notices the switch, we can go ahead with the plan. I want you to stay in here and watch. Your brother has been studying videos of you for the past few months. Let's see how well he can pull of _being_ you."

Vegeta smirked. She had called him in here to essentially sit in her throne and watch TV? This was by far one of the best assignments Kurenai had ever given him.

Kurenai waved at the air before her and a large, round screen appeared. For a moment Vegeta thought that the screen was showing himself, but then a second later he realized that it was focusing on Tarble.

"Put on the cloak." Kurenai said, and Tarble tossed the cloak to his older brother. "Just in case. You are not to leave this room while we are gone, nor or you to speak to anyone. No one is to know that this is Tarble and not you at the conference. Am I clear?"

"Crystal." Vegeta answered.

Kurenai studied him for a moment and glanced at the floor at his feet. Vegeta met Midori's eyes for a brief moment, but then turned his gaze away. Kurenai was apparently satisfied with what she saw, for she turned and began heading back for the door. "It's time to go." The others all turned and followed her, and a moment later he was left alone in the large circular room.

Vegeta turned on his heel, sending the cloak billowing around him, and strode back up the steps. Looking as if he owned the place, he dropped into Kurenai's throne and kicked his leg over the side casually. The screen continued to show Tarble walking down the hall looking for all the world like a mirror of himself. People they passed even gave him the same stares and reactions that they usually gave Vegeta. Vegeta knew that it was a tricky game. Tarble may now be the spitting image of his older brother, but their personalities and skills were completely divergent. Tarble would have to keep up a good charade if he was to convince anyone—or everyone, as was apparently required. So far though, he was doing well.

Vegeta didn't think he scowled _quite_ so much though, but no one seemed to see the difference yet.

Vegeta shook his head with a smirk as he watched, almost wishing he had popcorn. This was going to be entertaining.

* * *

A/N: This chapter took way longer to write than I expected, but I've finally got it. I know, I know. It wasn't too exciting, but it sets a foundation for later chapters, and things will be kicking up soon. Blablabla…poor excuses. In any case, I hope you enjoyed it. Those of you who catch all of the hints and foreshadowing over the course of the story probably predicted everything that happened here. I'm pretty sure that most of you already knew that Tarble would be standing in for Vegeta at some point…right?

And now for the real test: How exactly does Kurenai expect Vegeta to find Hui? I've left a few hints here and there, and I'm curious to see just how many of you have guessed already. The answer will finally be revealed in the next chapter.

A few of you were wondering, but this story isn't necessarily AU. It fits into the 10 year gap between the Buu Saga and the end of DBZ. It was written, however, with very little thought given to GT (except to perhaps explain Vegeta's switch from dressing in blues to dressing in red and black), so you _could _consider it AU if you really want to.

One more question: When exactly is Bulla born?

Thank you to all of you who took the time to leave a review. I really appreciate all of the wonderful support that you have given me, and I always love to hear your feedback. You've all been such fantastic readers! Thanks again, and please let me know what you think!


	47. Deception Part 1

Chapter 47- Deception (Part 1)

"We just got here!" Chichi was wailing. "Why can't you stay a while longer?"

It was quickly becoming evident that wherever the group went, they would draw stares. They had hoped that, as the men were all in Krimzon uniforms, the children in their school uniforms, and the women now sporting a popular style on Iro, they would blend into the crowds a bit better. It was simply not to be. Word had already gotten out that Kurenai had "four" new living, breathing Saiyans in her army, and people were already starting to recognize their faces.

It had come as no surprise to Vegeta that morning, when standing on the cobbled platform near the Septagon just as the sun was peeking over the tops of the buildings and the city was starting to wake, he glimpsed the first paperboy of the day sheepishly place a stack of newspapers onto the stand and then scurry away. He was not the only one to notice the boy's behavior, and in the next few minutes that they stood waiting for their train, the group had discovered that pictures of their shopping excursion the day before were plastered onto the first pages of most of the city's newspapers and magazines.

Bulma had, of course, bought one, and spent the majority of the train ride reading out the article to try to cheer Chichi up. Vegeta had quickly tuned her out, preferring to stare out of the window than to converse with anyone or giggle at the way they were all described. He was a little surprised, therefore, when Bulma suddenly turned to him.

"You looked especially handsome at the council meeting yesterday." Bulma said, showing him a picture on another page of the newspaper. The picture was supposedly of himself sitting in a chair near Kurenai looking bored.

Vegeta blinked. _Council meeting? What…?_ He attributed it to the earliness that he did not catch on immediately. His face melted into a scowl. _**Especially**__ handsome? What the hell did that mean? _Even thinking back on that now as he stood in the spaceport, twenty minutes after Bulma's remark, he vowed that Tarble would get retribution.

His brother had performed surprisingly well in his role as Vegeta. Tarble had glowered and scowled perfectly. He'd crossed his arms, leaned back cockily, and kept his sharp stare fixed on the proceedings as if he had a clue what was going on. Even once, he'd leaned over and said something to Kurenai. A moment later, Kurenai made a brilliant strategic suggestion—which she had clearly thought of herself. All the credit was given to 'Vegeta.' If Vegeta had harbored any doubts that Tarble could pull this off by the end of the five-hour meeting, they had fled. However, he couldn't help but feel a little betrayed that no one—_no one_—had spotted the difference.

"We didn't come for a vacation on Iro, Chichi." Goku's voice drew Vegeta out of his thoughts. It was probably the twentieth time that the other Saiyan had said that. "We came to fight. We_ have _to leave."

Early morning at the spaceport was just as busy as any other time. All around them were the hums and roars of spaceships as they powered up, landed, and shot into the sky. Streaks of different colors and sizes crisscrossed the pinkish sky, making the area seem like nothing so much as a painting in a museum.

"But do you have to take Gohan with you?" Chichi had latched onto her son's hand and was refusing to let go.

"Gohan's grown up now, Chichi." Goku said. Something about the statement—or perhaps it was the uniform that he was wearing—made Goku seem much wiser than he generally did. Whatever it was, Chichi didn't argue. Instead, she began to sob in earnest. "I know. It happened too fast, but we've got to let him make his own decisions." Goku put a gentle hand on her head and turned her face to look at him. "I'll miss you Chichi." He said. "But we're only a phone call away."

She finally reluctantly let go and stepped back. Bulma, came closer, putting a supportive hand on Chichi's shoulder to give what comfort she could provide. Goten shuffled forward then to give one last hug to his older brother and father. Trunks and Vegeta stood several feet away watching the proceedings calmly—and unknowingly with matching expressions.

As Goten retreated back to his friend's side, the five fighters finally began boarding their spacepods.

The doors to the pods shut almost too quietly for the occasion. The group of friends left on the platform had obviously expected some kind of show—something more than the soft whisper that was marking the departure of their friends for who knew how long. The silence around them was broke not a second after the doors closed, when Vegeta's communicator started beeping. He sighed and dug it out. He frowned when he saw the unfamiliar number, but answered it anyway.

"Yeah?"

"Vegeta?"

"What, Kakarott?" He snapped, drawing the attention of everyone else nearby. "You're not even gone, yet. Why are you calling me?"  
Goku chose not to respond to that. Instead, he just said. "On your marks…" The pods began to hum. "Get set…" The humming became louder and Vegeta recognized the telltale signs of the spacepod beginning to take off. "Go." The pods shot spiraling into the air.

Vegeta couldn't help but chuckle at the man's childish antics. "May the best man win, Kakarott." Vegeta responded and ended the call.

* * *

"Trunks!" The shout seemed to freeze the entire entrance hall of the school. All conversations on the various levels of the building ceased, and all eyes turned toward the pink-haired girl that was now running down the hallway toward the elevator.

A moment later, the cause of the girl's excitement became evident. Standing near the entrance doors was the young purple-haired demi-saiyan that had been missing from school for the past few months. Already heading off toward the principal's office was a small group of people—Trunks' family and friends, although his father was missing from the party.

A pretty-blue haired woman beckoned for Trunks to follow.

"It's okay mom." Trunks said, motioning for the others to go along. "This will only take a minute. I know the way."

Chichi didn't hesitate for a moment, grabbing Goten's arm and tugging the dark-haired child toward the office.

Bulma stayed behind, crossing her arms in amusement and watching as her young son's cheeks turned slightly pink.

The elevator doors had not fully opened before the young woman barreled out toward him. A moment later, her arms were thrown around her long-lost friend.

"Uh…hi Lysibet." Trunks said awkwardly, the pinkish tint growing darker on his cheeks. He awkwardly patted the young girl on the shoulder with a smile that seemed far too shy for her son.

Standing off to the side, Bulma wondered if this was the girl that Trunks had grown so fond of over his time here.

The elevator opened again, and another girl emerged. This one was shorter, around the same age as Trunks, but without the striking beauty that the girl Lysibet possessed. The girl came a few steps closer but seemed to hesitate, watching the other two. Bulma was somehow transfixed by her. She did not possess the sort of bubbly innocence that a girl of her age was generally expected to possess. Perhaps it was a difference in culture, Bulma reasoned, but something about her stance—her air even—spoke of…something. Something that Bulma couldn't quite put her finger on, but she knew she'd seen it before.

"Come on!" Lysibet finally pulled back and grabbed Trunks' arm. "The others are already upstairs. Your mother can sign you up."

Bulma blinked. So the girl had realized who she was. She furrowed her eyebrows. She supposed she might have expected some kind of greeting—or an acknowledgement even. Perhaps that too was a culture thing.

When Bulma looked away from the pink-haired girl, her eyes fell upon the other girl. This girl had odd orange hair that looked almost like tentacles. Her skin was dark, and her face was round. She was staring at Bulma, but when Bulma looked over, the girl averted her gaze nervously.

"I've gotta go with them though…" Trunks was arguing, effectively keeping Lysibet from dragging him off.

"No you don't." Lysibet huffed. "That's what parents are for. Wait till I tell you what's happened. You'll never believe. You remember that boy that Darla had a crush on? Well…oh it's _her_." It took Bulma a moment to realize what had happened. First Lysibet was cheerful and excited. The next moment…she was not. In the moment that it took to see what had grabbed the girl's attention, Bulma saw everything clearly. The loss of her cheerful attitude, the sudden tightening in her forehead, the hostile expression—all of it directed at the little orange-haired girl standing nervously near the elevators.

Again, Bulma was reduced to spectator. For the first time, she noticed that the little orange-haired girl was receiving odd looks from the other students in the school. As the students walked by, some of them patted Trunks on the back or sent friendly waves to the pair. Some even stopped to watch. However no one approached the orange-haired girl. They averted their eyes and gave her wide berth as they walked past.

Bulma sincerely hoped that Trunks was not so mean to her—or to anyone for that matter.

The next few events left Bulma with a rather pleasant feeling of surprise.

Trunks finally noticed the orange-haired girl, and instead of being disgusted or wary of her, a huge grin lit up his face. "Han'nei!" He yelled across the room.

The little girl smiled shyly at him and waved. Without really realizing that he was doing it, Trunks grabbed Lysibet's hand and pulled her over to the other girl. Sending nervous glances to the glowering girl beside Trunks, the girl named Han'nei took a few hesitant steps forward.

"It's good to see you." Trunks said cheerfully, and Bulma could tell from his face, the light in his eyes, something about his stance, that he really meant it.

_This is her_. Bulma concluded with a small smile. Again the little girl glanced over at Bulma, and this time she gave a very quick, timid smile. Bulma smiled back warmly, and then took a comparative glance between the two girls with her son. _Oh yes. She's much better._

With a warm, fuzzy feeling in her chest, Bulma turned and headed off toward the principal's office.

* * *

Roughly five days after the Z fighters had left Iro, the sound of five explosive impacts in the northern desert of Nge could be heard for miles around. Sand and dust were thrown into the air and small animals skittered away. The sand took a while to finally settle to the ground, but all around, things were moving. Loose sand slid down the sand dunes, leaving tracks. Wind blew the leaves of the very few plants in the area, and whipped some of the floating sand away with it. Slowly five figures emerged from the cloud walking easily despite having to trek through loose sand.

The five men looked strong. At first glance, they were quite intimidating, in their once-sleek black uniforms and their foreign appearances. Once they had cleared the craters that their pods had made, the five stopped to look around.

"Is this the place?" One of them asked, studying the pale blue sky and the orange-tinted sand beneath their feet. "This looks just like Earth."

"Our Ki is being blocked." A tall green man added.

"Hmm…" Another one, younger, but with a striking resemblance to the first pulled a small contraption from his pocket and looked down at it.

As he fiddled with the computer, a small click drew the attention of the fourth man. "Uhh guys." The humanoid man with a scar on his face started nervously.

"Hm." The young one hummed, not taking his eyes from the contraption. "I'll just check…"

"Oh." The first man and a shorter one with lank black hair both glanced at each other, and then slowly raised their hands into the air.

"Damn it." The only non-humanoid member of the group followed their lead before mumbling to the youngest member of the group. "Gohan look up."

"What?" He finally looked away from the small computer. "Whoah!" Instantly, his hands shot into the air.

The five men backed into a circle staring nervously at the sight around them.

What had just moments ago been a barren desert was now swarmed with soldiers. Their bodies were long and thin. Sun-baked skin shone out from places not covered by hardened black shells. Hundreds of deadly, Krimzon-style weapons were trained directly on five foreign men.

"Heh heh." The humanoid that looked to be their leader chuckled. "Hello there."

Slowly, a tall creature made its way out of the crowd. The man had rings on his hairless eyebrows and his cheek. Dark shell covered his chest, thighs, elbows and head, and horns grew over his forehead much like a stag beetle's. "To what do we owe the visit my funny-haired friend?" The man asked, his voice deep and slightly mocking.

"Kurenai's database said that this planet has been suffering because Tik soldiers."

"Ah. So you are Krimzon, then."

"I guess so."

"You guess so?"

"Yes, we are." The green one interjected. "We are Kurenai's new elite special's team."

"Oh?" The tall man raised a ringed eyebrow. "And what makes you special?"

It was the "funny-haired" one who answered next. "We're Saiyan."

The mocking look dropped from the dark soldier's face, and he looked around at the group. Finally, he came forward, and dusted some of the sand off of the professed-Saiyan's uniform. "The Krimzon insignia and the Trident of Vegetasei." He took a step back and raised his hand into the air. Instantly all of the weapons around them were lowered. "Then welcome, Saiyans," He glanced at Piccolo. "And friends."

* * *

Kurenai and Midori stood silently in Kurenai's throne room staring into the dark sky above. The sprawling city of Iro rarely got storms. The city had been strategically built in a flatland between two mountainous areas that blocked heavy winds and the violent storms that arose near the sea. However, every few years, the conditions were right and those dark clouds slipped over and around the mountains and crept up on the city. The ominous rumbles and flashes on the horizon promised that one hell of a storm would arrive soon.

From down in the city below, the two women could practically feel the population's nervousness. Rain meant a possible flooding of the underground—the extensive system of streets and tunnels where people lived, ate, and shopped. The millennia-old drainage system had served them well before, but on a few occasions it had also failed them. Any time a large storm approached the people always thought back to that event 140 years ago when the drains could not handle the heavy rains. The undergrounds filled with water knee deep, damaging homes and shops, and letting disease breed and fester.

Emergency measures were already underway, and in their worry, people were worrying less about the seemingly distant threats that the war brought and more about the immediate danger of the storm.

"It's for the best." Kurenai murmured staring at the ominous clouds. Dread was twisting her stomach but for an entirely different reason. For Kurenai the storm and the brief distraction that it provided was a blessing. It was just what she had needed to finally put her plan underway.

"Of course." Midori agreed, but Kurenai could hear the doubt in her voice.

"He will be fine. He was made for this. He will unearth all of Hui's secrets."

"Yes." Midori murmured. "No doubt he will."

"He will bring Hui down." Kurenai continued in the same low voice.

Behind her Midori didn't reply.

* * *

The other side of the bed was cold. Bulma slowly opened her eyes, looking around the bedroom. It was finally starting to become familiar to her—the sleek furniture, the heavy drapes covering the windows. It was entirely different from the bright interior of Capsule Corp, but it was quickly becoming home.

Bulma rolled to her side and sighed when she noticed that Vegeta's side of the bed was untouched. A low rumble sounded in the distance, announcing the approach of a storm.

Had he even come home that night? Probably not. Over the past few days, Bulma had quickly come to realize that that would not be uncommon. Vegeta had spent as many nights at Kurenai's palace as he had at home. It was an odd schedule, and one that she was sure was driving the man insane. He would come home from a full day at the palace, only to be called back several hours later. He had told her that Kurenai was known for calling at random times, but even he seemed disturbed with how frequently she had been calling him out lately.

Even Bulma and Trunks had been called once. She chuckled a bit at the memory. It had been the evening, she recalled. She had ordered a few random dishes to try from Pop's menu, and then brought them upstairs to eat in the quiet of their apartment. The three of them were sitting at the table by the window.

_ She could hardly help but admire the excellent view. The high towers rose into the starlit sky, their orbs sprouting off them like lollipops on a stand. The city positively sparkled at night. She could see the lights on in the apartments all around the city, and briefly wondered how many other families were sitting down enjoying a meal just as they were. She wondered what they looked like, what planet they were from, and how they had ended up on Iro. Surely there were millions of interesting stories to hear on this planet. _

_ She suddenly felt like a girl again. She was on a wild adventure, and her prince—well her two princes—were right there at her side. _

_ Vegeta briefly looked up from gobbling down his meal and locked eyes with her. He had clearly noticed her dreamy expression, for he raised an amused eyebrow at her. She glanced from him to Trunks. The boy had been rattling on for several minutes already about what had happened at school, but Bulma had lost track of what he was saying. With a mental shrug, she turned her gaze back to Vegeta and sent him a dazzling grin. _

_ He merely blinked and shook his head in bemusement, but she could just catch the hint of a smile on his face._

_ And then, the peace of the moment was suddenly shattered._

_ The small smile disappeared from Vegeta's face, and Trunks trailed off mid-sentence. Even the city didn't seem to be shimmering quite so much anymore. _

_ With a roll of his eyes, Vegeta answered his beeping communicator. "Yeah. Again? Alright…wait, what? Uhh…okay, fine." And then he snapped it shut again_

_ "Kurenai wants you at the palace?" Trunks guessed with a small pout._

_ Vegeta's eyebrows drew down for a moment. "She wants all of us there." He said, and grabbed another wrap from the center of the table._

_ "Really?" Bulma asked in surprise. "You're kidding."_

_ "No." Vegeta answered swallowing and grabbing another wrap. "She said you and Trunks."_

_ "Huh." Bulma stood and began carrying the dishes to the sink. "I wonder what she wants."_

_ She would soon find out of course. The three made the now-familiar trip to the train stop, and within minutes were in Kurenai's palace. They were met at the reserved underground stop below Kurenai's palace by Midori. Brief words were exchanged between Kurenai's two hands and then Vegeta strode off._

_ Bulma and Trunks were left with Midori. The woman guided them through a quick security check and then led them up winding passageways and stairs until they finally reached the giant double doors that marked Kurenai's office. Bulma thought it odd for a moment that the doors weren't guarded, but then she quickly wrote it off. _

_ Beside her, she noticed Midori put a hand on Trunks's shoulder. Then the blue woman turned her slanted eyes toward Bulma. "You first." She said, and one of the doors slid open._

_ Bulma felt an unusual trepidation as she stepped into the large, circular room, and the doors slid shut behind her. On the far end of the room, she spotted a large, dark throne sitting atop several steps. At the bottom of the steps stood the small woman that Bulma recognized to be Kurenai. Never in her life had Bulma felt that looks were so deceiving. The woman before her was small, shriveled, and pale in the dim light of the room. Her eyes were so pale that Bulma would have otherwise concluded she was blind. Bulma had never learned how to sense Ki, but she still thought that she could feel…something…from this woman. It made her heart flutter a bit._

_ "There is no need for fear." The woman said, and Bulma was momentarily surprised at how clearly her voice rang out through the room. The woman took brisk, measured steps toward her, and it was only when she was several feet away that Bulma realized just how tiny she was. _

_ "I'm sure you'd like to be getting back to your peaceful evening, so I'll try to make this quick." She waved a hand back toward the throne. Bulma followed the motion and had to do a double take. _

_ Standing to the right of the throne was Vegeta, in his usual black Krimzon uniform. To the left of the throne was…also Vegeta. In the same uniform._

_ "What…what is this?" Bulma asked, her eyes traveling quickly between the two. "Some kind of test?"_

_ "Exactly."_

_ Bulma's head whipped toward the woman in surprise. _

_ "In all the universe, there is probably no one who knows Vegeta as intimately as you do. As such, it makes sense that you be the final judge on just how much my duplicate imitates the real Vegeta." The small empress looked back to the two men by the throne. "Come closer." She called, and silently, with the exact same stride, the two identical men came closer. Kurenai turned back to Bulma. "So tell me…which one is the real Vegeta?"_

_ Bulma gazed between the two. Their faces were the same. They were the same height, same build, same glare, same posture. Same everything. She felt a creeping sense of shame at the knowledge that she couldn't tell immediately which was real and which was the copy._

_ She sent a despairing glance to the old empress, but the woman only returned a slightly malicious smile._

_ Slowly, Bulma began to walk, her feet taking her in a small circle around the two men. She studied everything—the hands, the tails, the muscles, the corded neck, the hairline. They even had the same piercing in their ear from where the Potara Earring had been._

_ "How…how is this possible?" Bulma asked in hardly more than a whisper. A sense of uneasiness was quickly creeping upon her. "What have you done?"_

_ But Kurenai didn't answer. Instead, she looked at the two men. "Perhaps if they speak…" She suggested._

_ "And say what?" "What do you want me to say?" The two answered simultaneously with matching eye-rolls. _

_ Bulma found that she couldn't tell their voices apart either. Rather suddenly, an idea struck her. Vegeta had rarely spoken to her of the time he spent in Hui's dungeon, but she had gathered that some form of hallucination had been induced and that she had featured in several of them. Vegeta had revealed to her that he had no worry that he would confuse those hallucinations with reality, though, because the hallucinations never captured the smell right._

_ Slowly, she inched toward the man on the right and raised her nose to his neck. Feeling a little silly, she took a sniff. The familiar scent of musk and soap greeted her. She backed away and moved to the man on the left doing the same. A different scent reached her nose. This one slightly sweeter. _

_ She took a step back and glanced between the two men again before confidently pointing to the one on the right. "That's Vegeta."_

_ "It took you long enough." The real Vegeta said with a small smirk._

_ "Hmm…" Kurenai mused. "The smell. I would consider it a non-issue, personally, but we can't be too careful. Tarble, you'll have to start bathing with whatever soap Vegeta uses. That should do the trick."_

_ "Wait!" Bulma's head whipped toward the other man. "Tarble?!"_

_ "Hi, Bulma." The other man's face melted into a smile that seemed much too kind for Vegeta's features. "It's been a long time."_

_ Kurenai was apparently too impatient to wait for them to get reacquainted, for she motioned for Vegeta and Tarble to get back in character. "Okay boys, now for round two." She said. "Now raise your Ki just enough to make it visible." She ordered. "Perfect. And now…" The old woman's eyebrows furrowed, and a light sweat broke out on her forehead. _

_ Bulma would find out a minute later, when Trunks was ushered in, that Kurenai had put some sort of illusion spell on Tarble's Ki. While it was impossible to alter the Ki signature itself, the old woman had apparently been able to make Tarble's Ki "feel" exactly like Vegeta's._

_ Bulma chuckled again at the memory of Trunks' surprised expression. He had clearly already known that his uncle was now a near exact copy of his father, but the Ki trick had certainly thrown him for a loop._

The sound of her alarm going off brought Bulma out of her reverie. She stretched out in her bed, and reached out to turn off the alarm on her communicator. A small flashing light caught her attention, and she blinked when she saw that there was a message for her. Picking up the small machine, she switched on the screen. One message from Vegeta. He'd sent it three hours ago—long before dawn. Probably just to tell her that he wouldn't be home that night.

With a yawn, she opened the message. And her heart dropped.

_"Onna, by the time you get this message, I will have left Iro. I'm sorry that I couldn't tell you sooner, but I didn't know it myself. I won't be able to contact you for a long time. Please don't try to look for me, and do what Kurenai asks of you, no matter how crazy it sounds. Don't worry about me. Take care."_

Her shock took a moment to fade, but when it did, her vision immediately grew blurry, and her breath hitched. He was gone? Just like that? She knew she should have expected it, but now…it was just so unfair.

A small sob escaped her throat, and she curled up on her side. She no longer cared to get out of bed. The lab and all of her obligations could certainly wait a while. Tears soaked into the pillow, but she didn't care. She gripped the communicator in a shaky hand and read the message again. Trunks would find her in the same position nearly an hour later staring at the communicator, and waiting for a new message to arrive announcing that it was a joke.

* * *

Duros had been a Tauran general for twelve years, but in twelve years of experience, he had never seen anything quite like this.

A squadron on a remote planet had radioed in with reports that it had an issue that demanded a higher ranking officer. The report had come as a surprise. The planet was not known to have any intelligent life, and even if a squadron did encounter trouble, it was not exactly protocol for the Tik to send out rescue parties. Stronger warriors would be sent to handle the problem, but generally only after the first squadron had been eradicated. However, this squadron was apparently not in any danger. They had apparently stumbled across a valuable "resource."

The planet in question had turned out to be the home of an odd scorpion-like predator race. The creatures had quickly proven far too powerful for the small squadron to handle. They would have been wiped out if not for the arrival of a strange man.

Like some strange angel of death, the man had appeared out of the darkness and saved the squadron. Shortly afterward, however, he had proven to be less than friendly. He had demanded a ship to get off the planet, and had nearly killed the entire squadron himself, until their fast-talking leader had promised to provide the man with a faster ship than the one they had arrived in if he'd only wait a few hours.

Upon hearing this story, Duros had initially just wanted to leave the problem alone. However, when the leader of the Tik party had informed him that the man's power reading was off the charts, Duros had decided to err against caution and come to the planet himself.

The man was sitting on the corpse of one of the scorpion creatures, eating the roasted innards of another when he arrived on the scene. The other Tik soldiers kept a wary distance, sitting as casually as possible on nearby stones and not letting the stranger from their sights.

Duros's first impression was that this man was a complete savage. His face was dirty, and his hair was sticking up in a strange fashion. He was sucking the juice out of one of the insects' legs. Duros paused in his approach to study the man, gagging as he ripped another leg from the giant insect and began sucking the juice out of it.

Steeling himself, he walked closer, trying to ignore the sight and smell of the insect-man pair. "Who are you?" He asked stiffly.

The man paused in his feast and Duros could hear the sound of the juice dripping onto the ground. He glanced down toward the mess at his feet, and when he looked up again, the strange man was glaring up from under his bangs with a single hooded eye. "Nox." He said simply.

"Nox?" Duros repeated unimpressed. "And what kind of warrior are you?"

Scowling, the man sat up a little straighter. "Saiyan."

A shiver made its way down Duros's back, both at the mere thought of being in the presence of one of those legendary creatures, and at the openly hostile look on the man's face. However, he pushed his fear away and raised an eyebrow. "A Saiyan?" He repeated.

From beneath the heavy, tattered and stained cloak that the man wore, a tail unfurled. The tail wiggled tauntingly before it disappeared beneath the cloak again.

Duros couldn't help the way his heart leapt into his throat just then. He had been raised on the stories of the Saiyans and their brutality, and he, like many other children had grown to be terrified of them. The general dark, foreboding atmosphere of this barbarian planet did not help to bring him any comfort.

He should have known it from the strange hair. Any further proof that he might have needed was given a moment later. As the man moved to finally toss the finished insect leg aside, the icy wind caught his cloak and pulled it open, revealing cracked Saiyan armor and old brown pants. It looked as though he'd been wearing the same clothes for years. Everything about the man was tattered and dirty. He had no shoes. A filthy brown rag was wrapped around his face and covered one of his eyes. The man sucked the remaining juice of his fingers as he studied Duros in return.

Duros could tell that the man was trying to hide his curiosity, but he supposed that he couldn't blame him for being curious. Duros was one of the only intelligent creatures that this poor soul had ever seen, and Duros looked nothing like a saiyan.

"What are you doing on this planet?" Duros asked.

The man seemed reluctant to answer. Duros crossed his arms stubbornly. The man raised a hand toward his right eye—right where a Saiyan scouter would normally be—before seeming to realize that there was nothing there. With a sudden hint of nervousness, undoubtedly at not being able to tell whether the man before him was more powerful that himself, the man dropped his hand to his side again. "I was sent here as a child." He finally explained, eyeing the Tik commander warily. "My pod was too damaged to leave. The radio's broken too." The Saiyan finally stood. "I just want a ship so I can get back to Vegetasei."

If Duros felt uncomfortable around the rogue Saiyan before, he certainly felt so now. The man had been living on this planet for years with nothing but giant, deadly insects for company. He was clearly a savage. He was dirty, unruly, and out of touch with civilization. But a Saiyan warrior was a valuable asset, and if left alone, he would certainly follow his prince. No, this one needed to come to the side of the Taurans.

Luckily for Duros, Saiyans weren't known for their intelligence. The truth, and a few well-placed lies would ensure that this one would do just as Duros wished.

"Son." The Saiyan flinched back at the unwelcome familiarity. "I'm not sure how to tell you this, but I guess I'll just have to be straight with you. Vegetasei was destroyed about 30 years ago. Frieza destroyed it."

The Saiyan just stared in apparent disbelief.

"There are few Saiyans alive." Duros continued, choosing his words carefully. "The prince survived, but he may not be…happy…to see you."

The man was still reeling, but he pulled himself together enough to glare. "What do you mean?" The saiyan growled. "If the prince is alive, it is my duty to serve him."

Duros chuckled darkly. "He would sooner kill you. He was one of Frieza's soldiers, loyal to him both before and after the destruction of Vegetasei. He apparently killed his own bodyguard and any other saiyan he's run across. You're probably lucky that he doesn't know about you."

The saiyan was apparently angered by the remark. "You're lying. Vegetasei can not have been destroyed. And no Saiyan would kill another."

"Son, the proof is in the pudding. Everyone knows that Vegetasei was destroyed. As soon as you leave this planet, you'll have your proof. As for the prince," He chuckled. "You'll have more than enough proof of that as well."

"Even if you are telling the truth about Vegetasei's destruction," The Saiyan's voice seemed to shake when he said the last word. "No Saiyan would serve the man who destroyed it."

"Wrong again. Prince Vegeta served loyally for years. He was recently tried by the galaxy police tribunal and was found guilty off all the crimes he committed as Frieza's soldier. He cut a deal with the Krimzon empress, to get out of serving his sentence."

The Saiyan looked to be both confused and seething. He didn't say anything though.

"Do you still want to meet your prince?"

"I…" The Saiyan faltered, his dark, hooded eye registering uncertainty.

"How about this. I'll help you off this planet in return for a favor to the Tauran emperor, the one who I serve."

"What favor?"

Duros shrugged. "I don't know. It's up to him. I'm sure he'd be interested in meeting you. He's always liked Saiyans. And as you currently have nowhere to go, I'd be more than happy to help you out a bit."

"So…you'll give me a ship if I go meet your emperor and do a favor of his asking?"

Saiyans were really such simple creatures. Easily played. "I'll help you off this planet, yes."

The Saiyan seemed to mull it over for a bit in whatever pathetic excuse for a brain he had. "Alright, it's a deal."

"Perfect. Come along then." He turned and led the Saiyan across the dark, rocky landscape back toward his ship. "I'll have someone give you some suitable clothes and something to eat. How does that sound?"

The saiyan just nodded and followed silently, his tattered brown cloak billowing behind him.

* * *

Vegeta stared out of the window as the stars rushed by. He hardly noticed them, so deep was he in his thoughts. The room he was in was small, much like one that he would have had upon Frieza's ship. A small bed was in the corner, and an even smaller window gave him a limited view of the universe outside.

He was finally one step closer to finding Hui…or so Kurenai had said. He wasn't entirely certain that her plan was in his best interests, but even he had to admit that it was probably the only chance they had.

The small room was dark, just as it had been in Kurenai's throne room the night he had finally discovered Kurenai's plan.

_His eyes had almost instantly fallen upon the armor on the table. It was old, and broken, but it was so familiar. He had taken a hesitant step toward it when a voice drew his attention. "That is yours. Put it on."_

"_No." He answered distantly, his eyes drifting away from the armor toward the old woman. "I would never wear third-class armor."_

"_You're wrong." Kurenai said. The woman was standing several feet away from him, her hands clasped behind her back, and her head tilted slightly to the side. "I have prepared too long for you to throw a wrench in anything because of an obsolete ranking system."_

_His gaze hardened and he turned his glare on her full-force. His evening workout in the training rooms downstairs had left him sweaty, aching and tired, and he wanted nothing more than to go home, take a hot shower, and crawl into bed with his woman. "Is this all you wanted me to see?"_

"_No." _

_Vegeta just then noticed that Midori, Kuro, and even Tarble were also in the room, standing some distance away. The other two's faces were stern and emotionless, but Tarble's registered clear despair. Vegeta swallowed and turned back to Kurenai. A sense of dread was beginning to curl in his stomach. "So what did you really want?"_

"_You will leave Iro tonight." Kurenai announced._

_He nodded slowly. "And where will I go?"_

"_Here." Kurenai answered, and a screen flared to life behind her. "You will use your teleportation technique to go to this planet."_

_He furrowed his eyebrows. "And…what will I do in a barren wasteland?"_

"_Wait."_

"_For…"_

"_The Tik scouter force that will be landing there in a few days."_

"_You're sending me to take out a scouter force?" He asked. "How will that—"_

"_You will not kill the scouts." Kurenai answered._

_Vegeta finally threw up his hands. "So what then?" He asked in frustration. "Just give me a straight answer. What are you sending me to do?"_

_A slow malicious smile made its way onto Kurenai's face, and in it Vegeta could see that same hunger that he'd seen so often over the past months. It was that look that always meant that things were not going to turn out well for someone—usually him._

"_Hui is still looking for a Saiyan to strengthen his army." Kurenai said, turning and walking a few feet away. Her soft footfalls seemed all too loud in the stillness of the room._

_Vegeta just stared after her. He did not like where this was going._

"_So I am sending him one." Kurenai continued. "Have you guessed yet, who that Saiyan is?"_

"_Me." Vegeta supplied after a moment's hesitation._

"_Correct." Kurenai said. In the pale starlight that filtered through the windows, the others could see a small, sad smile worm its way onto Kurenai's face. "It breaks my heart to do this. Do you realize that?"_

_He crossed his arms and glared at her. "Not really."_

"_No, you wouldn't see it. You knew all along that I had something planned, but…you never knew that I was preparing you for it. I have done everything I could to make sure you were ready, and you have exceeded my every expectation. We are running out of time. We must act."_

_Vegeta furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean, you were preparing me? How much preparation is needed? I let the Tik scouts 'capture' me and take me to Hui, and then I kill him. I hardly need your help for that."_

_Kurenai turned toward him, and he briefly saw a flash in her pale eyes. "You will not kill Hui so soon. We only have one chance at this, and we have to make it perfect. I have taken too much time preparing you—"_

"_Preparing m—"_

"_Yes! Preparing you!" Kurenai said. "You will not kill Hui immediately. You will join the Tik Empire as a rogue Saiyan warrior."_

"_Oh come on!" He snapped, suddenly frustrated. "That's preposterous!"_

_She waved his ire away. "Your incredible strength and tactical expertise should allow you to move through the ranks at record speed. I tested your mental ability when I put you against the Xiee. I tested your stealth when you stole me back that movie from Kuro—"_

"_That was just a movie?!" Across the room, he could hear Kuro exclaiming in surprise as well, but he ignored it._

"_I tested your ability to manipulate magic when I had you get rid of that spell I put on you. Your strength and fighting ability are already phenomenal. Your intelligence and tactical expertise are such that I have never seen. And you are entirely trustworthy—to the point of dying without revealing a single piece of information. You're perfect, and I am confident that you will be able to succeed in the task I have set for you."_

_Vegeta stared at her slack-jawed. All those trips to other planets. All those odd tasks. Everything. Those…were all just…tests? For…for what she really wanted him to do?_

_For once in his life, Vegeta could find nothing to say._

"_The Tik empire is fragile because it is centered around one man." Kurenai continued. "However, killing the figure head might not destroy the empire. We need to break it apart, and to do that, I need you to get me as much information as you can. I need to know about plans, places, people, strategies, technology. Everything."_

"_So…you want me to spy for you, too?" Vegeta crossed his arms. "The answer is 'no.'"_

"_Vegeta, I don't know if you've noticed, but the Krimzon Empire is losing this war. We can't hold out forever. We need to get someone on the inside who can get us the schematics for the Meiyochi and tell us of Hui's movements in advance."_

"_Send someone else then."_

"_I've tried. Time and again, I've tried. Hui has always sniffed them out and sent me their heads back in less than a week. In any case, it has to be you."_

_He rolled his eyes. "And why is that?" He asked impatiently. _

"_It needs to be someone familiar enough with Empires and powerful enough to kill Hui when the time comes."_

_Vegeta scoffed and looked away, his eyes narrowing. Far from being the exciting task he had hoped Kurenai would set for him, this was quickly turning into a horror. He couldn't kill Hui quickly and be done. No. He had to sneak around for weeks—maybe months—looking for information to send and trying to put himself in the hated Emperor's good graces. It was ridiculous. _

_His daydream of his safe cozy apartment, of the night spent warm with his little woman, and of his son's cheerful grin were suddenly ripped away. So quickly that it was cruel._

_Kurenai's voice was softened in understanding when she spoke again. "Midori and I will make sure to take good care of your mate and son." She said. "And I regret that this has to be so soon, but you must be gone before dawn. Midori will help you with your disguise and explain the particulars of your persona." She took a few steps toward the large windows before pausing again. "By the way, your new name is Nox."_

* * *

A/N: Yay an update. I hope you all enjoyed that one. I thought I'd play a little bit with the style and chronology, but hopefully it turned out okay. Let me know what you thought. Any tips, ideas, constructive criticism, let me know.

A big thank you to everyone who's been reading along up to this point, and to everyone who has been leaving me reviews. I really appreciate it!

Translation:

Nge- (Swahili) scorpion


	48. Deception Part 2

Italics denote thoughts, memories, or a voice on a phone.

Chapter 48- Deception (Part 2)

Videl kicked her shoes off with a small hop as she entered the small, pink beach house. "Am I late?" She asked, eyeing the five friends who were crowded around the coffee table. Bright sunlight was streaming through the windows, and even within the house, she could still hear the small waves lapping at the shore. Kame Island was always such a peaceful place.

"No, you're just on time." Master Roshi grinned at her, pausing for a bit too long to take in the young woman's shape.

Videl hardly noticed, but instead hurried across the room to lean over the back of the red couch. Atop the coffee table sat a sleek black computer which seemed entirely out of place in the dated-but- cheerful room.

"We still haven't gotten in touch with them." Oolong said, fiddling with the buttons on the screen.

"I hope nothing's happened." Puar squeaked worriedly.

"Nah." Oolong finally sat back as the screen started beeping. "It was just the connection. Master Roshi probably messed the wires up a bit when we…I mean _he_ tried to find the space fitness channel."

The man in question let out a small, lecherous chuckle which turned a little nervous as the blonde android beside him turned her stern glare upon him. "You should both count yourselves lucky that you managed to fix it." Was all she said before pulling her daughter into her lap. "Sit down, Videl." She motioned to the now empty space beside her on the rug.

"Oh thank you." Videl said settling down beside her.

There was the sound of static and suddenly the screen flared to life. _"I thought I heard something." _Gohan's familiar voice came over the speaker.

_"Heh heh. Yeah I forgot I had this." _Krillin's voice responded.

Those in the room tilted their heads from side to side as the picture blurred, swam, and then finally righted itself. Krillin's face filled the screen, bobbing and swaying. His face was dirty, and his cheeks were pink, but he seemed not to notice as he smiled back at them.

"Daddy!" Marron cried in excitement, sliding from her mother's lap and moving closer to the screen.

_"Hey, squirt!"_ Krillin answered with a grin. The connection was a little fuzzy, and there was a persistent static noise in the background. _"How's it going?"_

"Daddy I lost a tooth!"

_"Did you?"_ Krillin's voice was perhaps filled with a bit more surprise and elation than he really felt, but it made is daughter grin proudly_. "Oh yeah, I see it now. You look like me after your mom gets mad."_ There were quite a few chuckles both from within the Kame house, and from somewhere off screen.

"Where are you, Krillin?" Master Roshi asked. "Are you all together?"

_"Oh yeah, we're all here_." Krillin answered, and suddenly the camera was moving again. A vast desert spread out around them. Here and there, large rock formations could be seen in the distance. Finally, the camera found one of the members of the group. _"Say 'hi' Piccolo." _Krillin ordered cheerfully. The green Namek was sitting atop a strange furry animal with long, saggy lips. It was difficult to tell which one—the Namek or the animal—looked more put-out with the current situation. The strange animal shook its head sharply, and Piccolo grimaced before pulling more tightly on the reigns. When he had finally gotten his animal back under control he sent a decidedly ominous glare toward Krillin. Krillin just laughed and announced. _"Piccolo pulled the short straw, but he's hanging in there."_

"Krillin, what is that thing?" 18 asked, with some mixture of worry and disgust in her voice.

_"Ohh…It's a…uhh…"_ The screen turned back toward Krillin's perplexed face.

_"They're called Ngamia."_ Gohan's voice supplied from somewhere off screen again.

_ "Oh yeah, I'll just let Gohan tell you the situation. He knows more about it anyway."_ Krillin said and he turned the camera toward Gohan.

Videl's face turned red instantly at the sight of her boyfriend in his Krimzon uniform. Even if the black material was now covered in dust, and even if he was also riding one of the bizarre Ngamia animals, he was quite dashing.

The camera was jostled again as it changed hands, and suddenly Gohan's face was large on the screen. _"Hi guys!" _He greeted, but from the way his eyes lingered at one point on the screen, it was clear who he was looking at. _"Everything okay on Earth?"_

There was a moment's pause, and everyone's eyes turned toward Videl as if the question had only been directed to her. "Yeah." She answered, clearing her throat. "Daddy went to see King Furry yesterday. They're allowing the Krimzon soldiers to land on Earth for a bit just to stretch their legs and stuff. We haven't even heard from the Tik since you left."

_"That's great!"_

Videl nodded and a small smile crept on her face. "So where are you again?"

_"Oh!"_ Gohan chuckled. _"We're on a planet called Nge. It's in an area that's kind of disputed between the Krimzon and Tik. We just got here today, but we're being Ki blocked now…which explains the Ngamia."_

"What do you plan to do there?" Oolong asked before murmuring. "You can't be sightseeing."

"_Well Tik ships have been hovering around this planet for quite sometime, although they supposedly haven't yet landed or attacked the population. The natives here suspect that the Tik soldiers have been stealing resources from the western quadrant of the planet. We're going to check it out, and then see if we can get a lock on Hui."_

"You're going after Hui so soon?" Puar asked, furrowing her eyebrows nervously.

"_The sooner the better, I think. Dad says so too. Hui doesn't look like he's going to be losing power anytime soon, and Piccolo is worried that he's not even at the full maturity of his power yet." _Gohan's eyes shifted slightly and he cocked an eyebrow. _"Well I'll hand you guys off so you can talk to dad and Yamcha. Oh and, Videl…look up."_

Then the screen blurred again. "Huh?" Videl sat on the couch puzzled. "Look up?" Curiously she turned her head to look toward the ceiling only to be met by the sight of a drooling old man. "Ah…?" She cringed and glanced down again only to realize that she had worn a rather low-cut shirt that day. "UGH!"

A loud smack reverberated through the room and Master Roshi went flying, still chuckling, into the wall.

Leaning back against the couch and taking a sip of lemonade, Oolong snorted. "Some things never change."

"For shame." Puar added.

* * *

"I must say, it's a totally different lifestyle having a husband with an actual job." Chichi mused. In her brand new shiny, red purse sat her old, beat-up wallet. Within that wallet however, was a shiny new card with a rather hefty sum of money. Goku had left if for her, saying that he had one of his own—although he couldn't fathom what he would need money for.

"You're telling me." Bulma said with a small laugh, making sure to hold her new purse out of the light sprinkle of rain. "I never thought I'd see the day when Vegeta gave me _his_ money to go shopping."

As the two women giggled under their umbrellas, three Saiyans trudged along behind them, their arms laden with boxes and bags, and their expressions miserable.

Bulma happened a glance over her shoulder at them, her eyes locking onto one deceptively familiar face in particular. "Just look as grumpy and put-out as possible." Bulma coached and turned back to continue on down the street.

"That's not hard." Tarble grumbled with a scowl, shifting the giant stack of boxes and bags in his arms before they toppled onto the street. "Tell me, why couldn't you have finished your emergency shopping before the emergency started?" He blew his wet bangs out of his eyes and gazed morosely at the few people who were also still out in the streets.

Chichi looked back with a small amused smile to the three Saiyans behind them. "Everything was too hectic." She explained. "We had only been here less than a week before the storm was announced, and then with all the boys leaving, Trunks and Goten starting school, and Bulma starting her new job. How could we be expected to do this any sooner?"

"Yeah, _dad_." Trunks stressed the word a little awkwardly. Even though it was not raining heavily, his purple bangs were plastered to his forehead and his clothes were wet. Every so often, he would let out a small burst of Ki to dry himself only to get wet again several minutes later. "Shouldn't you have known about this before?"

Tarble just pouted. In truth he had spent his every waking hour training and prepping to become "Vegeta." He had had no idea that a giant storm was approaching until Bulma tugged him along on her shopping trip. "But are shoes and accessories really 'necessities.' I mean, even the word 'accessory' denotes—" The two women's clearly unimpressed stares made him cut off.

Tarble just sighed wondering how he had managed to be wrapped up in this situation. He supposed he knew. It had started one morning several days ago…

_Bulma sat glumly at Chichi's kitchen table nursing a hot cup of coffee. Trunks was slouched down beside her looking just as gloomy. Occasionally Chichi and Goten cast the pair worried glances, but apparently decided that there was not much they could do for them._

"_I'm sure he's fine wherever he is." Chichi said. "He's been sent off to different planets before. This seems pretty routine."_

"_I guess so." Bulma said, but a glance at Trunks led her to think that assuming that this was routine would be wrong. _

_The sound of the apartment door sliding open drew them out of their brooding, and a moment later two familiar faces emerged in the living area._

_Chichi and Goten sent semi-relieved glances to their two friends before noticing Bulma and Trunks's expressions. Mother and son shared a confused glance before looking back to where Midori and Vegeta were coming across the room._

"_Sorry for not knocking, but it would have seemed suspicious." 'Vegeta' said in a voice that was most certainly not Vegeta's._

"_It's okay, Tarble." Bulma said causing Chichi and Goten to nearly fall out of their chairs. "I understand."_

"_So you know already." Midori said._

"_He sent me a message before he left."_

"_I'll have to ask you to delete it." Midori said. "Is this all that's left of your group on Iro?"_

"_Yes." Bulma answered. _

"_Good. We need to talk about a few things. I'll have to ask for your complete cooperation. You already know that Vegeta has been sent of on a top secret mission to a location that even I don't know. We do have a way to keep in touch with him, but it must be used sparingly. As long as he is away, this" She waved a hand toward Tarble, "is for all intents and purposes Vegeta."_

_Tarble had the grace to look a little guilty about that._

"_As such he will have to live here, and you two must be seen in public together to keep up appearances." A red tint covered Tarble's cheeks. Midori turned and slapped the back of his head. "Stop that."_

_He raised a hand to where he'd been hit and pouted._

"_I understand that this will be difficult for everyone involved, but I must stress the importance of it. If word got out that Vegeta is not still on Iro, the real Vegeta will very likely be killed."_

_Bulma and Trunks both paled and looked between the thin blue woman and the embarrassed, shifting lookalike beside her. Finally they both nodded._

Tarble frowned and shift his boxes again, sighing as Bulma and Chichi spotted something else that they just _had_ to have. Somehow, he figured this wasn't an activity that Vegeta would have willingly engaged in. A scowl was coming quite easily to him at the moment, and fixing it on full force, he followed the women into yet another shop.

* * *

"This is as far as we will take you." The commander's dark eyes were hooded, and his long horns shone in the waning sunlight. The Ngamia were nervous to go past that point, and were shuffling and whining in distress. With a few glances at each other, the five 'Krimzon' warriors dismounted.

"Beyond this ridge is rebel territory." The commander said, taking Goku's reins in hand. "You're on your own. Be on your guard and…" He finally raised his head. "Good luck."

The five Earth-bred fighters watched as their Nge escort made their way back into the city below. It was not so much a city as they knew them, actually, and the building where they had met the Nge council was not really a building at all. Whereas building denotes putting things together to create something new, all of the homes and businesses of the Nge were carved into the mountains.

The sun was low in the sky by the time they crested the mountain and took their last glimpse of the city. In the pale twilight, they could see more mountains, stretching endlessly into the horizon behind them. Speckled onto the side of the mountains were small squares of light. Even as they watched, more lights were lit until the mountains looked like nothing so much as waves that were glistening in the sunset.

The five slowly turned their backs on the mountains and their inhabitants to stare out at the landscape ahead. The ground sloped down sharply for hundreds of meters, dropping down, down, down from the light sandy mountains to lush, green and brown swamp below. The trees seemed to go on endlessly in a paradise of greenery and life, but a nervous feeling was stewing in the five warriors' stomachs.

"So…that is where the rebels live?" Yamcha asked.

"That's what the mountain Nge said." Piccolo responded, and without another word began leaping down the steep, rocky slope.

"It's so strange." Yamcha said to Krillin as they started to follow. "A planet that's divided down the middle like this."

"It _is_ strange, isn't it?" Krillin mused thinking back to when they had first heard about the rebels.

_"It was lucky that you made landfall where you did." Sitting astride his Ngamia and swaying slightly with every step that the animal took up the rocky slope, the commander spoke. It was only the third time they had heard his voice during their trek. The deep, serious sound instantly drew the attention of the five visitors. "The swamps on this planet are full of rebel tribes."_

_ "Huh? Rebels?" Gohan asked. "What kind of rebels?"_

_ "They are loyal to the Tik." Another man answered when the commander simply kept his eyes straight ahead. "The Tik have promised them rule over this planet once they have conquered it. But the elders will tell you more about this."_

Krillin's foot slipped on some loose gravel as he leapt with the others. "Whoah!" He yelled, waving his arms to catch his footing.

"You okay, man?" Yamcha called.

"Yeah." Krillin eyed the hard rock meters below him where Gohan, Piccolo, and Goku were already leaping gracefully down toward the bottom. "I'm good." And he sprung off again.

_ The interiors of the cliff dwellings were something to see. Never in his life had Krillin imagined he would be standing inside a mountain. And yet that was where the mountain Nge lived. _

_ "This planet has been in a civil war for over one hundred thirty years." The news had been shocking. A hundred and thirty years was a very long time. The statement had drawn Krillin's gaze away from the interesting carvings in the cliff walls to focus on the elders that the commander had spoken of so many hours before._

_ The leaders of the mountain Nge were a council of seemingly ancient men, each one with enormous horns and hard shells. They had apparently been alerted to their coming, for the eight elders sat on intricately-carved wooden stools, awaiting the arrival of their guests. The large room housed several balconies, and many wooden benches. Almost every square inch of the room was filled with Nge, curious about the newcomers._

_ The elder who had spoken before continued, his gaze drifting between Goku and Piccolo. "It is pointless violence."_

_ "What are you fighting over?" Gohan asked._

_ Several of the members of the council and the spectators shared quick glances, but the old man kept his gaze locked on Gohan. "It is an old tale that goes back quite a while. Once everyone on this planet lived in harmony. The planet was lush and green. The highlands were not dry, and the lowlands were not swamps. Food grew in abundance, and if there was war, it did not last long. But then, a meteor struck the planet, killing the majority of our population, and causing the landscape itself to shift and change. What followed was ten years of cataclysmic volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis. What was once flatlands rose into the sky, some sunk into the earth."_

_ The elder motioned to the glassless arches behind them. The five men shifted slightly staring through the arches to get a view of the city. The landscape now looked peaceful, but undoubtedly dry. Small bushes were all that would grow with so little rain. On the tall mountains, many areas were terraced, however, and they could see the small figures working tirelessly at cultivating their crops. _

_ "The weather patterns have been disrupted, causing it to rain endlessly in some places while blocking rain to others. We have been forced to dig wells and use Krimzon technology to irrigate our fields." The elder paused and let out a sorrowful sigh. "Young men, we were once a peaceful race. We respected all life, and ate no other animal. But it has become difficult to grow food, and swampland guerillas have been attacking our irrigation systems for years now."_

_ "Why would they do that?" Goku asked surprised._

_ "That again requires explanation." The elder said. "While many of our race moved into the swamps, the mountain Nge's ancestors moved into the dry mountains, where we now cultivate the land and take great effort to grow crops. Where once our people took only what was needed and shared our resources, now it has become necessary to store our food for times when crops do not grow. Our surplus has allowed our society to grow...to 'civilize' if you will, and has improved our standard of living. It was not so difficult for the swamp Nge to find food, so they kept no surplus. But, their population has grown too large to feed. We have given some of our food to them out of pity for their children, but we cannot continue to sustain their population. Generations have passed since we have begun to give them aid, and they had become jealous of our technology and lifestyle. Rather than teaching children to farm and work for their own security, many parents have taught their children to expect our aid and to hate us when it is not given. It is these children who have grown up and begun attacking us, and their ranks are growing. Now rather than become farmers, children aspire to fight. The people who are actually trying to make society survive find themselves working harder to provide more food for everyone else. Their society as a whole now focuses more energy and time on attacking our people than on providing for themselves and bettering their society. And so their society is slowly collapsing. Thirty years ago, we stopped giving them our food. That is when the war started."_

"Ugh!" Krillin landed at the bottom with a splash, jerking him out of the memory. He immediately sank ankle-deep into the soggy ground. With a cry of surprise, he stumbled a step. "Whoah, what a shift! From rocks to marsh."

"Hey!" Gohan called out. "Over here, guys. The ground's a little higher."

Krillin followed the others up a short hill to what appeared to be a ridge. There was calf-deep water on both sides of it. The ridge itself was only several meters wide, but it was enough for them to walk side-by-side while winding toward trees that spread out ahead of them.

* * *

Apparently the Tik crew had finally figured out what to do with him. His chamber door, which had heretofore been locked, suddenly slid open. Vegeta had been sitting on the floor with his back to the bed. When the door opened, he lifted his head to look at the person who'd just arrived.

The soldier—who Vegeta did not recognize—regarded him warily before taking a step inside. He cleared his throat nervously. "That," He pointed behind Vegeta's shoulder. "Is a bed. It's for sleeping. I'm here to take you to the shower." Vegeta made a point of not moving, and with a calming breath, the soldier clarified. "It's…for cleaning…yourself. Follow me."

Vegeta—or Nox as they knew him—pulled himself silently to his feet. Although he was eternally grateful for finally being able to wash all the grime and bug guts off of himself, he did not let it on. Instead he silently followed the man out of his room and down the gray hall.

They arrived in a small, windowless room.

"This is the locker room. The shower is in there. You'll have to take your clothes off first. When you're done, you can wear these." The soldier said, handing him a set of neatly folded clothes.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes at the man but then slowly started pulling off his armor and clothes, dropping them to the floor. The soldier didn't leave or even so much as turn around.

Vegeta didn't particularly care. Saiyans weren't known for their modesty. It was probably a good thing, for someone who hadn't been in contact with any civilized life forms for the entirety of his life would likely not have even known what modesty was. Therefore, Vegeta had no issue stripping in front of the man.

"The shower's right here." The soldier explained, going across the room and pressing a button. A door slid open revealing a small bathroom. The soldier quickly explained everything in the bathroom, even flushing the toilet and turning on the water to show the saiyan how they worked.

Vegeta observed everything with his most natural air of unnerved curiosity—something he was quite accustomed to, since being constantly faced with Earth's bizarre traditions and eccentricities—and then stepped into the spray of water, grateful that the soldier had made it hot.

As Vegeta inspected the soap, genuinely confused about how to get it out of the container, the soldier moved to lean against the sink.

"I generally don't make it a habit of watching men shower." The soldier said in amused self-defense. "And buddy, you needed one. But I was ordered not to let you out of my sight."

Vegeta frowned over at him, and then proceeded to ignore the man. He eventually figured out how to use the soap, and proceeded to wash himself.

"So you were stuck on that planet for over thirty years, huh?" The soldier asked casually. Vegeta didn't respond. "That must have been rough. What with no one to talk to and all…"

His hair was last. He washed it, trying to make the motion appear normal, but secretly his hands were infused with magic—a little trick that Midori had taught him to make his hair bounce back into the odd style she had created for him.

He finished and shut off the water. He dried himself with a burst of ki, and turned to see the Tik soldier holding out a towel with an amused look. "Nevermind." The Tik murmured, putting the towel back onto the counter.

Vegeta just cocked an eyebrow. "Do I dress now?"

The soldier nodded.

With that confirmation, Vegeta headed back into the adjacent room. He briefly looked through the clothes he'd been brought. A simple pair of black pants and a gray undershirt. He pulled them on, and then turned back to the soldier.

"Shoes." The soldier said, pointing to Vegeta's bare feet.

Vegeta looked back to the black boots on the table. Vegeta picked one up. In reality, he really liked them. They were black, went up to mid calf, and had leather straps wrapping around them to tighten them. Without a word, he pulled those on as well.

"Now you look almost civilized." The soldier said appraisingly. "We'll have to do something about your eye though." Vegeta raised a hand to large scar that Midori had magicked on to his face. In the mirror it looked so real. It even felt real to the touch. However, even though to all appearances his eye was missing, Vegeta could still see perfectly.

"Come on." The soldier called, heading toward the door. "We'll deal with that later. I'm to show you around the ship now."

* * *

"It's a shame the Nge don't look more like ants." Krillin mused. They were deep into the forest now, and they were being tormented by small furry critters that kept buzzing around their heads. They had had enough time to formulate a strategy, and were now just waiting to run across some swamp Nge in order to enact it.

"Would the other guys be grasshoppers?" Yamcha joked, swatting at one of the strange creatures. Gohan, Krillin and Yamcha all laughed.

Goku and Piccolo shared a befuddled look. "Hmm…they look more like beetles to me." Goku said, causing the others to blink at him in confusion.

"No dad." Gohan said. "Like the old story on Earth."

"You know…" Krillin added. "The Ant and the Grasshopper."

"You must have heard it." Gohan said. "That was one of mom's favorite stories."

Krillin and Yamcha shared a look. "I would have never guessed." Yamcha said.

Goku just scratched his head. "Nope. Not ringing a bell."

"Oh come on dad." Gohan said. "Here, I'll just tell it to you then. Once upon a time…"

"Wait." Piccolo's hand rose fractionally and his ears twitched. The others all froze, straining their own ears and their Ki senses. "They're coming. Krillin Yamcha. You know what to do. Gohan, Goku, in the trees."

"Right." "Good luck, guys." Goku and Gohan said quietly and then without wasting a moment, leapt upward, quickly disappearing into the shadowy canopy. Piccolo gave the two earthlings a quick nod before following after the others.

"Alright, Krillin. Here goes nothing." Yamcha chuckled, as he and Krillin continued to walk as calmly as possible down the ridge.

"Man, not I know what a worm feels like." Krillin mused. Now that they were familiar with the rather unique way that the Nges' Ki felt, they could sense that they were being surrounded. Although they knew that the other three were high up on the tall, thin trees, they also knew that they would provide no help in this battle.

Just like the other time, the Nge seemed to materialize out of thin air, surrounding the fighters.

"Well, well. And what would a pair of Krimzon lackeys be doing on Nge?" One of the Nge stepped forward ominously. Krillin couldn't make out much of his face in the shadow. "Did the mountain people send you?"

"They told us where to find you, if that's what you mean." Yamcha said.

"We're just here to talk with you." Krillin added.

"Really? Talk about what?" And then in a mocking voice, continued. "About how we're wrong to side with people who promise to feed us and give us a better standard of living?"

"Why yes, in fact." Krillin said.

"Ha!" He stepped forward slightly. "And what makes you think we'd listen to you."

"Nothing really." Yamcha said cockily. "Just that if you didn't listen we'd beat you into submission."

"You really think you could do that?"

Simultaneously, the two pointed to the crests on their chest. Although at first they had had no idea what the strange V and trident meant, they had quickly learned that they were the symbol of Vegetasei.

The man stared at the symbol, and then whipped around. "Saiyans!" He hissed, and instantly weapons were raised and trained on them.

"Do you plan to kill us then?" Yamcha asked.

"No." The man who had spoken before turned toward them again. "That would be a waste of your…talents. We will give you to the Tik as a gift."

Krillin and Yamcha glanced at each other, both fighting the urge to smirk. Then they looked back to the Nge. "Not without a fight, you won't." And they leapt forward.

It turned out that they were lucky that the Nge had decided to surround them. It made it impossible for them to use their guns without risking hitting each other. And even though it may have sounded at first like fighting against twenty opponents would be difficult. It didn't take long for Krillin and Yamcha to get in control of the situation.

They weren't exactly winning. But they had the Nge right where they wanted them

A hard kick got Krillin right in the face, whipping his head around and causing him to stumble back into another Nge fighter.

He could see that Yamcha's fight had moved into the water. Brown water was splashing around as the Earth fighter struggled against six opponents. Krillin couldn't tell if Yamcha slowing down was all part of the show or if he was really being overwhelmed. Whatever the case, within a minute, Yamcha had been knocked off his feet. The Nge piled atop him, binding his hands behind his back and chaining his neck and ankles.

Yamcha was then hoisted, soaking-wet to his feet.

Krillin drew his gaze away from his friend and saw that the eyes of the thirty remaining Nge soldiers were fixed on him. With a nervous chuckle he raised his hands into the air. "I…surrender?"

* * *

"Okay, so…" Gohan had opened their supply capsules under the shelter of a large tree and was surveying their supplies. "Space suits. That's what we'll need. We'd better keep the senzu beans on-hand too just in case. Dad…dad!"

"Hmgh?" Goku spun out of the mini refrigerator. His cheeks were puffed out to the point of being ridiculous. "Ya…deed…somefin?" He asked through his mouthful of food.

"Dad that's all the food we have. Imagine if we get stuck here for weeks. It'll never last if you keep eating like that."

Goku swallowed dejectedly. "Oh yeah."

"The spacepods are making landfall." Piccolo said. Once they had realized that the Tik ship was not landing itself, Piccolo had fallen into a bad mood. They had been banking on the entire ship landing, but this was making things difficult. Now they would have to hijack the few soldiers' pods and go up to the ship themselves. That was infinitely more dangerous.

"How are we going to get them to open the hatch for us?" Gohan asked.

"We can just blast them through the side of the ship." Goku suggested.

Piccolo frowned. "The odds of a spacepod's walls withstanding impact with the ship's wall is slim. There is likely an automatic trigger or something to open the hatch."

"Hopefully."

The deep sound of impact shook through the trees around them. "They've landed." Gohan concluded. "Time to go."

* * *

Yamcha and Krillin sat beneath a small, wooden overhang. The ground on which they sat was soggy. In the darkness, they could see fires burning under larger wooden roofs, and people milling about, quickly darting from one roof to the next to escape the rain. Armed guards stood before their small overhang, occasionally glancing back at them.

They could see that under one of the larger roofs, a crowd of people had gathered. The elders of this particular tribe appeared to be none too pleased at the actions of their village's youth. Several times, the elders' loud voices had traveled across the clearing bringing with it snippets of the conversation.

"Warring…not productive…better off working with mountain…new crops…diversify…trade with them…peace…spoiled children…teach a man to…feed him for a lifetime…dice have been cast…forced our hand…" And finally. "…too dangerous to release them…"

It was only after several hours that their guards informed them that their fates had been decided. With a sick, twisted grin, one of them had pointed to the sky saying that the council had called the Tik ship that had been "guarding" the planet and reported the Krimzon "invaders." Tik soldiers were descending on the planet as they spoke to decide what to do with them

The news would have been enough to send shivers down anyone's spines. The two men indeed sat shivering in the dark, with rain beating down around them. They looked beaten and cowed, and were making no move to put up a fight. However, once the guards turned away again, Krillin and Yamcha shared their own conspiring grins.

* * *

It felt like forever since he'd felt the rather sweet feeling of blood coursing from his nose. The Tik scouter force had not been prepared to be met with saiyans, much less one Son Goku. Even though Goku and his two companions were currently without access to their Ki, they were putting up one hell of a fight.

They'd taken out the highest power levels first. Three of the Tik soldiers already lay dead from the surprise attack that the Earth fighters had unleashed on them. None of the three had been particularly proud of ambushing the Tik soldiers, but they had to tip the scales somehow. Six Tik fighters with Ki levels between 1000 and 3000 would be tough for the fighters—whose Ki were being held in the 50s—no matter how skilled they were.

Goku ducked and spun, his heel digging into the soggy earth. He could feel light rain starting to fall, making his hair droop slightly. His muscles were already aching from fighting at "full power" against his opponent. His forearms were throbbing from every blocked hit. Blood was making it hard to breathe from his nose and leaving the taste of copper in his mouth.

And yet, he felt wonderful.

A splash and a familiar cry alerted him to the fact that Gohan had just been thrown into the water.

"Gohan!" Goku chanced glancing away from his opponent just long enough to see if his son was okay. Gohan had already jumped back to his feet, although his left arm was hanging limp at his side.

"I'm okay, dad." He called.

The moment's inattention cost Goku dearly. A sudden blinding pain spread through his chest, and he felt himself flying backward before colliding with something hard. He could only assume that whatever he'd hit was a tree, for it too cracked before falling backwards.

Goku's vision swam slightly as he watched the dark figure walking slowly toward him. Slowly, Goku's hand moved to the blaster on his hip. Besides a few bruises and a couple gashes, his opponent was nearly unharmed. Goku wished that he could simply fight it fairly—with nothing but his fists—but fairness had been abandoned long ago.

Goku slowly unholstered the blaster, hoping that the darkness would hide his movements.

The soldier continued on toward him before squatting down in front of him. Goku kept his eyes half-lidded and trained on the ground. Slowly he twisted his hand without moving it from its spot at his side, hoping that it was aimed where he wanted it to be aimed.

The Tik soldier grabbed his hair just then pulling his head up. He saw the shock in the soldiers eyes when he noticed Goku wide-eyed and alert rather than unconscious—as he'd clearly expected. Goku didn't give him the time to get over his surprise. He fired. He felt the heat on his side and his thigh as the blast passed close to him, but it was the Tik soldier who took the real damage. The blast hit him right in the chest struggling for a moment before blasting clean through. Without wasting a moment, Goku pulled himself to his feet, shaking of his dizziness, and leveled his blaster at Gohan's opponent.

In a few seconds it was over. All six Tik opponents lay dead on the ground. "We're getting much better at this." Goku said wiping his nose on his sleeve and sniffling a bit. "It usually takes us much longer to take out this many soldiers."

"You're learning to fight dirty." Piccolo informed him with a mockingly proud grin.

Goku pouted and pulled out the senzu beans. "I guess so. Here, Gohan. Take one." He called tossing one to his son.

Gohan gratefully caught it, and then chewing quickly made his way over to the spacepods that had landed some distance away. The other two followed. The doors to the six spacepods were still open. The soldiers hadn't had the time to close them before they'd been ambushed. A wave of guilt washed over the three Earth fighters, but they quickly squashed it and each moved to sit in a pod.

Gohan fiddled with the computer in his pod for a while before contacting Goku and Piccolo. "Okay, guys press the green button on the panel in front of you. A menu will come up. Press 'destination.' Go down to where it says 'return.' Press that. I'm assuming that the ship number that appears is the one these pods go to. Just click that."

The other two did as told just as Gohan clicked the button himself. Almost immediately, the pod's door began to close. Gohan took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair. He pulled out his blaster and laid it across his lap, determined not to make the same mistake that the Tik soldiers earlier had. "Here goes nothing."

The trip to the Tik spaceship took only a few minutes, and to their luck, the hatch opened for them upon their approach.

They took out the two guards standing duty at the hatch before they knew what hit them.

There were only a few soldiers left on the ship, and their Ki senses told that only one was in the control room

"Let's move quickly, before they realize something's going on." Piccolo ordered, and without pausing to wait for his comrades' replies, he took off running.

"This is too easy." Gohan said quietly, as they got closer and closer to the control room without encountering any opposition. "When we were fighting on Earth it was never this easy."

"This Tik ship has never faces any opposition from the locals. They probably never would have expected anyone to attack them."

"Oh…Hmm." Come to think of it, the first Tik ship they had encountered hadn't even turned on their Meiyochi until they'd landed. There was definitely something to be said for catching people off guard.

They reached the door to the control room. "Goku, you and I will take care of the soldier in there. Gohan, you destroy the Meiyochi."

"Right." Father and son nodded simultaneously, and then they burst into the room.

Gohan's weapon was trained and fired at the Meiyochi before the guard on duty had the time to turn away from whatever he was reading. Goku and Piccolo wasted no time either, locking their weapons on him and firing. The soldier hit the control panel with a wet thud and slid down wheezing and gasping. Two streaks of red were left in his wake, causing some of the controls to sizzle.

Gohan fired a second time, finally cracking the green crystal on the Meiyochi. Their Ki rushed back to them, quickly followed by a strong feeling of relief.

"Gohan watch the door." Goku called, staring down at the wide-eyed, gasping soldier before him. He crouched down in front of the man. "I'm terribly sorry that I have to do this." The man's eyes widened further in a look of disbelief. "I don't like to kill anyone, especially when…well… This war needs to end. I don't know if you were drafted against your will or if you joined on your own, but you can help us. Tell us where Hui is."

The soldier choked again, and lifted his hand slightly. He was too weak, however, to complete the movement.

"Please." Goku urged, knowing that the man's time was running out. "Where is Hui?"

"Goku." Piccolo's voice called.

Goku ignored him and kept his eyes locked on the dying man. A light sheen of sweat was visible on Goku's forehead now. "Tell me!" He pressed again. "Where is Hui?!"

But the man only looked at Piccolo, and with a shudder, fell limp.

"Darn it!" Goku spat, standing again and glaring at the remnants of the Meiyochi in the room as if that machine was the source of all his problems.

"Goku." Piccolo called again. "I think he was trying to show us this."

"Hm?" Goku tore his eyes away from the wreckage. "What is it?"

"A memo." Piccolo said. "Sent from Hui himself. This must have been what that man was reading when we came in."

"What's so special about it?" Goku asked. Near the doorway, Gohan looked over curiously as well.

"There is to be a tournament." When Goku just raised an eyebrow, Piccolo continued. "Hui has invited all of his strongest warriors to compete. He will most likely make an appearance."

A small grin made its way onto Goku's face. "Then we need to find out where this tournament is."

Suddenly their scouters buzzed. _"Hey guys."_ Yamcha's voice came over the line. _"We're free. What now?"_

"Change of plans." Piccolo said. "We're leaving." He might have expected some opposition from Goku or Gohan, but both of them just stood by silently, apparently in agreement with his decision.

_"Wait what?"_

"Go back to the pods."

_"What about the people here?"_

"This is their war. They started it. Let them end it."

_ "Uhh…okay then….we'll meet you at the pods then."_

* * *

He was hardly more than a boy. His skin was a pallid, blue color, nearly gray; his hair a lank black that fell down straight on both sides of his face. The boy was slender and lithe, and an air of cockiness surrounded him. His mere aura was palpable even for those without a Ki sense. It was horrid—selfish and spoiled.

Vegeta knew the moment he spotted him who the boy was. Even here on a different planet, a cold planet that seemed perpetually night, there was no mistaking it. He had never seen Hui's face, but the dark gray of the tall stone pillars and walls of the ancient keep where they stood seemed all the darker for the young man's presence.

A grin lit the youth's face when Vegeta was escorted through the door. The grin only widened as he took a moment to study Vegeta. "_You_ owe _me_ a favor." He said after a moment, with childlike excitement in his voice.

Vegeta—or "Nox" as he'd been introduced—scrutinized him for a moment. "I owe a favor to the Emperor of the Tauran Empire." He clarified.

Hui grinned. "And that is me."

Vegeta furrowed his eyebrows and spun around toward the guards. All of them were easily twice the age of the boy that sat before him. He knew that what he was about to do was dangerous, but Kurenai had made it very clear that he was not to let on that he had any knowledge of the extent or power of the Tauran Empire or its emperor. "Is this a joke? This is a child."

The guards all paled and refused to respond. It was the maroon-haired man that had heretofore been leaning casually against the throne that stepped forward. "He is indeed young, Saiyan. But he is _nearly_ a man." He smirked back at Hui, who was scowling slightly at the phrasing. Hui shook away his displeasure, however, and leapt to his feat. With a boyish hop, he came down from the throne and came to stand before Vegeta.

"You are called 'Nox,' correct?" When Vegeta just nodded, he continued. "I'll never understand why Saiyans give their children such odd names. It doesn't matter though. I understand that you are quite powerful."

"Of course. Saiyans are the—"

"Yes, yes. I know. You're a warrior race and all that." He waved the explanation away indifferently, not caring about Nox's clearly offended scowl. "Now, I don't know much about the saiyans. They're all dead, so there was never really any point in studying them much. I do know, however, that you are much more powerful than the average saiyan. Before the planet was destroyed, there were very few saiyans who were rumored to have the power to defeat Frieza. Some of them survived. It was a saiyan who killed Frieza. A third-class one at that."

"A third-class?" Nox asked curiously.

"Mmm…yes. I've done a little research, you see. It appears that more Saiyans than anyone thought survived the destruction of the plant, and that over time, most of them have banned together into one small group on a planet in the middle of the North Quadrant. It appears that they've been breeding with the females on this planet to strengthen their numbers."

Vegeta made a show of wrinkling his nose—the expected reaction of a Saiyan who was just faced with the knowledge that some of his kind had mated with non-Saiyans.

"Kurenai got to them first. She has their prince by the balls, and that has all of the other Saiyans marching in line."

"This woman has enslaved Saiyans?" Vegeta asked.

A moment of surprise flitted across Hui's face, but he quickly banished it before adopting a serious look. "Yes. Yes, she has." He shared a glance with the commander who had "found" Vegeta on that desolate planet. "The prince himself does not care much about the remainder of the Saiyans, and allows Kurenai to do as she wishes with them. She has sent them all to the front line to do her dirty work." Hui adopted a pensive expression. "I do believe there is a second prince. I do not know his name, but he is almost pathetically weak. Kurenai had no interest in him, and so he remains free of her clutches—although he has been hiding himself somewhere in Krimzon territory."

Hui paused and made a show of thinking. "You know, you…" He nodded at something that he was thinking. "I think I have figured out your favor. Yes, yes, now I know." He smiled as if the idea had just struck him. "I want you to kill Kurenai."

"The empress?"

"Yes." He snapped impatiently. "The empress. The one who is holding your people in bondage. Kill her, free your people, and absolve your debt to me."

Vegeta stared at him for a long moment before slowly nodding. "Alright. I will kill this woman, and then you will give me a ship."

"Yes, yes. I will give you a ship."

"Okay. Where can I find this woman so I can kill her for you?"

A few people in the room chuckled. "My dear Nox, I'm afraid it won't be so easy. Kurenai is on the opposite end of the universe, and millions of Krimzon soldiers stand in your way. We will have to devise a way to get you to her. But in the meantime, you are welcome to stay here with me. You are my honored guest. Let me welcome you as such." He put on the air of someone who was seriously pondering something. "Hmm…what would a saiyan like…oh! I have just the thing." With a sly smile, and to the surprise of none of the Tik soldiers, he announced. "A tournament."

* * *

A/N: Yay another chapter. And this one with a little bit of action too. Finally. I hope you enjoyed it. I did a little playing around with time in this chapter. It's something I've done before, and which I like doing from time to time. I hope it didn't make anything confusing. I got so many nice reviews for the last chapter. It's good to hear that I'm keeping most of you in suspense. Thanks very much for taking the time to review. These chapters do take a lot of time an effort to write, and I'm always very happy to hear that people enjoy reading them.

So let me know what you thought of this chapter!

A few Translations:

Nge- (Swahili) scorpion

Ngamia- (Swahili) camel

Hui's full name would be written like this灰暴风雨 in Chinese characters and roughly translates to "gray tempest" or "gray storm." Thanks to Faen for asking and allowing me to brush up on my Chinese a bit. ;)


	49. Le Rouge et le Noir

Disclaimer : I haven't put one of these in a while… Dragonball Z is property of Akira Toriyama. Also, _le Rouge et le Noir_ is property of Stendhal, not me.

**Warnings: This chapter contains swearing and allusions to child slavery, homicide, and non-consensual situations**.

Chapter 49- Le Rouge et le Noir

"Empress!" The messenger had hardly gained permission to enter before he'd run into the room. One quick look at his uniform confirmed that the man was from Kurenai's intelligence service—in all an elite, educated, discreet, and not easily-flustered group. "Empress, urgent news!"

Kurenai, Midori, and "Vegeta" all turned to regard the newcomer. He had clearly sprinted all the way from the Intelligence office. A sheen of sweat beaded his face, and the slightest wrinkle was perceptible where he'd pulled repeatedly at his collar. The man did not pause to catch his breath, but launched, huffing and puffing, into his news. "It's Hui. He is recalling all of his most powerful officers to the planet Loth." The man said, placing a hand gingerly to his side and seemingly in pain. "He is making no secret of it. He is there as well."

"Indeed?" Kurenai looked between Midori and her Saiyan hand for a moment before turning back to the man. "Is that all?"

If he was surprised by her lack of response, he made no note of it. Instead he pulled his shoulders back and shook his head. "No, ma'am. It is not yet confirmed, but it is believed that Hui has found a Saiyan."

Kurenai took a deep breath and turned away. The intelligence agent regarded her worriedly. It was quite rare that the empress was taken by surprise at anything. The last time a man had been sent running from intelligence to Kurenai's office had been with the news of the disappearance of…well…

The guard sent a wary glance to the regal Saiyan standing silently beside Midori. The pair of hands seemed to have forgotten he was there so intent were they on their Empress.

"What of this Saiyan?" Kurenai asked after a moment.

The agent jumped slightly and turned looked back toward her. "We don't know much as of yet. Our sources tell us that the Saiyan was found on a routine scouting mission on the edges of Tik territory."

A disdainful snort drew the messenger's attention back to the spiky-haired prince before him. "A third class no doubt." The stand-in Saiyan prince said with as much of his brother's cockiness as possible. "I can take care of him if I need to. But who knows? He might be loyal."

"Has this Saiyan expressed loyalty to Hui's cause?" Kurenai asked without looking back at the messenger.

"We do not know. We don't know why, but our sources have heard that Hui has no question of being able to sway the Saiyan to his cause." He glanced nervously at "Vegeta" when he said that.

"Hm." Kurenai made sure to frown. "You're dismissed."

"Yes, ma'am." Nervously, the man bowed and then scurried out of the room leaving the three top-ranking officers of the Krimzon Empire to share victorious smirks.

* * *

Five sleek black space pods hurdled through space. Had the men inside been awake, they might have seen silvery space dust flying past them looking like nothing so much as glimmering drops of rain in a storm.

However, none of the men could see. They were all fast asleep in their pods, enjoying the peace that came with being on a six-day break from battle. Many may have called the men bold for their choice of action. Many more would have called them foolish. As it stood, the five men wore Krimzon uniforms and flew in Krimzon space pods. And they were well-within Tik territory.

Had these men been awake, they might have seen the blips on the pods' radars that signaled that ships had locked onto their presence and were moving to cut off their progress. Had they known, they might have prepared.

"What the—!" Gohan shot up at the sound of an alarm. His head hit the ceiling, and he fell back into his seat gracelessly. Wanting nothing more than to protect his ears from the shrill alarm, he ignored the red blinking lights and turned on the com-links he shared with his four companions. "What's going on?!" He shouted over the noise.

The others had clearly just been woken up as well, and they looked none-too pleased at the sound.

"I don't know!" Krillin said frantically. "Maybe…"

"The pods are slowing." Piccolo pointed out, cringing at the noise that still assaulted his sensitive ears. "Something's slowing us down."

"Could we be landing?" Goku asked.

"No." Piccolo replied. "I don't think so."

"Holy _shit_!" Yamcha's curse sent a small flicker of fear into Gohan's stomach, but he quickly squashed it. "Guys…we're in trouble."

It was then that the others saw them. The large black ships that had moved to keep pace beside their pods. They had been surrounded, and the ships were coming closer.

"It's them. They must be doing something to slow us down." Gohan reasoned.

"They're pulling out their guns!" Yamcha exclaimed. "They're gonna fire on us!"

"There's no way we can take them on." Krillin said, and then thinking better of his assumption asked. "Goku?"

"No." Goku's voice was regretful. "You're probably right. The pods are built for speed. We can outrun them as long as we break away. We need to find a planet or something so that we can take them on one-on-on."

"Assuming they follow us." Yamcha said.

"If they don't follow us, that would be even better." Piccolo pointed out.

"Well whatever we're gonna do, we've got to do it soon." Krillin urged, realizing that he could have read the writing on the side of the ships at this point—had he really wanted to.

Gohan was already typing into his console. "The nearest planet is close-by. It's inhabited. I'll send you the info, now." Gohan wasted no time in directing his pod to head toward that planet, trusting that his companions would be able to do the same.

Moments later, the pods lurched to the side, straining to escape whatever hold the Tik ships had them in. The temperature in the pod rose slightly as the engines whirred. For a moment, it seemed as if they might not make it, but finally they lurched again and broke free of the ships.

* * *

Hui's spaceship was nothing if not a fortress. It was enormous. Probably the biggest space-going vehicle that Vegeta had ever laid eyes upon—if one excluded Cooler's strange planet-eating contraption.

It was too big to land in any case, and therefore Vegeta had had to board a smaller ship to be taken up to it. Staring through the port window as the hulking mass of metal got closer, Vegeta hadn't had to fake his astonishment at all.

"This is Hui's spaceship?" He'd asked. The Emperor himself was finishing up last-minute business on the planet at their backs, and would join them on the fortress in a few hours.

"Of course." Hui's right hand man, Fenn, had answered.

"It will take us to Hui's planet?"

"It will take us to _a_ planet yes. One of Hui's many planets. But not his home planet. His home planet was destroyed just as yours was." Vegeta frowned. It seemed as though the Tik soldiers were making a point of reminding him that he had no home planet to go to—undoubtedly in a bid to secure his continued cooperation. If Fenn noticed the frown, he didn't comment. He merely waved his hand at what could only be described as a city within a spaceship. "This is his home now."

Vegeta stared at the giant ship again, slightly more somberly this time. He remained silent as their small craft pulled into a docking bay and landed. It wasn't until they had left the "space port" that he spoke again.

Staring up at the tall metal spaceport, a deceptively ordinary looking building whose exterior would never give the impression that the basement was a doorway into space, he couldn't help but marvel at how he'd somehow walked into the middle of a bustling city. He wondered if, when the Earthlings imagined creating colonies in space, this was what they were picturing.

The "ship" was a large sphere, with buildings built on the inside, all along the arced wall. One hulking monstrosity of a castle floated in the middle, somehow suspended in mid-air. Vegeta supposed Bulma might have been able to explain how the building was floating—they were in space after all, and he could not locate a _down_ where the castle might have fallen.

Then again, Bulma had never been able to explain how the Lookout floated. He had to hide a smirk when the memory of her reaction to his suggestion that she might not be so smart after all came back to him. Just as quickly, his amusement was replaced by a sense of longing. He immediately squashed it. Saiyans didn't _miss_ anything. At least, the Prince of all Saiyans certainly didn't.

Vegeta turned his thoughts back to his surroundings, wondering if it was ever light inside. At the moment, it was dark as night, with the lights from buildings and vehicles shining brightly in contrast.

But the scenery was not as important as what Fenn had told him. _So he considers this his home does he?_ Vegeta thought, being careful to block his thoughts from being heard by anyone around. He certainly didn't feel the telltale tickle of his mind being read, but he didn't know just how powerful Hui's magic was.

"Do ships like this move?" He asked.

"There is only one like this." Fenn answered. "_This_ one. It is difficult for people to live in closed ecosystems, even with recent improvements in technology." He explained. "A planet is much better suited for large populations. But the emperor cannot stay on one planet for long. That would make it too easy for Kurenai's assassins to reach him." Fenn paused before saying without transition. "Now if you wish to fight in the tournament, you will need a chip."

"A chip?" Vegeta blinked, looking over at him warily.

"A microchip—like a tiny computer—implanted at the base of your brain. All of Hui's soldiers have them."

"But I am not Hui's soldier—"

"No of course not." Fenn said easily. "But nonetheless, the chip will allow you to retain your power when the Meiyochi is turned on. You would not be able to fight otherwise."

"I will use no chip." Vegeta said stubbornly, and the cold sweat that was trickling down his back now was very real. What on earth had he gotten himself into? He was yet again allowing himself to be "tricked" into serving some emperor as a slave, and now they wanted to turn him into some kind of cyborg. Well that was too far. He wouldn't do it.

Fenn faced him with the slightest of frowns. "If you don't use a chip, you will not be able to fight." He repeated.

Vegeta just crossed his arms and glared.

"Hui will be very disappointed if you do not compete. He is hosting this entire tournament for you."

Vegeta did not move in his stance.

"Egh! Fine! I'll talk to our scientists and see if they can come up with an external type that works." Despite his talk, he didn't seem too daunted by the task. Vegeta wondered if anything could ever ruffle Fenn's feathers. "Would you submit to wearing a collar?"

Vegeta's scowl only deepened, and he felt his shoulders tense at the mere idea of being collared again.

"A bracelet?"

At that, Vegeta finally relaxed and paused a moment to think. "Perhaps."

"Perfect." Fenn sent him a charming grin before spinning on his heel. "Come with me. I, we'll speak to the guys at the lab now so that we can have you set up before the tournament."

"When is the tournament exactly?"

"As soon as we arrive at Loth. It will only take about a week. Enough time for our elite soldiers to haul their asses back into their pods and beat us there."

"Hm." Vegeta just frowned in contemplation and followed after Fenn.

* * *

The five pods crashed onto the ground, kicking up grayish purple dirt, and jarring the warriors inside. The dust hadn't even settled before the five men emerged, weapons drawn and staring searchingly up into the sky.

"I don't think they're there." Yamcha said. "I can't even sense them."

"The larger ships are not as fast as the Veet pods. We've bought ourselves some time." Piccolo eyed the rocky landscape. Dark purple shrubs grew in the purplish soil. The area was rocky, but there were no hills or mountains anywhere around. In the distance, a small river wound through a crack in the earth. He looked back toward the others. "We'll have to make use of it."

The others just nodded, still taking in their surroundings.

Suddenly, Gohan started. "Uh oh…I didn't even consider…"

The others all turned their gazes to him. "What is it, Gohan?" Krillin asked.

"We're in Tik territory." Gohan explained. "This planet is allied with the Tik."

That made the others all turn to look around nervously again.

"Well let's not wait around here. We need to come up with a plan."

"We need to make it to the capital." Piccolo said almost immediately.

Four sets of eyes turned toward him as if he had just grown another head. "What? Why?" "That's crazy!"

"The capital will be the most likely place to find a new ship." Piccolo said. "We need something less flashy than a Krimzon still have our Ki, and this planet is small. If we fly, we can probably get there and out before the Tik ships arrive."

"Oh…" The others agreed.

It was Yamcha that voiced the thought that Goku and Krillin shared. "So uhh…how do we find the capital?"

Gohan pulled a small pack out of his pod and slung it over his shoulder. After strapping his weapon to his hip, he levitated a few inches off the ground, his finger playing with his scouter as he turned this way and that. Lights and numbers flickered quickly across the screen, and despite tilting their heads, Krillin and Goku were having trouble reading the backwards writing. "Got it. Just follow me." Gohan said. "Oh…and bring your hoverboards and guns just in case." And he blasted off.

"Right." The others followed, leaving five dark streaks in the fading sky.

The city that Gohan determined to be the capital was small by Earth standards. Buildings stood no more than three stories high. Most were made of metal that had clearly been warped and hammered into place. What wood could be seen was often cracked and hanging. The streets were narrow and seemed to follow no pattern. There were no streetlights, and the dim light that filtered through the windows did very little to help them see.

The five touched down just as night fell.

They walked under the cover of darkness, boots making little noise on the dirt streets. They had to duck small signs and hanging cloth as they moved, and it wasn't long before they noticed that even the houses were built on a smaller scale. The few glimpses that they'd had of the people before they'd darted away in fear were that they were small, with bird-like beaks on their faces.

After nearly twenty minutes of walking, they finally spotted a person who didn't run from them. An old man wearing rags was sitting forlorn in an alleyway. The five Earth fighters glanced at each other, before Goku stepped forward.

"Excuse me, sir?" He tried.

"I ain't no sir." The man grumbled back, not even bothering to look up to see who he was addressing. "Don't have a credit to my name, I don't." He mumbled. "No sir, I ain't no sir. They come and they say they'll help us. They gonna make us better people. But there ain't no place in their world for the unfit. I tell you listen up, young men, you better stay fit. My family…my whole family…too small, they said."

The man took a deep, shuddering breath and paused. The five friends shared concerned glances, and Goku squatted down before the diminutive man.

The man hardly noticed. He was clearly fighting to hold back his tears, but with a hiccup, he continued. "Not productive enough…they said. Didn't get the gift from me…got their size from their mother. My wife, ya see. She was always so small. Oh, how I loved her, though. Couldn't care less if she was small. The kids were that way too." Another shuddering breath, and when he spoke again, his words came out more choked. "Said it was a defect, they did. Killed 'em all. So I says to just kill me right along with 'em because they were all I got. They tells me I look fit for working the steel mill 'til they need me. And then they leaves. Just like that. But you listen boys. I ain't never set foot in no steel mill. And I ain't never gonna do it. I may not have a house to live in or a shoe for my foot, but I still got my dignity." He shook an old gnarled finger in the air.

"It was the Tik that did this to your family?" Goku asked.

The man's head shot up as he finally took in who was standing in front of him.

Startled eyes set in a wrinkled face swept quickly over the four standing men and the one crouched before him before settling on some distant point to the side. "I ain't never heard no Tauran supporter call 'em by that name. You boys Krimzon?"

A round of nods answered.

The man's face lit into a toothless grin. "You here to kill us all?"

That gave them pause. The five friends shared concerned looks. "We're on our way to fight Hui." Goku said cautiously.

The man's face fell. "A fool's mission. Won't no random soldier defeat Hui. It's gotta be that Saiyan boy Kurenai's got. That's what they say."

Goku merely smiled and pointed to the insignia on his chest. "We _are_ Saiyan." He announced, and then glanced back meekly. "Well…some of us."

"Saiyan." The man studied Goku wonderingly, wide dark eyes fixing on spiky hair and well-muscled arms and chest. His eyes never once met Goku's own.

"We're good friends of Vegeta's…that's the Saiyan you were talking about. And just between you and me, I can put him in the dirt whenever I want."

Piccolo snorted, and Goku sent him a weak glare.

"You…" The man was still in shock. Goku stared at the man patiently awaiting his next words.

The five Earth warriors were well aware of the small fingers pushing aside the scraps of cloth that covered nearby windows—wide, dark eyes staring in fear and curiosity at the large aliens in the middle of their city. Small beams of light escaped through the cracks and shone on the dusty ground.

"Are you…are you the legend? Are you…" The old man's voice dropped down to a whisper, which nonetheless rang clear throughout the street. "A Super Saiyan?"

They heard shuffling at the windows, gasps and whispers. But no one came out into the street.

"Goku." Piccolo leaned close, but his eyes were darting down to the ends of the street as if expecting an enemy to pop out before them. "We need to get out of the streets. Those Tik ships might have radioed in. They'll be searching for us."

Goku nodded to him. "Right." He looked back to the man. "I'm sorry, but we can't do much to help you now. We'll defeat Hui though, and then your planet will be free. That's the most we can do."

The old man let out a dusty cackle. "Son, nothing can save this planet, now. If the Taurans are here or are gone, don't make no difference. The people work for them, do everything they ask. Even kill their neighbors, their brothers, their own children if they think it'll benefit them. In my day, we all worked together and helped the young and old, we did. Didn't matter who you were. Everyone had a place, someone to support, and someone to lean on. And then the Taurans came. And they screened us. And the people turned against each other. You know the Taurans send food for children? Want the children to grow up healthy and strong so they can serve the empire, they do."

The five Earthlings just looked at each other and shrugged, wondering why that seemed to bother the man.

"Did you know…the Taurans don't come and check if those children are still alive?"

A distinct chill settled in the air. The five Krimzon warriors couldn't help but turn and glance over their shoulders at the sudden recognition of something more sinister—desperate, egoist, and cutthroat—lingering in the air.

"Just keep sending food, they do. Population is dwindling and no one wants to work the mill and the land—too hard, don't pay as much—so they keep sending food for the children. They put it in the hands…of remorseless parents who have found a way to stare into the eyes of their children and decide which one they want to share that food with. And which ones they will..." He swallowed again, his feverish eyes darting disdainfully at the windows. "Tell me…you still want to save 'em?" His eyes finally met Goku's, and Goku didn't even have time to flinch as images bombarded his mind. Images that were not his own. They were warped, illusions of what might have been. What _had_ been, in a different place. With different people.

_He saw Chichi. Her sleeves were rolled to the elbows, her hands submersed in soapy dishwater. A firm glare had settled on her face. She looked younger. Thinner. Shadows fell under her eyes, and premature gray streaks had settled into her hair. Gohan and Goten, also thin and in clear want of a bath, stared nervously at their mother's back._

"_I've said it time and again." Her voice was colder than he'd ever heard it, with a strange hint of…of something less sane…as she dropped a dish back into the sink and turned to look at her two sons. "You boys need to stop all this fighting nonsense and start studying. I told you to just accept that we'd lost. We're in the empire now. With any luck, one of you can be an ambassador, and we'll live a little better. I know your father wouldn't have stood for it, but you're not Goku. I told you, over and over, that we needed to bring money and food into this house."_

"_But mom…" A contrite Goten stood beside his older brother, looking much younger than Goku had ever seen him. His little fingers were balled into fists._

"_Hush, Goten." Chichi's voice was nearly hysterical. "I've told you. I've said it over and over. Gohan I asked you to join ambassador corps, didn't I?"_

"_Yes mother." Gohan's gaze slid to the floor._

"_And did you?"_

"_No, mom, but they said I was too young. It wasn't my—"_

"_Not your fault. When I was your age, I could have done it. Could have at least gotten some kind of job."_

_Gohan's eyes narrowed into an expression that didn't entirely fit on his face. "But you never did." He said. "Ever."_

_Chichi whirled. "I've had enough. They may say you're not old enough, but you'll try again to become an ambassador. Do whatever it takes, Gohan."_

"_But mom, that won't…"_

_Her charcoal eyes fixed on Gohan, before turning to Goten. "And you…" They softened slightly with regret. "I'm sorry son, but…" She pulled open the refrigerator to show them the barren shelves. Nothing but a tub of butter and a few eggs. "We just can't afford to feed you both."_

_Goten's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. His chubby cheeks puffed as he considered what that might mean. He looked to only be four years old._

"_You have three choices Goten."_

"_Mom!" Gohan's voice was horrified. "You can't! He's just a kid! Choose me!"_

_She ignored her older son and raised a finger. "Choice one: You can go with the Taurans. They'll turn you into a strong warrior, and you'll make your father proud. Choice two:" A second finger rose. "You can leave this house and live on your own." And a third finger. "Choice three:" Both boys shivered as if the mere term 'choice three' held a special significance. "Your brother will send you to daddy. It will be easy and quick."_

_Gohan's eyes filled with tears. "Mom, no…" He whispered. _

_But Goten just smiled. "To daddy!" He turned his chubby cheeked grin to Gohan. "I want to go to daddy!"_

"_No, Goten." Gohan said, directing his wet pleading gaze to his mother. "Please don't say that."_

"_But you always said." Goten argued cheerfully. "You always said daddy was the strongest and the best man in the world! I want to see daddy."_

"_It's the most painless way, Gohan."Chichi said flatly, as if repeating a script that she had memorized. "It's for the best…for all of us."_

"_No. It's not, mom!" Gohan argued. "There is ALWAYS another way. You can't give up your child to save your own skin!" _

_Chichi crossed her arms and looked away, shoving away her regret with the self assurance that this would be for the best._

"_Gohan…" Goten tugged at Gohan's pants, and smiled up at his older brother and role-model with an excited grin. "Will you take me to daddy today?"_

_Seeing that his mother would not be swayed in her decision, Gohan numbly looked back down to his little brother. "Goten…" Gohan choked, his gaunt cheeks wet now, and his black eyes shining. "Daddy's in otherworld."_

Goku jerked back, falling onto his backside. "What was that?!" He asked. He could feel that he had broken out in a cold sweat, and something distinctly salty-smelling was threatening to trickle down his cheeks. A firm grip was settled on his shoulders. Goku turned his teary-eyed gaze to his shocked son.

"Dad! What happened?" Gohan asked, his eyebrows furrowed in innocent concern.

Goku's gaze swept his son—healthy, strong, a grown man now. Nothing like the half-starved boy he'd been in the illusion. "What…" Goku turned a frown back on the old man who was staring at him with a regretful frown. "What _was _that?"

"The three choices." The man said simply. "Choices given to children when families don't have enough food to keep the whole of their family healthy. A choice given to the youngest child or the weakest, it is. I put it in terms you'd understand."

He certainly had. Goku blinked and wiped a leather glove across his face to get rid of all traces of his tears. He knew it was impossible. Chichi would never do such a thing, and his boys knew how to live off the land. But it had _felt_ so real. "But…how did you do that?" He asked.

"It's why the Taurans keep me alive, it is." The old man said. "I was this planet's defense. Thirty-seven years. A special class of mind-benders that could reduce the strongest of warriors to tears. They took me, chipped me, and sent me back here. I can't fight 'gainst 'em, but I sure won't fight for 'em. And so here I sits."

Goku finally stood up and turned toward the others. "The Tik have messed with the people's minds. They've made them so desperate to ensure their own survival that they will do it at any cost. It might be hard to get their cooperation."

"We still need to try." Piccolo said.

Goku nodded and squatted before the man again, wary this time. He made sure to not look anywhere near the man's eyes. "We need to find someone who can sell us a ship."

"A ship?" The man asked. "You're on the wrong side of town if you want a ship. Who you need is old Net."

"Net?" Goku asked. "Where can we find Net?"

He raised his finger and pointed. "That way. All the way at the edge of the city. You'll see the big warehouses. That's Net's place."

"Thank you." Goku said, and stood up again.

"Good luck to you boys." The old man said as he slouched back against the wall. The five Earth warriors were almost at the end of the alley when they heard his frail whisper drift quietly over to them. "You'll need it."

It hadn't been hard to find old Net. She was just where the old man had said she'd be, and just as Goku had predicted, they were having a hard time winning her over.

"You boys think you'll buy a spaceship with _that_?" The old woman cackled, revealing a beak full of missing teeth. She turned away wiping her hands on a stained rag. In the corner of the room, a small girl on the verge of womanhood hovered, staring nervously at the five foreigners. "That much money might buy you a few seats and a control panel. But for a whole ship, you're gonna have to do better." Net continued.

"What if we trade you the ships we came in?" Yamcha asked.

"I find it hard to believe that you boys need a new ship when the one you have still works."

"Oh they work." He argued.

"What kind of ship we talking about?"

"Five Krimzon-issue space pods."

The woman's eyes widened, and in the corner, the young orange-haired girl stiffened in fear. "I knew it! I knew there was something off about you!" She picked up a power-tool and held it before her in self-defense. "You here to take me back to your Empress lady? I tell you I never ain't done nothing against her. Honest. We're just good people trying to make a living. We don't care whose in charge as long as they don't do us no harm, tell her that."

"Oh, yeah. We uh. We weren't going to bring you anywhere." Goku said.

The woman moved over to shield her wares from Goku and the others. "Well you're not going to kill me without a fight." Turning slightly, she shouted back to the girl. "Get up here girl and help me defend our shop!"

"Whoah, whoah!" Goku waved his hands. "No, it's nothing like that. We don't want to kill anybody or steal anything. See we uhh…we're on a trip, and we need some ships that the Tik won't attack."

The woman was put slightly at ease at that. "Krimzon space pods you said? A Krimzon space pod ain't no differn't than a Tauran one on a radar. Sounds like all you need is a paint-job."

"Huh. Really?" Goku asked.

The other four shared suspicious glances as if they weren't sure the woman's statement could be trusted.

"I'll tell ya what. You boys stay here tonight." It was not lost on the five warriors how the young girl with the orange pigtails jumped at the suggestion, and then started edging silently toward the door. "In the morning, you can take us out to your ships, and we'll see about painting them. She got a greedy glint in her eye as she sized up the men. "Tania!" The orange-haired girl flinched with a small gasp. "Come here, girl."

Eyes downcast and shoulders hunched, the girl slowly came back over to them.

"Straighten up girl!" The woman hissed before turning back to the five confused warriors. "This is my granddaughter. As you are my guests, Tania here will see to _all_ your needs." The woman said, pushing her now-sniffling granddaughter forward. "For a price of course."

"Uhh…" Gohan looked nothing short of alarmed. "Thank you? We'll be sure to ask if we need anything."

The old woman nodded, and giving her granddaughter one final firm look left her with the five strangers. The slam of the door echoed throughout the large open warehouse, finally giving way to silence save for the young girl's sniffles.

Four shocked, and one curious pair of eyes settled on the small shuddering girl, before someone finally spoke. "So is she going to cook for us or what?" Goku asked.

The four other Earth soldiers fell over.

"What?" Goku asked. "What'd I say?"

One pale orange eyebrow raised in curious confusion.

* * *

While the five Earth fighters were sharing dinner and swapping stories with the young shop girl, Vegeta was studying his new microchip bracelet. It had taken a little over a day—and probably quite a few threats to a group of frazzled scientists—but it had been done.

Vegeta had retrieved the bracelet the day before, and then retreated back to his rather luxurious bedroom in Hui's castle. With a bed that practically swallowed him, a fireplace, a bathroom suite, and enough silk and fur to clothe a poor planet, the room was clearly the one set aside to honor Hui's more important guests.

Now sitting atop his richly dressed bed, he reached up under the "bandage" around his head. It was the one place the Krimzon guards never thought to look. A seeming bandage to cover the scar left over from a horrific injury, the headband allowed him to perfectly conceal the small signature product of Capsule Corp. in his thick, black, spiky hair. Glancing around the room, he released the capsule. His satchel with the computer and "spy equipment" appeared along with a few other odds and ends. He grabbed the satchel before encapsulating the rest and putting the capsule back into his headband.

He held the bracelet lightly in the palm of his hand, staring at it for a moment, before producing a small laser from the bag and shining it on the device. The device locked onto a fingerprint, and the red light shone brightly as it memorized the print.

Vegeta smirked at memory of how easily he had gotten the prints. The scientists in Hui's laboratory had already been nervous enough to have a Saiyan standing in their lab. They had clearly only wanted to give him a quick explanation of the device—an assurance that Vegeta himself had insisted on—and send him on his way. They hadn't anticipated dealing with a frustrated tantrum at not being able to put the device on himself, nor did the head scientist expect their dangerous guest to thrust out his wrist at him and demand for him to attach the contraption. The man had already removed his gloves, but had taken the device with a nervous face and quickly clasped it onto the frightening Saiyan's wrist.

Vegeta had walked out of the laboratory with the very fingerprints he needed to get back in right there around his wrist.

Back in his room, he turned the device over, scanning again to see if there were any fingerprints he missed.

If it was that simple, Vegeta had wondered why they hadn't made these bracelets before. And so he'd asked. Apparently, Hui didn't want to allow his soldiers to remove the chips. They also provided helpful tracking purposes and were even equipped with a self-destruct device for if Hui began to question a soldier's loyalty.

As Vegeta—or Nox—was not Hui's soldier, his bracelet would not be equipped with a self-destruct device. But tracking came standard of course.

Vegeta dropped the bracelet onto his finely decorated bed and stalked toward the French windows. Taking a quick glance outside, he pulled it open and stepped onto the balcony. He slid the door closed behind himself and took one more quick look around…and disappeared.

Instant transmission or related techniques were impossible in Krimzon territory, but there were other ways to move faster than light itself—one of those ways came with being one of the strongest people in the universe—pure speed.

He had thought it odd on first arriving on the giant star ship, that there was no Meiyochi in place. Certainly Hui would be worried about enemies here. Apparently though, he wasn't. Every person in his employ—including the rulers of the various planets—were chipped and under his complete control, and despite how it might seem, Hui was not in the habit of inviting unchipped guests to his home. And so rebellion was rather easily deterred.

Vegeta landed lightly on one knee in a small alleyway beside the lab he had been taken to the day before. With any luck, he would be able to make his way straight back to the lab. He wondered briefly if this was a trap.

Was Fenn really so dumb that he would take a man he had never met until a few days before, and one's whose loyalty was not assured into the lab where some of the Tik's greatest weapons were created. Clearly he was, for Vegeta sensed no people inside the building other than the ordinary security guards.

The lab itself was a tall, nondescript building—no different from all the others apparently. Vegeta frowned at it, and pulled his goggles over his eyes.

He was without a disguise this time—Midori and Kurenai weren't here to turn him into a buxom harlot. He didn't know whether to be glad about that or not.

He glanced over toward the large building that marked the space fortress's hangar. If a Meiyochi were suddenly activated, he would get there much more quickly than he could get to his room back in the palace. All hope for fighting back against any Tik soldier who attacked him was sitting atop his bed back at the palace. While he missed the security of knowing his Ki wouldn't be taken away, there was little doubt that he would have been tracked the moment he stepped out of his room wearing it.

Hui might be blinded by his excitement of having his very own saiyan, but he wasn't a fool. He did not trust "Nox" completely yet, and Vegeta knew it.

This time, he would go in through the basement—or rather the inner layer of the space-fortress's wall. He moved over to a vent on the ground. Warm air washed over him, and he realized for the first time that the entire space fortress was air conditioned. _Incredible._ He thought. _Bulma would have a fit in this place._ Pulling a small screwdriver from his pocket, he quickly removed the vent cover and dropped inside the shaft, pulling the cover back over himself.

Crouching down in the metal tube, he activated his goggles. No lasers or sensors yet. Good. He dropped onto his stomach and began crawling through the vent.

It took a few hours, but he found it. After hours of ducking through vents, and sneaking through hallways, leaping over guards, and climbing up elevator shafts, he had found the lab where the chip had been created. The blueprints must be nearby.

He'd attached a small device to the lab's security camera, effectively freezing the image for fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes was more than enough time.

He quickly picked up his scouter and put it on. As the screen came alive, he turned to survey the room.

On the table were scraps of small pieces of metal and stone. He took a picture of the components before continuing in his observations.

With gloved hands, he rifled through nearby drawers, but came up fruitless. He turned with a frown. The nearby desks had paper stacked on them, but none of them looked like they were what he was looking for. Turning, he moved over to the garbage can, and his heart sank. Inside the bin was a pile of ashes. Those were no-doubt the blueprints for the bracelet.

"Damn it!" Vegeta cursed, spinning around. So the blueprints had been destroyed. This whole trip had been for nothing more than to see a few pieces of scrap metal and stone. _Well,_ he decided. _I'd better get out of here before I run out of ti—_ His eyes had alighted upon the security camera. He stared at it for a second before looking back to the table.

A small smirk lit his face. "Of course."

Spryly, he leapt up to the ceiling, planting his feet on two perpendicular walls to support himself. It wasn't the most comfortable position, but a small burst of Ki made it bearable. Quickly, he pulled out his small computer. He glanced for a moment at the wires connected to the security camera before choosing one and plugging it into the computer. Just as he'd hoped, the image projected appeared on the screen.

He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to remember the tutorial Agent E's had given him for just such a situation all those months ago. Finally remembering the steps, he opened his eyes. A moment of rapid typing, and he had opened the camera's memory. All he had to do now was transfer all of the files for the past few days, and then he'd be free to search through them at his leisure to find images of the blueprints.

The computer beeped lightly signaling that the transfer was complete. With a smirk, he disconnected the computer and the camera-feed blocker and dropped to the floor, ready to make a clean escape.

Three hours later, he would be back in his luxurious room, freshly showered and smelling of flowers, in bed with a computer full of top-secret information stowed safely in the capsule beneath his pillow.

* * *

"Why did you land all the way out here?" The old woman huffed. She had long stopped throwing wary glances at everything around her, and was now huffing and puffing and staring at the ground as she walked. Only occasionally would she lift her gaze to frown disapprovingly at their surroundings.

"This is just…uhh…where we landed." Gohan answered.

The girl with the light, orange pigtails followed glumly in their wake.

"We're just over there." Gohan said, pointing, and then his face fell. The others felt it too. The tell-tale sensation of their power being locked away from them.

"Here you are." A voice rumbled behind them, and the five Earth warriors spun around toward the newcomer wondering how no one had sensed him before. "We've been waiting." Four tall Tik warriors stood before them, arms crossed with the clear intention of being intimidating.

If the Z fighters were surprised, the old woman had clearly been expecting them. "I brought 'em to ya. Just like I said." The old woman said, wringing her hands as she stepped up to the tall warrior. "Now I'll just take my reward and be on my way."

"Oh yeah." The warrior glanced down at her. "Your reward."

The five Earth warriors stiffened, awaiting with dread the brutal attack that would drop the woman dead in an instant.

The attack never came. Instead, the soldier pulled out a small machine and held his hand out toward the woman palm up. The old woman was quick to ruffle through her bag and produce a card. The transaction was over in less than a minute. The man showed the woman a number on his machine, and then judging by the woman's widened eyes assumed she approved. He carelessly swiped the card and handed it back to her. The woman snatched it back and literally ran away. The young girl frowned sorrowfully toward the five Krimzon soldiers, but seeing nothing she could do, followed after her grandmother.

"Now where were we?" The Tik soldier asked after the two natives had disappeared from sight. "Oh yes. Krimzon trespassers in Tauran territory." He frowned at their uniforms. "And Kurenai's Saiyan squad no less. Hui would just love to have you." He pulled out his weapon, a long-range, powerful blaster similar to Goku's, and held it within view. "If you'd come peacefully, we'd make it worth your while."

Piccolo's voice rang throughout all of the Earthling warrior's minds, causing several of them to jump in surprise. _"This is apparently a typical scouting ship. There are six warriors. The four here, and two more creeping up behind. None of them have a power-level above 3000, but we don't necessarily have to defeat them."_

_ "What are you thinking?" _Was Goku's reply.

_ "We came here for a ship the Tik wouldn't shoot down." _A small nod of his head indicated to the Earth warriors who he was referring to._ "They've got one."_

"What are you thinking, Piccolo?" Gohan asked.

_"We kill the leader. He's the most powerful and, as far as we know, the most likely to cause us trouble. We've all got our hoverboards, which will give us at least some mobility and chance of escape. After we kill the leader, we scatter. That will leave five of us against five of them. We'll turn the tables on them. Remember the tactics that the Tik used against us on Earth and use those against them. Use the terrain and the darkness to your advantage too. Hide in the mountains, under water, even in cities if you have to. Remember the people here are Tik, so the Tik soldiers will probably hesitate to start blowing up the cities."_

_ "It'll be just like Namek, all over again."_Krillin commented.

Gohan chuckled out loud, gaining the attention of the Tik soldier. The five Earth warriors stiffened.

"Well?" The warrior asked. "What is your decision?"

"This." Piccolo answered, and five Krimzon weapons were instantly whipped out of holsters, trained, and fired upon the Tik commander. The blasts ripped through armor, sliced tough skin, and burned through flesh. The man hardly had time to scream, before the blasts overwhelmed him, and he fell, near death to the ground.

The five Earthlings did not waste any time. With their weapons still out, they jumped onto their hoverboards.

"Go!" Someone shouted. And they were off, racing in five different directions, hoping that the Tik would split up and come after them.

* * *

A/N: Yay! Another update. Not quite in two weeks, but here it is. I hope you enjoyed it. Vegeta got to put his spy skills to the test, our Earth squad has picked a rather risky fight, and Kurenai's plan seems to be panning out rather well. Don't miss the next chapter, where Hui's tournament gets underway.

I want to send a very big thank you to all of you who reviewed lately. I have moved to yet again another country (this time for grad school), and hearing all your nice reviews made me feel right at home. Unfortunately, starting grad school will mean that I won't have as much time to write, but…I made a big effort over the past few weeks to work on the rest of the story. So it's all there with a few details left to be added. I should have the next chapter up in the next 2 weeks. If it does take more than two weeks though, feel free remind me. It's true what they say…a nice encouraging review can spur a writer out of writers block, and all of your great reviews and enthusiasm for "Crimson" have certainly kept me updating at least _fairly_ regularly.

Until next time!


	50. First Blood

**Warning: This chapter contains a bit of gore.**

Chapter 50- First Blood

Vegeta screwed the grate back onto the vent. A light sheen of sweat had broken out on his brow from having had to crawl through the heating ducts in the laboratory and then in the foundation of the giant ship itself. The slight discomfort was nothing however to the sense of elation he felt at his success.

He'd gotten in and out without being discovered, without leaving a fingerprint or an image on a camera. He'd tripped no alarms and had been spotted by no guards. He wouldn't have called the mission "easy" exactly, but his success was undeniable. He had taken a wrong turn in one of the ducts and had come out in a small alley significantly farther away from the laboratory than he'd expected to, but that wasn't exactly a problem

With a grin, he stood, dusted off his pants, and turned toward the palace. And froze.

He could have sworn that there had not been guards hovering around the palace before he'd left. There were now. Just visible in the dim light from the streetlights and lit windows, he could see them—flying back and forth, slowly. Searching for something. Something must have Hui on alert.

Vegeta squinted at the palace, looking at the windows, trying to find which one was…ah there.

Yes the light in his bedroom was on. He could have sworn that he'd turned it off before he'd left. A distinct feeling of nervousness settled in his stomach.

Had he been found out so soon? His mission had only just begun. There was so much left to do. There was no denying it, though. Someone had noticed his absence, and Hui was clearly looking for him. The nervousness in his stomach increased, tightening itself into a knot, and causing a light sweat to break out on his forehead. He took a step backward into the shadow of the dark alleyway. His footstep seemed like thunder to his sensitive ears, and he briefly cursed himself for forgetting that the ground was made of metal. He melted into the darkness. He was a born hunter, a predator. He had been prey before—hunted down by Frieza and his henchmen. The mere memory made him shiver, and he knew that he could not do that again. He would have to find a way out of this, to prove his "loyalty" to Hui and be cleared of suspicion—at least for now.

As his sharp black eyes gazed out into the artificial night, Vegeta wondered just how bad the situation was. He'd left no indication of his mission in his bedroom. Every incriminating bit of evidence was on his person. He was tempted to raise his hand to the capsule slipped into his headband for hiding, but refrained. He had to think of a way out of this. He had been hand chosen by Kurenai—hell even by the Kais—for this. He could still save his skin.

Edging back toward the edge of the alley, he let his gaze sweep the surrounding area. Almost instantly, his eyes locked onto a bright cluster of lights nearby. It appeared to be a late-night market street. Now that he'd noticed it, he could smell the food being cooked—all the tantalizing smells tempting him despite the danger of his situation.

As he stared, transfixed at the market, he reran the situation through his head. His life and perhaps the fate of the universe were in jeopardy. Kurenai's plans rested on the data in the capsule stuffed into his headband. If he could just get the blueprints to Iro, then Bulma and the other scientists could replicate the bracelets, rendering the Meiyochi essentially useless.

He could technically make a break for it and flee the spaceship. With any luck, he would not be shot out of the sky. It was risky though.

If he stayed, however…

He narrowed his eyes. The bright lights danced in his vision, and the food beckoned to him.

He decided then. He would go find something to eat.

He was a Saiyan after all. He would have to rely on the Saiyan's reputations as brainless gorgers to get him out of this mess. Generally, he hated acknowledging stereotypes about his people—and he especially hated when his fellow Saiyans confirmed them. But sometimes, being seen as a creature without the intelligence for deception could work in his favor. Kami knew he was relying on being perceived that way already.

He took a step out of the alleyway, straightening his back and taking on the air of a curious and hungry tourist. If this went well, he would have to tell Kakarott.

* * *

Yamcha crouched down, pressing his back into the heavy rock behind him.

How long was night on this planet? Surely, it had been long enough for the sun to rise. He didn't know what consolation the sun would bring. If anything, the darkness had helped him escape death for this long. Perhaps it was just the vague feeling that with the coming of dawn, he would finally awaken from this nightmare.

Beads of sweat trickled down his face and neck, disappearing into his already sweat-drenched uniform. He wished that he could quiet the heavy pounding of his heart. Certainly the noise was loud enough to bring every Tik soldier on the planet straight to him.

A slow crush of gravel behind him marked the Tik soldier's light landing, and Yamcha held his breath. This guy was tough. Nearly three-hundred pounds of corded muscle. That in itself wasn't a problem. Yamcha had taken down bigger opponents. No, the main problem was that this man's Ki level was well over 1000, and he sported scales on his arms and chest for extra protection should his armor fail.

Yamcha had already landed several good shots, but they had been for nothing. He had been too far away, the beam too diluted by the time it made contact with the reflective scales. Only one of the shots had caused any damage—the one that had managed to hit the shoulder, between the chest plate and the arm scales. Unfortunately, the wound hadn't been fatal.

Crunch. The warrior took a step. Crunch. And another. Louder this time, closer.

Yamcha closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the rock, forcing himself to breathe easily. He would not die. Not today. He would not be picked off like a weakling—again! He was one of Earth's greatest warriors. He had fought against the Androids and Cell, and had even stood bravely before Buu. This guy was nothing compared to them.

The Tik soldier stepped atop the rock, his hooded eyes sweeping the crags and crevices for any sign of his opponent.

Yamcha held his breath, pulling his feet in close, and slowly raising his weapon. He would not die. Whatever it took, he would not die.

Just a little more. A little more…

He fired. The beam went straight up, hitting the soldier dead in the chin, in one of the few places on his body that wasn't covered by scales. The blast burned through the soft flesh straight through and out the top of his skull. It killed him instantly. The soldier fell limply, collapsing onto the greyish purple dusty ground. His head was now a horrifying mess of flesh and bone. The one eye that remained stared in surprise at some point in the distance.

He'd never even seen Yamcha.

Yamcha let out a nervous chuckle and pulled himself shakily to his feet. He did a quick Ki sweep, surprised to find that none of the others had taken down their own opponents yet.

"Well, what do you know?" He mused, putting a finger to his scouter. "Hey Krillin… need some help?"

* * *

It was almost painfully easy to act like a confused alien. After all, he'd spent the last decade or so of his life being an alien who was more or less constantly confused about_ something_. How easy it was to fall back into the routine, walking down the bustling street, brushing shoulders with people of hundreds of different races.

A group of men stumbled down the street, red-faced and singing. They swayed lightly as they moved, arms draped over one another's shoulders, and bottles still clutched in their hands. Vegeta stared at them in disgust and growled when the one nearest him bumped into him. But the men were too far gone to be worried, and just carried on down the street.

He just scowled after them. A particularly delicious smell suddenly caught his attention, and as if drawn by a spirit, he turned made his way over to a small, wooden stall. An old woman, whose hair was wrapped in a cloth on top of her head was stirring up some meat and vegetables. Beside her a younger man was wrapping the concoction in some sort of thin bread. Vegeta shoved his way past the crowd and to the front.

The younger stall worker looked up from his work at sudden grumbling of his client-base. "Um, sir," He hesitated, pointing, with a little embarrassment to the collection of people in front of the stand. "There's a queue."

Vegeta glanced back at them in apparent confusion before looking back to the food. "What is this?" He asked.

"It's four credits, dearie." The old woman said, not worried about Vegeta's disregard for etiquette, and not bothering to look up from the large pan she was stirring.

"Four credits? That's a strange name." He cocked his head. "Give me one."

"It's four credits, sir, but you'll have to wait in the queue." The young man pointed again to the disgruntled people in front of the stand, as he handed off one of the wraps to the man in the front.

"Wait in where?" Vegeta made sure to appear frustrated. He could feel passersby beginning to glance in his direction. Good. "I just want one of those."

The young man simply rolled his eyes and apparently decided to ignore the strange man. He went back to wrapping the meat, quickly swiping cards and handing over the wraps to the customers.

Vegeta watched him for a few moments. He was almost having fun with this. Bulma would have a fit if she saw his behavior, but there had been a time when he hadn't cared much for queuing and simply demanded what he wanted rather than paying for them, so all of this came rather naturally to him. And in any case, a "savage" couldn't possibly be expected to know such strange concepts.

Vegeta finally pushed his way before the man in front of the queue, resulting in loud, angry shouts from the other customers.

The young man looked flustered. "Sir, honestly. This is the capital ship, not the deserts of Ahat. We have rules here. You'd do well to abide by them."

"I don't know what you're talking about. I just want one of those…those 'four credits.'"

"Just give him one, Jeemi." The old woman said with an amused chuckle. "He's been standing here long enough I think."

The young man scowled at the woman's suggestion, but did turn back to Vegeta. "It's called a Roulo and it _costs_ four credits."

Vegeta just raised an eyebrow, causing the young man to send him a frustrated glare.

"Cost!" He nearly yelled. "Like money."

"Money?" Vegeta frowned, sticking his hands on his hips. "I have no money."

"Then why are you here?" The young man waved him aside. "Go away!"

Vegeta scowled. "I want one of those." He demanded again. "Make me one."

The man finally just rolled his eyes and pressed a button on the side of his stand. "Guards!" He yelled, as a red light started flickering on top of the stand.

Vegeta stared up at the light, musing that an alarm light on the stand was a clever idea. He then looked back to the young man, who was scowling at him, but seeming quite confused.

The gathering crowd parted slightly, and a pair of large burly men in Tik uniforms appeared.

The young man welcomed them with apparent relief. "Take this guy away!" He commanded. "He's causing trouble."

The guards stared at Vegeta for a moment before having a quiet conversation. "Thanks for calling us." One of them said to the young stall worker. "We've been looking for him."

The other turned to Vegeta. "You are Nox, correct? Hui has been searching for you for hours. Come with us."

"No." Vegeta snapped. "I want one of these, and I _will_ get one." He let his power flare just enough to blip the men's scouters. He let his tail unfurl and lash back and forth.

That got the reaction he expected. It was the tail. No humanoid race in the universe had a tail like the Saiyans, and for better or worse, the tail was a universally-known symbol of Saiyan might. Nearby people began backing away, and he distinctly heard the whisper of "saiyan" being passed around the crowd.

The second guard turned to the stall worker while the first one turned away to radio something in on his scouter. "Get the man a Roulo, so we can go."

The young man scowled, but it was the old woman who answered. "It's four credits, dearie." She said, stirring away, clearly oblivious to what was going on around her.

Vegeta's ki flared out even more and he let a Ki ball fizzle to life in his hand. "I told you I have no credits, but if it's convincing you want, then I can certainly persuade you."

"Don't want no convincing." The old woman said, lifting blind eyes in his general direction and smiling. "I want four credits."

"For the love of the Kais, would somebody just pay for the Roulo?" An unimpressed drawl carried over the commotion.

The noise turned to whispers as the crowd parted to let one man through. A moment later, Hui's red-headed right hand man, Fenn, was standing among them. Fenn gazed around at the crowd of spectators and guards. "No one? Alright fine. _I'll_ pay for it." With a cocky flourish, he pulled out a card and handed it over. "Why don't you make one for me while you're at it?" He grinned at Vegeta. "Did you have a nice night on the town, Nox?"

Vegeta scowled at him.

"I suppose there were a few things we forgot to cover in your little 'Introduction to Civilization.'" He turned toward the young stall worker and leaned in conspiratorially. "Terribly sorry about that. He's the Saiyan we found. Never saw another intelligent being in his life before a week or so ago. Now you can't really blame him for not knowing about credits can you?" He shook his head in such a way that made the young man know that he was supposed to do the same. Within seconds, the young man had handed the two their food. Fenn issued another lavish, but not-quite-heartfelt apology before dismissing the guards and ushering Vegeta away.

"Hui is quite angry with you." Fenn informed him once they had broken free of the market. Their shoes echoed lightly on the metal faux-stone ground as they walked further out of the market area.

Vegeta took a giant bite of his Roulo. "Why?" He spoke around the food. He was quickly learning that it was somewhat fun to act uncivilized.

"Because you left the palace without permission."

He swallowed quickly at that. "I don't need his permission." He said hotly. "I am not his servant."

Fenn just chuckled. "Yes, try convincing _him_ of that. Now, come on. I'm to escort you back to your room—where you are supposed to stay until breakfast." Fenn levitated a bit into the air and then shot off toward the palace. Vegeta scowled after him but took off as well.

As it turned out, he'd been right in his estimation. Approximately three hours after breaking into the research lab and acquiring the images he needed, he was back in his rooms, showered, and in bed.

* * *

Piccolo darted around a corner in a swirl of black cape, hovering close to the wall, and peering back down into the dark alleyway. He could sense the Tik soldier approaching. Walking quietly over tin rooftops, skipping with ease from one roof to another.

The soldier knew he was close by. He would be on alert. He would be careful.

Piccolo's sensitive ears picked up the sounds of the curtains—hardly more than scraps of cloth—being pulled aside. He could feel the tingle of wide, dark eyes watching his every movement. It had been a bad idea to come into the city. Piccolo had banked on the fact that the Tik would not destroy their own people.

While that estimation had proven correct, what he had failed to consider was the people's loyalty…or greed…whatever you'd call it. Piccolo and his friends had been sold out once, and the Tik clearly knew that money spoke.

As he pressed himself closer to the wall, he reached out with his ki senses to the approaching soldier. Beads of sweat were dripping from his forehead, and his breathing was coming in nervous gasps. This was no the kind of situation he liked. What he wouldn't give for an open field, his Ki, and his allies at his back. He hated this cat and mouse game. It was only a matter of time before…

"He's there!" Piccolo's head whipped around to see a small woman standing in one shack's doorway. She was merely a silhouette, all thin legs and large head. Her face was still shrouded in darkness, but he could see that her little finger was pointed directly at him.

"Shit!" Piccolo cursed, and took off again around the corner.

Emboldened by the young woman, her neighbors stepped out as well, no doubt hoping that whatever reward came with turning in their Krimzon "attacker" would be shared with them.

So off he went, dodging around the small people who pointed their fingers and shouted at him, ducking under shop signs and swatting at laundry hung out to dry. The streets were narrow, and more than once he hit a dead end. He could feel that the Krimzon warrior was right behind him, taking his time to follow as if he were an amused cat watching his mouse run through a maze.

Piccolo's mind raced, wondering what he could do to defeat him. He would never survive if he tried a frontal assault, but a surprise attack was out of the question now.

The streets were becoming familiar now, and unknowingly, he wound his way back along them. Around corners, past rusty walls, under hanging cloth. Until he finally screeched to a stop.

"Did you find what you were looking for, young man?" A familiar raspy voice wafted over the still air even before Piccolo had realized where he was. Still breathing heavily, he turned toward the voice. His cape swished around him menacingly, and in that moment, standing in the middle of the dark, rusty alley, swathed in black and red, with his sharp teeth, and pointy ears, he would have fit well in one of Goten's storybooks—the ones he wasn't allowed to read just before bedtime.

He forced his breathing to slow and he took a step closer to the man. "Old man, I need your help." Piccolo grumbled, his ears pricked and his eyes searching the nearby roofline for shadows.

"I've helped you once." The old man reminded him.

"I need you to do it again. The old woman—Nettie, you called her—she sold us out. Now the Tik soldiers are on our tails."

"Ah, yes. But I wonder. How you expect to defeat Hui if you can't defeat his foot soldiers? He's much stronger, you know?"

"I need you to use your powers." Piccolo said, squatting down in front of him just as Goku had done hours before. "Whatever you did to Goku. Do it to this Tik soldier. Avenge your family."

"That soldier ain't killed my family." The old man reminded him.

Piccolo growled, as a whisper of a sound caught his ear. He spun around raising his weapon and training it on the soldier that had just touched down in the alley behind him.

"Fine, old man. Don't help me. I just gave you a chance to change the fate of the entire universe, and you've thrown it away. Continue to sit there and do nothing while the people you profess to love are being brainwashed and killed."

The Tik soldier laughed, a deep, low chuckle. "Nice speech. Unfortunately, all of the inhabitants of this planet are allied with the Tik. We take care of them. That makes you the enemy." The soldier planted his fists on his hips and smirked. "It is you who are doing the brainwashing, and you who are holding a rather large weapon after all."

Piccolo slowly turned his head to regard the Tik soldier. Powerfully built, a ki level around 2500, and a blaster on his side just in case. There was not much hope for Piccolo, but he was not one to go down without a fight.

"We didn't have to fight." The soldier said. "You are clearly a powerful being. You could have joined Hui's noble cause."

"What cause is that? Genocide?"

"We prefer 'cleansing.'"

"You would." Piccolo grumbled. "I've seen your kind before. People like Frieza who think that some people don't have the right to live because they're not strong enough to defend that right. You're despicable."

"You're just not seeing the big picture." The soldier said. "Now, the universe is full of weakness and greed. The strong, the smart, and the fit are the ones that make society great, and the rest leach off of it. Imagine a world without the leaches."

"Were my friends and family leaches then?" Piccolo asked. "Were his?"

"So many people are tied down by selfishness." The soldier sneered. "If your 'friends and family' commit a crime would you stand by their side as well? Most would."

"Being weak is not a crime." Piccolo growled. "Simply living and doing the best you can—even if it's not as much as the next person—is not a crime. I'll grant you, I've seen my share of lazy moochers, but I don't think that genocide is the answer. Fear and anguish are not motivation."

The soldier laughed. "That's where you're wrong."

"Indeed." The tired, weathered voice made Piccolo spin around. "Anguish. Anguish moves mountains, it does."

The soldier grinned in amusement. "Old man, run back to your home. This might get nasty. We wouldn't want you to get hurt."

"I've been hurt." The man said shaking his head tiredly. "Been hurt already."

"Then we'll see about it after I deal with this Krimzon invader."

"Got no home, too." The old man continued, stepping forward on shaky legs to approach the Tik soldier. Piccolo's wary eyes followed him, but the soldier didn't see anything other than a tiny, shaky, old man.

"We'll see about that, too." The soldier brushed the concern away. "Don't worry. You'll be taken care of. Just let me get rid of this guy first."

The old man stopped right before the soldier and raised his gazed to him. "No. We will deal with it now." He said.

The soldier rolled his eyes and dropped his gaze to the old man. The change was instantaneous. One moment the man was cocky and in control. The next, his expression changed to one of horror, and he stumbled back a step. Ever so slowly, his hands raised to clutch his face, and he sank to his knees.

Piccolo shifted his blaster and leveled it at the soldier.

"No." The old man said. "I unclouded his mind. He now sees clearly, he does. He will end his trail of senseless destruction."

Piccolo raised a skeptical eyebrow at the crushed soldier. It was hard to believe, that the man who just moments ago had been so cocky, so sure of his mission, could have a change of heart so quickly. But looking at him now, so broken and forlorn, Piccolo couldn't see him picking up his blaster again.

"Are you sure?"

"I am sure of my abilities, I am." The man said. "I showed him what he needed to see to know the error of his ways."

"He will be killed anyway." Piccolo informed the old man without taking his eyes off the soldier. "Hui will kill him if he abandons his mission."

The old man slowly turned and headed back to his wall. "Then his blood will not be on our hands."

Piccolo cautiously glanced at the old man before turning his eyes back to the soldier. He was silent for a moment, but then in a few quick strides, crossed the distance to the fallen soldier. In a swift, jerky motion, he snatched up the soldier's fallen blaster. "Let this be a lesson to you in the meaning of mercy."

The soldier was silent.

Piccolo glanced back to the old man against the wall. He would have to leave this soldier in his hands. He did not have time to wait and see if the man's heart had truly changed.

Feeling as if he was making a huge mistake, Piccolo pulled out his hoverboard and took off into the sky, leaving the old man and the soldier behind.

He could feel that there were only two Tik soldiers left in action. Yamcha, Krillin, and Gohan were now together somewhere to his right. The three of them were evidently facing off against one of the soldiers. Goku alone was in the other direction facing off against the other. When the ki of the soldier facing the other three winked out of existence, Piccolo's mind was made up.

He headed in the direction of Goku, feeling his fellow warriors doing the same. The only question now was whether there would be anything left of the Tik soldier when Piccolo got there. They had already won.

* * *

The large cobblestone courtyard where the warriors awaited the opening speech was packed. The greenish sky of Loth was filled with dark streaks, as spectacle-goers and dignitaries from the various planets of the empire made their last-minute arrivals on the planet. Hui's star ship had only reached the planet's orbit that morning after a week of traveling, and no time had been wasted in venturing onto the planet. Vegeta had been watched like a hawk since his late-night escapade, and he hadn't yet been able to look through the footage he'd found.

Hui had no doubt been parading around all morning, relishing in the cheers of his adoring servants. Fenn had gone with him, and Vegeta was relishing every moment that he wasn't spending under the red-head's watchful eye.

Vegeta could feel Hui's dark power getting closer now. He was likely arriving at the stadium now to give the opening speech.

Vegeta rolled his eyes at the mere idea and looked around at his surroundings. Who the original inhabitants of Loth were, Vegeta couldn't have said. There were too many different races, too many different styles—apart from the black and gray Tik uniforms—and too much variety of food for Vegeta to have even guessed at what type of creature the natives were.

But it was clear that there _was_ a native race. The giant stadium—a mixture of traditional stone and modern metals—was built in the middle of an ancient clay city. Worn writing decorated many of the walls, but Vegeta couldn't make heads or tails of the language. Silver and black banners hung from ropes stretched out across the top of the stone corridors and courtyards, waving in the gentle breeze.

Apparently, many more warriors than anticipated had flocked to join the tournament. Vegeta wondered just how wise it was for Hui to concentrate all of his best warriors in one place. Aside from the fact that Hui could kill them all instantly if they tried to rebel, the situation was pretty dangerous.

Vegeta momentarily considered just blowing up the entire planet right then. That could potentially put an end to all of his problems—assuming of course that Hui was caught off guard and did not simply instant transmission himself off of the planet before it exploded. Yes there was a conundrum. What if Vegeta held him down though? Perhaps Vegeta would be transported with Hui as well—where he need only fight to the death—unless Hui transported himself again. Yes that was going to be tricky. Defeating Hui was going to be hard enough considering the dark waves of power that continually rolled off the man. But could Vegeta ever win a fight against a man like Hui when Hui could simply "pop" away whenever the tables turned on him? With the transmission blocker in place, Vegeta didn't even have the choice of following.

But he wondered…hmmm…

An idea hit him, and he stored it away to tell Kurenai later. Knowing her though, she had already thought of it. Best just to play Kurenai's game for now and trust that she knew what she was doing.

A warrior bumped Vegeta's elbow as he passed by, but did not so much as look back to see who he'd hit. Vegeta glared after him and turned to survey the now packed courtyard. If tournaments on Earth were filled with a motley band of misfits, then Hui's were just ridiculous. A sea of black-clad soldiers, even more oddly-shaped and diverse than Frieza's army had been, rolled and fell around him.

Stone warriors twice his height lumbered by, shaking the ground as they walked and accidentally cracking walls that they passed. Some competitors were small, moving almost too fast for even him to see. Vegeta watched a group of small bird-like soldiers sparring against each other nearby. He recognized two other warriors that could have easily passed as Captain Ginyu's sons. They were standing stoically near the back of the courtyard regarding everyone with a critical eye.

A disgusting smell reached his nostrils, and he turned his head just in time to see an enormous, slug-like creature slither by. He staggered a step back in disgust, noticing that nearly all the other soldiers did the same. The creature paid him no mind, but kept on slithering. The ground beneath his tail sizzled and warped when the slime touched it, leaving a long trail of smoke.

"It's called a Slewgon." A voice behind him said.

Vegeta quickly turned to regard the newcomer, surprised with himself for not sensing the man's approach. He supposed that with this many powerful people crammed into the courtyard, it would have been difficult to pinpoint just one.

Fenn, stood just behind him, but rather than looking at Vegeta, he kept his gaze locked to what he had just labeled a Slewgon. Vegeta rolled his eyes at the return of his babysitter. _Him again._

"They're not fast creatures." He continued, "But their slime is poisonous to all but a handful of races."

Vegeta chose not to respond, but just stared at the man. Wearing no armor, but with enough buckles and leather bands to strap down an angry giant, Fenn was what an average Earthling may have interpreted as Goth.

Fenn clearly knew that Vegeta was sizing him up. It was a typical thing to do just before a tournament. He just smirked "You know you're pretty powerful considering that you are a third class Saiyan. Tell me, how did you learn to fight when you were all alone on a deserted planet for what…thirty or forty years?"

"Learn?" Vegeta cocked his head to the side in apparent confusion. "A man does not learn to fight. He knows how, or he is killed. Is it not this way for every race?"

"Oh my no." Fenn laughed as though the statement amused him greatly. "My brothers back home could not throw a punch to save their skins. And yet they still live—though I suppose they have me to thank for that."

Vegeta just stared at him, wondering what exactly that meant. Fenn did not elaborate, however.

"It may interest you to know, that I am competing in this tournament as well. Hui has decided that I could do with a little exercise—and what better way to do that than to defend my position as his right hand?" Fenn cocked his head at the lack of reaction. "I take it that I may not have to work very hard to defend it should I meet you in the ring."

"I have no interest in serving your emperor. I want only to fulfill my duty and get my ship."

"Ah yes. The ship again. You'll be awfully lonely out there with nothing but a ship. Were I you, I'd ask for a woman too."

"You have told me there are no Saiyans on this planet. How am I to find a woman here?"

"If it's a saiyan woman you're looking for, you'll be looking a long time. There aren't any left."

Vegeta's eyes darkened.

"You don't have to believe me." Fenn said crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. "The proof is in the pudding."

A loud music started playing in the stadium, eliciting a roar of cheers from the people who had come out to watch the opening ceremony.

"Ah." Fenn rolled his eyes. "And there is our esteemed emperor himself. It's a shame he wasn't defending _his_ title in this tournament. We might have finally been rid of him." With a wink, Fenn turned and headed toward the ring.

Vegeta blinked after him, and then his lip twitched up in amusement. _Hui's top warrior flippantly disloyal? _Kurenai was going to love this. Shaking his head, he allowed himself to be swept up in the tide of people heading out to watch Hui's opening speech.

* * *

They had made it out alive, with little more than bumps and bruises. After dispatching all of the Tik soldiers on the planet, it had been fairly easy to hijack their ship. It had taken Gohan and Yamcha a while to figure out the controls, but the ships were surprisingly user-friendly. Yamcha suspected that that might have something to do with the sheer diversity of warriors who were expected to pilot them. One simply couldn't expect every soldier to be techno-savvy.

Now hurdling through space on their hijacked ship, they were encountering no opposition. They had been contacted once by another Tik ship asking what had happened on that planet they were on. They merely answered that their commander had been killed in a scuffle, but that the Krimzon soldiers had been taken care of. Everything seemed to be going well.

Except that the tournament had already started. They had watched the opening ceremony on the television two days ago. Hui—a scrawny, black-haired, youth draped in black clothing—stood before a crowd of millions, flattering himself and praising his great empire.

The crowd had cheered for him as if he were their savior.

The entire thing had left a bitter taste in the Earth fighter's mouths. It was a little too reminiscent of the scene they had seen weeks ago in King Furry's palace. Even now, staring at the now-cracked tv screen, the memory caused Yamcha to shudder.

"Doesn't this thing go any faster?"

Goku's whine broke Yamcha out of his thoughts, and he frowned. "Apparently the larger ships don't travel quite as fast as the pods do." He explained. "We should have figured. It took us a month to get from Earth to Iro when it only took a few days for Trunks to make the opposite trip in a spacepod."

"Aaah!" Goku gripped his hair in exasperation. "We're gonna miss the tournament!"

"Yeah, it seems like it, doesn't it?" Krillin pondered. "At this rate, how long will the trip take us?"

Yamcha frowned and shrugged. "A week, maybe two."

Goku sank back onto the couch miserably. "It's alright, dad." Gohan chimed in with a falsely cheerful smile. He knew just how much his father had been wanting to fight Hui. "I'm sure Hui won't go too far."

"Maaaan…" Goku whined, planting his fist on his chin. "We can't even watch the tournament on the big screen." He glared at the giant spiderweb crack in the television screen where a stray ping pong ball had made contact the day before.

"Sorry, Goku." Yamcha apologized for what must have been the twentieth time. "You know I get a little excited at sports."

Goku just frowned over his shoulder to where Gohan and Krillin were about to play yet another round. "Come on, dad." Gohan called. "You should play with us."

"Nah." Goku stood. "I'm gonna go hit the training room." With sluggish steps, he made his way across the lounge and out the door. The others stared after him for a moment as he stepped out of the room, before shrugging and turning back to their game.

Goku meandered through the halls of the Tik ship, glancing out of the windows as he passed. He finally reached the training room and paused with his hand on the control. He hesitated a moment before dropping his hand and turning instead toward the control room.

The control room door opened a few minutes later with a quiet swish. "Hey, Piccolo."

The quiet Namek opened one eye, but otherwise didn't move from his reclined position.

"Any news?" Goku asked.

"Yes actually." Piccolo said, and Goku could tell from his tone that whatever news he had wasn't good.

"What is it?"

Piccolo turned slightly and motioned toward a screen on the far wall.

Frowning, Goku took a hesitant step toward it, glancing back at Piccolo as if for a hint at what might be the problem. Piccolo's face gave no more hints though. He merely stared.

Goku turned back toward the screen, his eyes reading over the words slowly—and with much more difficulty than Chichi would have been happy with. "A list of competitors?" He concluded after a moment.

Piccolo nodded. "The top 64 competitors." He said, swiveling fully toward Goku and lacing his fingers over his stomach. "The preliminaries took place over the past two days. The winners of those matches drew their lots today. Look at number 37."

"Number 37?" Goku questioned, furrowing his eyebrows and turning back to the screen. Fiddling with the machine a moment to figure out how to scroll down, he finally got it. "Hmm." Before him was a picture of a dark-haired man. He was missing an eye, but a fall of dark hair came down over that side of his face, somewhat hiding the band that had been tied over the injury. Half of his hair stuck up wildly, while the other side seemed to be a bit tamer. A light scruff covered his chin and cheeks, and a single brown-colored eye stared gruffly at the camera.

Goku raised his eye curiously at the competitor. "What about him?"

"Read the write-up, Goku." Piccolo said, sounding infinitely patient.

"Hm?" He leaned a bit closer to see the words. "Number 37. Name: Nox. Race: Saiyan." Goku's eyes moved on, before snapping back to that word. He read it again. And again. "Wait, what?!"

He spun toward Piccolo. "This can't be right." He argued. "There were no other Saiyans left alive."

"That's what we thought before Turles showed up. And again before Brolly. And again before Tarble." Piccolo said.

"But…but, how?"

"If you'd read the article, you'd know." Piccolo said, finally standing and striding over toward the screen. "He was found about two weeks ago on a strange planet on the edge of Tik territory. Apparently he'd been sent there as an infant and managed to survive for nearly 4 decades on the flesh of the insect-like creatures that lived there. Hui has recruited him."

"How strong is he?"

Piccolo's frown deepened. "Too powerful for scouters to read."

"That doesn't tell us much." Goku said. "What are the odds that he's like…"

"Like Brolly?" Piccolo finished. "That would certainly make our lives more difficult. There's no way to know."

Goku stared at the screen for a moment longer before looking back to Piccolo. "We should tell Vegeta."

"I called Iro already. He says he already knew. The reports came into Iro days ago. He says that it's nothing to worry about. It's apparently ridiculous to think that yet another third class could reach his power level."

Goku chuckled, and Piccolo couldn't help but smirk slightly. "That sound right." Goku said, and then turned back to the screen. "Wow. Another Saiyan. I for one hope he _is_ powerful. Maybe we can convince him to come live on Earth after all this is done. He must have been lonely on that planet by himself all these years."

Piccolo just snorted. "You're getting a bit ahead of yourself."

Goku laughed again. "You have to admit this is exciting. It's like a new friend we haven't met yet." He crossed his room to the tiny tv screen situated on the other side of the console.

"Just like all the other Saiyans we've run across." Piccolo said sarcastically, watching as Goku turned on the tv screen.

"Tarble was nice." Goku argued. "Hey the tournament's on." He said excitedly and then dropped down into the chair beside Piccolo as the sounds of combat filled the room. "I think I'm going to stay in here and watch it. It's not as nice as the big screen in the lounge, but I'd hate to miss seeing this Nox guy fight."

Piccolo for once agreed.

* * *

Vegeta expertly flipped backwards and managed to land on his toes after taking a ki blast straight to the chest. He slid backwards on the tiles and his left hand shot down, fingers gripping at the tiles to try to stop his backwards trajectory. In his right hand, he was already charging up his own ki blast.

Kurenai's words rang unbidden through his mind. _"I don't care what your real training was. I don't care about your own personal qualms of killing people now. You will become what the universe expects a Saiyan to be. You are no longer Vegeta. You are now Nox. Nox was born and bred to be a killer. He has lived his entire life on a savage planet populated by giant scorpions. He has known nothing of humility or mercy. You will have to kill again. Maybe they will be Tik soldiers. Maybe they will be innocents. You will do it without question, and you will do it with all the savagery and brutality that the Saiyan race is known for."_

Vegeta finally came to a stop, crouched low, his legs spread out as if he were preparing to leap forward.

His giant opponent was coming at him again in what was proving to be a relentless assault. Vegeta did not know if it was an evolutionary advantage, but the first time Vegeta had drawn blood, the man had gone berserk. His speed had increased, he seemed to get bigger, and his hits certainly got heavier. His heavy axe was held before him, and Vegeta grimaced slightly at the weapon before regaining his focus. Even though the giant was on the offensive, he was still in a protected stance, and one without many openings. This man hadn't made it to the top of Hui's elite force by being sloppy.

Vegeta could hardly help smirking. His first opponent of the non-preliminary fights was turning out to be much better than he'd expected. He wondered what his other opponents would be like. There was another reason for his amusement of course.

Hui had literally lined up his top officers for Vegeta to slaughter.

And slaughter them, he would. He need only think back to the brutal horror that had been his execution to eliminate any thoughts of his new-found morality fled him. If Hui wanted a massacre, Vegeta would bring him one.

* * *

"He's really good." Krillin commented, popping another potato chip into his mouth.

"Of course he is." Goku said. "He's a Saiyan." It hadn't taken long for the others to hear about the fact that there was a Saiyan participating in Nox's tournament—Goku had mentioned it when popping into the lounge in search of a snack.

Now, all five were crowded around the tiny screen as they watched the new mysterious Saiyan's match.

"I don't think he's going to turn out to be another Brolly though." Gohan added.

"Thank Dende." Yamcha mused. "I don't know which would be worse out of Brolly and Hui."

They watched as the Saiyan—Nox, he'd been called—landed a vicious kick to his giant opponent's face. The empathetic gasp of the crowd was echoed by the five men in the control room of the Tik ship.

"That had to hurt." Krillin said. The others nodded in agreement, and went fell silent again as the fight continued.

* * *

Vegeta stared up at the giant man before him. Easily twice his height, this monstrosity had cleaved through the preliminary competition—often quite literally—leaving a trail of unconscious soldiers and bloody corpses in his way. Vegeta wondered if Hui realized, that his own soldiers were doing much more damage to his army than the Krimzon had ever done.

The large warrior charged at him again, great stone-like girth shaking the entire stadium as he moved. With a feral roar he pulled back his free hand and plowed it forward.

Vegeta dodged just in time, and the hulking warrior's fist embedded itself up to the elbow in the supposedly unbreakable stone.

The berserk warrior snarled, turning sharp eyes on Vegeta. From his position floating several feet above, Vegeta could clearly see the red cataracts belying the man's rage.

The man hadn't earned his position as one of Hui's super-elite for nothing. He had paid for it in blood, his own and that of the millions of people he'd undoubtedly destroyed. Reddened eyes narrowed, and the fist pulled free sending rocks flying into the air.

Not a moment later he charged. Vegeta dodged to the side. He felt the wind from the punch as it ruffled his hair and clothes.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a sharp pain ripped through his side and sent him tumbling from the air. Vegeta flipped, planted one hand and both feet on the tile to stop his backward trajectory. It was a position he seemed to be adopting often lately. The crowd gasped.

With a grimace, Vegeta looked upward to the large warrior who was now floating above the ring.

"So you _can_ fly." Vegeta shouted up to him. The large warrior didn't say a word, but just continued breathing heavily through his nose. "I should have figured."

Vegeta smirked. "That's alright." He floated into the air himself and his expression turned positively vicious. "Come at me." He coaxed.

With an enraged yell, the giant man flew toward Vegeta. Vegeta simply grinned and charged toward him as well. A moment before they would have collided, Vegeta veered to the side, latching onto the giant's axe hand and pulling it back. Vegeta changed his trajectory slightly, swinging around behind the man, still holding him by the wrist. In one smooth motion, he flipped, planting his feet onto the back of the giant, and blasting off toward the ground. With a sickening pop and tear, the arm came off with him.

The soldier screamed in pain and shock, but Vegeta wasn't done yet. His feet hit the ground for a split second before he shot upward again, swinging the axe around and taking his opponent's head clean off.

* * *

"OHHHH!" "AHHH" "HE CUT HIS HEAD OFF." "EWW GROSS!" "…!" The five Earth fighters in the Tik ship were shocked at the sudden brutality of the Saiyan on screen. As one, they had lurched away from the scene, bumping into each other and spilling snacks and soda in the process.

"I can't believe that happened!" Yamcha gasped, shaking spilled fizzy purple drink off his hand.

Goku pulled a piece of popcorn out of his hair and popped it into his mouth. "Ugh! Now he's going to be disqualified." He pouted. "And I really wanted to see him fight some more."

Piccolo was silent as he watched the scene. The giant body had slammed into the tile, and the crowd was screaming in a mixture of fear and delight. Dark blood was forming a puddle around the corpse. Nox had touched down lightly on the tile and strode over to the severed head.

"What's he doing?" Gohan asked.

The others seemed confused as well. Shouldn't a medic or someone have arrived by now? A man had just died.

But to everyone's surprise, Nox leaned down and grabbed the hair of the severed head. Ignoring the way the blood splattered on his face and clothes, he lifted the head into the air, spinning around.

The crowd screamed again, but this time, the delight was evident. A remorseless smirk lit Nox's face as he stared up at one point in particular. A moment later, they knew what he was staring at.

The scene changed, and this time, it was the young, dark-haired emperor that they were watching. And far from being appalled, the young man was grinning.

* * *

A/N: Okay, so I think that wasn't two weeks. Terribly sorry about the wait, but I got unexpectedly busy. Thank you all so much for your patience, and for your continuing support. I know that lots of you are probably in school too, and I'm totally empathizing with you right now.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed that chapter. Let me know what you thought!


	51. Breeding

Chapter 51- Breeding

The mysterious one-eyed Saiyan stared up at the emperor's booth, mouth set into a feral smirk. Blood was splattered across his dark clothing and face, and his opponent's severed head was still hanging from his fist. He looked positively wild.

High up in the emperor's booth, separated from the rest of the spectators, Emperor Hui was giddy with excitement.

"Look at him, Fenn!" He said clapping merrily at the show. "Look at how powerful he is. He took that man's head off with one chop, and _he_ was one of the elites." He flopped back into his seat, and laced his fingers across his stomach. With a wide grin, he looked up at his right hand. "Just wait until I let him loose in my harem. We'll have a whole army of Saiyans."

"Oh, so _that's_ your master plan?" Fenn asked, leaning casually against the railing that overlooked the ring. The bright sunlight shone behind him but did not quite penetrate the emperor's box, rendering the tall, slender man only a silhouette. "I was wondering why you were letting so many of your elites get slaughtered."

"Oh, who cares about them when I've got _him_?" Hui replied, waving a careless hand.

"You _do_ realize that he's not loyal to you." Fenn pointed out.

"The man's got nothing. I'm going to give him everything his heart desires…including a harem." Hui fixed Fenn with a cocky look. "And you doubt whether or not he'll be loyal to me?"

Fenn's response began with a snort. "It's times like this when you remind me that you truly aren't a man yet."

"How dare you talk to me that way, Fenn." Hui straightened in his seat and puffed out his chest. "I am a man, and I'll show you if you need proof."

"No, no keep your pants on." He said with a chuckle. "I'm perfectly aware that you've got man parts. What I meant was that you don't have the mind of a man. You're still a child in all ways except physically. You think a man will give up his _freedom_ for sex and money? A spoiled brat who grew up with no concept of life and the universe around him would perhaps," He sent a significant look to Hui, who just pouted and looked away. "But not a grown man. And certainly not that one."

Hui raised an eyebrow and looked at Fenn, squinting to try to see his face in the shadow. "So what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that man's not going to breed an army of half-Saiyan's for you." He said simply, before turning away and mumbling. "At least not willingly. You'll be lucky if he sticks around for another month."

"Damn it, Fenn! Why didn't you say any of this sooner? Look!" He gestured in wild irritation to the ring where the Saiyan in question had just tossed down the severed head and was stalking out of the stadium. "He just killed one of my elites!"

Fenn just rolled his eyes. "So he did." He agreed, and then smiled slightly. Few people knew it, but the Empire would have crumbled long ago if not for Fenn. While Hui's power held it all together, he was too immature to hold an empire. Fenn was the real mastermind behind the empire. He was the person standing off to the side, planting ideas in Hui's head and speaking reason when needed; holding him back when he would overextend, and coaching him to be patient.

Fenn was sharp. He could peg people's characters down, and something about the Saiyan down there told him that despite his harsh, dark persona, there was a certain nobility in him. In any case, however ruthless he man be, the man seemed lonely—desperate even—and Fenn couldn't imagine him abandoning whatever precious kin he might find to servitude—even if it was a hypothetical brat he'd never meet.

He glanced back to Hui, who was glowering down into the ring where people started moving from their seats to take in the sights at the festival down below during the break.

Fenn chuckled lightly at his petulant emperor before turning away. "If it makes you feel any better, if you find the right young lady, I'm sure he'd produce a few half-Saiyans." He scratched his nose. "Might not give them to you though."

Hui's ears perked up, but before he could turn to respond, Fenn was gone.

"Ugh." Hui slouched down in his chair. "Why does he always have such an attitude?"

* * *

The bright sun had dropped below the horizon, casting the sky in a dark green before finally succumbing to black. Unfamiliar constellations shone down on the ancient stone capital city of Loth. Hui's dark fortress loomed just outside of the atmosphere like shadow, blocking out the starlight in a large patch of sky to the west. The space-fortress would be nearly empty now. Most of the inhabitants were still down below, on planet Loth, enjoying the festival that had sprung up around the tournament.

Despite the late hour, spectacle-goers of all stripes were still wandering the cobblestone streets, munching exotic food, pausing here and there to watch the dancers and musicians that performed in the streets. Many of the visitors were foreign dignitaries, royalty, nobles, and diplomats from the many planets in the Tauran Intergalactic Kingdom. Others were Tik soldiers, their black and gray uniforms seeming drab and boring against the bright colors that the foreign nobles wore.

One of the nobles in attendance was Ethward, the young king of Mantioch, the very man who had betrayed the Krimzon, selling their greatest fighter out to the Tik, and changing the course of the war. With his sister, Anastis, and his new wife, Vitora trailing behind him, the lace-clad young king wound his way through the festival, talking loudly over the noises, and laughing merrily at all the sights.

The mantis-like man paused for a moment at a puppet show, pointing it out to his Vitora. The woman smiled shyly, clearly still ill-at-ease around her new husband. Behind the pair, Anastis, looking ill and flighty, only frowned and looked around nervously as if she might be attacked at any moment. Ethward merely ignored her as he had been doing for months. It mattered not to him if she would have preferred to stay with the Krimzon Empire. Nor did it matter to any of the other Mantisi. The opinions of women never factored into any important decisions—nor should they in his opinion.

For a moment, Ethward's eyes rose, catching sight of a light in the window of the castle tower. Who would be cooped up inside when there was such fun to be had? He wondered. A moment later, he had shrugged off the thought and headed on down the street to where high notes of an exotic lute were originating.

Away from the music, away from the fun, high above the glowing, festive city, the large, stone castle sat. In a room on the eastern tower, a light shone brightly. Within the room, the Saiyan prince sat, oblivious of his "acquaintance" on the street below. He was stretched out on his silken bed, legs crossed at the ankles, and a stack of fluffy pillows at his back. An empty cup sat abandoned on the table beside the bed, and Vegeta sat staring at the screen of his small computer. The occasional shift in the wind would bring the sounds of the festival and the smells of the food into his room, and despite his general dislike of festivals, he would much prefer to be down there.

His was a boring task, but it was nonetheless an important one. The long drapes covering his window were pulled shut shielding him from potential onlookers. A fire roared in the fireplace across the room, banishing the slight chill that had fallen with the night. His Ki senses were on alert, and his ears were perked for any sounds in the hallway or outside of his room window.

With a jaw-cracking yawn, he sped through the footage, looking for a spot where the blueprints had been stretched out in good view on the table. He'd been at this for nearly an hour, and so far he had come up with nothing. He'd come straight back after his second match of the day. It had been a boring match against an opponent who relied on speed and Ki blasts—both things that Vegeta excelled at. Vegeta had toyed with the man a bit, but then had gotten tired of playing and fired a Ki blast straight through his chest.

A sudden prickling in his Ki sense pulled Vegeta from his reverie, and he glanced toward the door.

Yes, he was definitely coming toward him.

With swift hands, Vegeta snapped the computer shut and tucked it beneath his pillow. Taking one last glance around the room to make sure nothing was in sight, he stretched out on the bed and laced his fingers behind his head. A moment later, a knock sounded, and the door swung open.

Vegeta glanced over to the doorway to see Fenn standing there with a very pretty, silk-clad, humanoid young woman at his side. Vegeta didn't move except to raise an eyebrow at the pair.

If Fenn was bothered by Vegeta's attitude, he didn't let on. "Hui has sent me here to tactfully introduce this young lady to you in hopes that you will mate her and produce a small army of half-Saiyans for him." Fenn announced.

Vegeta's jaw dropped open slightly and he stared. For some reason his brain seemed to not be working, for he _thought_ Fenn had said…

Fenn leaned against the doorframe with a smirk, clearly amused by Vegeta's reaction. "Hui has assured me," He continued. "That she is an _excellent_ cook, a virgin, and has good…" He glanced down to his hand where Vegeta could see that he'd scribbled some words. "knockers and handles…" He read flatly before adding. "Whatever that's supposed to mean."

Vegeta snorted out a laugh, staring on astounded as Fenn turned wryly to him for his response. Feeling distinctly uncomfortable laying down, he pushed himself up to sit on the edge of the bed.

The mortified young woman stood silently near the doorway looking as though she would have gladly dived out of the tower window at that moment.

Vegeta glanced between the two again, but try as he might, he could not produce a single logical explanation for what was happening. The scenario was too ridiculous. He even missed Kurenai at that moment. At least she hadn't tried to breed him. He choked a laugh. "You're joking right?"

Fenn dropped his hand to his side and smirked in amusement. "I wish I were. Would you two like to get to know each other?" He asked sardonically.

Vegeta just stared, trying to push away his astounded hilarity. He took one look at the girl—at her terrified pleading eyes—and wondered what would happen if he said no. But still…There had to be some way out of it. "What race are you?" He asked her. "You're clearly no Saiyan."

"I'm K'talian." She answered in a voice that was hardly more than a whisper.

"Oh come on. You're not going to be on about that 'racial purity' thing, are you?" Fenn asked. "That went out of style years ago, and all the other Saiyans have half-breed brats. Even the prince."

He scowled at that, wondering how long he could put off taking a mate without it being suspicious. The 'Saiyans-don't-mate-non-Saiyans' argument was his best one, and he himself had screwed that up. He had to put up some kind of fight though—if only for Bulma's sake. "I'll…think about it." He finally answered. "Send her home and make sure she lives."

Fenn cocked an eyebrow, but nodded as if confirming something that he'd already suspected. "Certainly." He turned and swaggered slowly out of the room, chuckling. With a look of relieved gratitude the young woman followed. As the door was closing, he heard Fenn say laughingly to the woman. "I get paid for this. Can you believe it?"

Vegeta stared at the door for a few moments before moving over to the doorframe that Fenn had been leaning against. He leaned down studying it closely before looking at the door. No, Fenn hadn't planted anything there. Nor had the girl. So that had been real.

Vegeta huffed, not knowing whether to be amused or disturbed at Hui's plans for him. Deciding that he would figure it out later, he pulled the computer from under his pillow and opened it again. He was determined to get this done before he went to sleep. He'd have to hurry if he was going to sleep at all. His next match was the first one in the morning.

* * *

Bulma's guide met her on the platform below the palace, and after a brief word of greeting ushered her into the elevator and up toward the giant labyrinth that was Kurenai's palace. It had come as a bit of a surprise to her when the message had come, just after lunch, that the Krimzon Empress had personally requested her presence.

Bulma had been permitted to leave immediately to see what the call was for. She would have been alarmed. In fact, her heart had leapt to her throat when she'd heard that Kurenai had sent her a message, and she'd felt she might be sick. Images of old war-time movies had flashed into her head: a wife, standing on her front porch, handed a message by the army men telling of her husband's noble death on the field of battle.

Worse still were the images that had quickly followed—that day on the Lookout. Goku's solemn face. The shattering truth that her husband had been killed. The terror that she would live for decades, and that he wouldn't be there.

The note had been placed into her shaking hand, and reluctantly she'd opened it. Upon reading the message, she'd been instantly relieved. It had given no specifics really, except that Kurenai "had something" for her. No devastating news, and not even the barest hint that that news was to come. She'd breathed a sigh of relief and quickly made her way out of the labs.

It was the second time she'd see Kurenai's throne room. Bulma was not prone to nervousness, but, even despite her assurance that everything would be fine, something about the tall, dark doors, the dark stone hallways, and the extraordinarily powerful stranger that sit in wait of her made her stomach clench. Or perhaps that was just the little present Vegeta had left behind with her.

That lightened her mood considerably, and despite her nervousness, she couldn't help but smile at the thought of the tiny life growing within her.

She glanced up at her guide, as if he might share in her joy, but the stiff-backed man hadn't glanced once at her since they had left the train platform. Part of her was glad of that, as it let her get lost in her thoughts on the long, winding walk to the throne room.

She wondered how Vegeta would take the news. Hopefully his reaction would be a bit better this time around. He hadn't been particularly thrilled when she'd told him she was pregnant with Trunks after all.

The memory of that rather grisly encounter had made Tarble's reaction seem all the more bizarre. That broad excited smile and enthusiastic questions seemed so out of place coming from a person who looked exactly like her husband. The younger Saiyan prince's excitement had only been second to Trunks'.

If she didn't know what it looked like to see her son levitate she would have sworn that he'd been floating a foot off the ground ever since she'd told him. The knowledge that he was going to be a big brother had brought him such pride. That broad grin, such a light on his handsome face, still hadn't disappeared, and it had been three days already.

She understood his excitement. She was excited as well, but her excitement seemed somewhat dampened by her loneliness and sadness that Vegeta wasn't here to share in her joy.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, fighting back the knot that had formed in her throat. She shook her head and forced herself to think about her son's excitement instead.

Bulma had known for a while now that Trunks wanted a sibling, but she had been satisfied with her family and had toyed with the idea of having a second child only rarely. On the occasions that she brought the idea up with Vegeta, his reaction had been less than encouraging.

She frowned. It was impossible not to think about him. It was such a life-changing thing, and he was Dende-knew-where on some top secret mission. It made her heart clench at the thought and all the foreboding ones that came along with it. What if…

What if he never came back? Kurenai and Midori had made no illusions of how dangerous his mission was. Wherever he was, his life was in peril, and one false step could mean the end.

Bulma bit her lip, turning her gaze to the pictures that lined the hallway of Kurenai's palace. They were lovely paintings, done with extraordinary skill. She would have almost thought they were windows. She tried to focus on them, but despite herself, her thoughts kept straying. What if she ended up like Chichi all those years ago? Alone with Trunks and a newborn that Vegeta would never know about—a child who would only hear about its father in stories. Those stories wouldn't be near as numerous or as favorable as the ones told of Goku during Goten's childhood. Not many of their friends really _knew_ Vegeta. They didn't know him the way she knew him. The way Trunks knew him.

She shook her head again as they reached the broad hall that led to Kurenai's throne room. He _would_ come back. He had to come back. She was sure of it, he told herself. Vegeta had been sent on his mission because Kurenai knew that he could do it. She knew he would succeed—at whatever it was he was doing.

And since she was sure of that, now her only real concern was how he would take the news once he got back. Sure those times she'd asked him before, he wasn't completely against the idea. He rather liked the notion of a lineage. He had so much as told her once that she was free to have as many children as she chose as long as she did not expect him to interact with it until it was of training age. At the time, though, that hadn't seemed like enough for her.

And so she'd put it off, knowing that she wanted another child, but not wanting to push it until he was ready to willingly play a role in its life.

They finally reached the giant double doors that led to the throne room. Two guards standing before it moved aside, and the doors swung open of their own accord to allow her to enter. The guide stepped aside as well and motioned her inside.

Taking a deep breath, Bulma entered, feeling tiny in the huge circular room. In an instant, Tarble was at her side, a broad grin on his face.

"This way." He said, nodding toward where Kurenai and Midori were leaning over something on a table at the far end of the room.

Bulma took one look at the silly grin—also out of place on Vegeta's face. "Oh good. It's not bad news then."

"No, no." Tarble assured her. "It's really good news actually."

"What news?"

They were close enough to the table then for Kurneai and Midori to hear him. "We got a message from Vegeta last night." Midori informed her with a small smile on her face.

"Really?" Bulma leaned over to look at the screen, furrowing her eyebrows at the sight of the only vaguely familiar characters there. "Is that…?"

"Saiyago." Kurenai confirmed. "Vegeta and Tarble are the only two people in the universe who can read it. It's the perfect code."

"So what does he say?" She asked eagerly.

"Well first." Tarble said, leaning down to look at the screen. "He says that he's safe so if the 'woman' and the 'boy' were thinking of being sappy and ridiculous, to tell them…or you rather," He said glancing at Bulma. "Not to waste your time. Because he's perfectly fine."

She smiled at that. "Is that all?"

"Oh no. Certainly not." Kurenai said. "There's much more. And that's why I called you here." She reached over and pressed a button, and suddenly a large screen appeared out of nowhere.

Bulma started in surprise and took a step back. The screen seemed to come to life and suddenly, she was staring at a page of blueprints. "Hm?" She squinted her eyes and cocked her head as she studied all the symbols and formulae written in the margins. Whatever the object was it was transferring energy from the same stone used in the Meiyochi. But it almost appeared as though it was doing the opposite of what the Meiyochi might do.

"Is this…" She paused and looked back at the other three people in the room. To her slight discomfort, they were all staring at her.

"We think we know what it is." Midori told her. "Vegeta says _you_ should know for sure."

"From what I can gather, it reverses the effects of the Meiyochi." Bulma said, far more confidently than she felt.

"Exactly." Kurenai said with a grin as if that confirmation was all she'd needed. "This," She motioned back to the blueprints. "Is your new project. I would like seven of them to start with. As soon as possible." She suddenly narrowed her eyes at Bulma, studying her. For the briefest of seconds they widened, before her face returned to normal. "I assume that your condition will limit the number of hours you can comfortably spend in the lab. I will have a team assigned to you."

"I…thank you." She said, unsure of how she felt about that.

"I will have these blueprints sent to you in your lab. They will be there for you tomorrow morning." She said. "That will be all for today. Tarble can escort you home if you like." She turned and began walking back to her throne. "Be sure to look like the thrilled couple you are." She called back over her shoulder, before suddenly stopping and turning to Tarble. "Within reason." She corrected, and then walked off again.

Bulma and Tarble stared after her for a moment, but neither was going to argue with getting to go home early. With conspiratorial smiles, they turned and hurriedly left before Kurenai changed her mind.

Just after the doors had fallen shut, Midori turned to Kurneai with a curious look. "What was all that about?"

Kurenai looked at her in surprise, realizing that what had been plainly evident to her—even without the use of her magic—had left her protégé completely oblivious. "Midori, you have much to learn." Was all she said before calling a stack of reports over to her and beginning to read through them.

Midori pouted and turned to stare curiously toward the closed doors.

* * *

Vegeta yawned, a large, jaw-cracking yawn, momentarily drowning out the sound of the cheering crowd. His match that morning had been nothing spectacular. His opponent had relied on brute strength alone to win his battles. There was no craft, no real skill, and when it came down to it, Vegeta had been stronger.

Sure, he had nearly had to turn Super Saiyan—something that had rather surprised him given that that caliber of fighter had been nearly unheard of in the universe only twenty years ago—but he had eventually ended the match in a crushing blow that had come just short of killing his opponent. It hadn't been quite as easy as he'd thought, and he had been on the verge of transforming quite a few times. He had managed with a simple trick, speed, and illusion—the after-image trick that he'd picked up from the Earth fighters. While the man had sent a punch straight through the face of the image, Vegeta had appeared behind him, sending a round-house kick to his temple.

With the man collapsed in a twitching heap on the tiled ring and the crowd roaring around him, Vegeta had walked calmly out of the stadium. Uncaring of the crowd's enthusiasm, he had made a beeline for his temporary rooms in the old palace to catch up on a few hours of sleep.

He had finally found the files and sent them to Iro just as the sun was rising earlier that morning, and he had only had enough time to grab something to eat before he'd had to head down to his match—unfortunately the first match of the day. He he had been lucky in his opponent. Despite his surprising strength, he'd supposedly been one of the weakest that had made it into the semifinals. Had the man been just a little stronger, or a little craftier, Vegeta may not have been able to think fast enough to hold his own without going Super Saiyan. It led him to worry about what he would do in his next matches.

His nap hadn't been enough. Five hours after landing face-down on his bed, a knock sounded on the door, and a messenger appeared telling him that the final match of that round was under way and that the semifinals would start as soon as it finished. Unfortunately, Vegeta's was in the first bracket.

He'd arrived in the sunny courtyard just in time to see the end of the match. It finished with a knock out due to some strange burst of invisible energy, and the tall, hooded warrior glared around at the crowd before stalking stonily out of the ring. He passed straight by Vegeta as he entered the courtyard, leaving the air tingling with a dark energy that made Vegeta's skin prickle. Vegeta's eyes followed him as he made his way to the edge of the courtyard and sat down in the shade.

Disinterested, Vegeta turned back to stare on in boredom as the medics ran in and scooped the unconscious loser of the match onto a stretcher.

"Rough night?" A smug voice asked from just behind him.

Vegeta nearly groaned. One of these days he was going to sense Fenn before he snuck up behind him. "No." He said. When had he gotten there?

"Dreams about a certain lady keep you up?" Fenn asked with a smirk. "Have you changed your mind about her? Just so you know, of course, Hui has told me that you are to have free reign in his harem. I would have told you sooner, but I figured you weren't the type."

Vegeta merely blinked in surprise, finally turning to glance at Fenn. The man was dressed in his usual dark leather and chains, with the only real color on him being his shock of maroon hair.

_Not the type for a harem of women? _Vegeta mused. _Is such a thing possible?_ But even as he thought that, a sense of dirtiness came over him, and with it the stark memory of his younger days as Frieza's soldier, hearing of the other soldiers boasting of their harem privileges. He'd never earned the right himself—no matter what his military prowess, Frieza was nothing if not terrified of the idea that Vegeta might breed. And with good reason as it turned out.

He couldn't help the small smirk that came onto his face then.

Fenn noticed the smirk. "Perhaps I was wrong." He mused.

Vegeta shook his head both in the negative and to rearrange his thoughts. Fenn was right. No matter what he'd thought about it in his younger days, he had seen the girls in the harem. Young women stolen from their homes because of their beauty or breeding quality—just as those Tik soldiers had threatened to do to Videl when they'd first landed on Earth. Those girls' faces had stayed with him. Those faces with the haunted eyes, deadened from being trapped in a miserable life, holding on just enough to a far-fetched hope that one day they'd be free—just enough hope to stop them from ending it all. He'd thought nothing of it back then, but years later, as a man, free and living on Earth, he finally realized why those eyes had stayed with him. They were the eyes of someone trapped. A prisoner. A slave.

They'd been his own eyes.

No. No matter what he had been before, he could not do to another what was done to him. He could not take part in crushing another person's soul. Of dehumanizing them, and turning them into chattel, with no rights and no say in even the most basic aspects of their lives.

He shuddered at the thought.

Unfortunately for him, Fenn saw the shudder. He was starting to see that Fenn rarely missed anything. It was doubly difficult to hide things from him, Vegeta was finding, when he was the center of his focus. His perspective had shifted a bit since he had come into Hui's "employ." His real enemy in this particular mission was not Hui. It was Fenn.

"You know, I think I've got it now." Fenn said. "I knew you didn't really want that woman last night, but that you didn't want to outright say it. I won't tell Hui your little secret, but you'll have to figure out some way to breed. No matter how distasteful it is to you."

Vegeta blinked at him, and a sudden nervousness began curling in his stomach. He didn't let on however, how Fenn's statement had set him on edge. Instead he merely raised an eyebrow. "You've lost me." He said. "What are you on about?"

Fenn gave him a Cheshire grin as if he'd caught Vegeta with his hand in the cookie jar. "You prefer men don't you?"

Vegeta just blinked, and a rush of relief came over him. Suddenly, he saw a way out. "If I…agree with you, can we forget about this harem and mate business?"

"No." Fenn said. "I'll just come to your room in the middle of the night, with strapping young men who are good cooks. And a potential surrogate mother most likely."

Vegeta just sighed, but he couldn't help but see some humor in the proposal.

"We have to keep you happy." Fenn said with a humorous grin. "Just let me know" He waved his hands grandly like a magician about to do a trick. "All your preferences and fantasies. Hell, I could get you one of those Earthlings the other Saiyans are so crazy about." He furrowed his eyebrows at the thought. "I probably should have done that in the first place."

Vegeta internally cringed. If Hui decided to capture an Earth woman for Vegeta to mate with, all of his efforts at keeping the Earth safe thus far would come to naught. "I know nothing of Earth women." Vegeta said after a suitable pause. "Nor do I want one that is chosen for me. I do not want a K'talian or a Zortian—"

Fenn snorted. "No one wants a Zortian."

Vegeta just scowled. "My point is. If and when I choose a mate is my own business, and until I have proof that there are no more Saiyan women alive, I will not settle for another."

Fenn dropped his head with a groan. "All that Saiyan woman stuff again." He was clearly about to say something more, but a loud music started to play in the stadium, cutting him off. Fenn looked up toward the ring. "Oh, it's your match."

Vegeta was already staring toward the ring, where the announcer had just begun giving a grand speech about the prowess of the fighters thus far and gearing everyone up for the excitement that the semifinal round would bring.

"I expect you to be my opponent in the final match." Fenn said, a hint of warning in his voice. "So don't throw it."

"I'll be in the final match." Vegeta said, and then sent a conspicuous glance toward the silent, hooded soldier still sitting silent like a shadow in the corner of the courtyard. He was to be Fenn's opponent in the semifinal round. "Will _you_?" He asked.

Fenn merely rolled his eyes. "I could take him out in my sleep." His piercing eyes settled on Vegeta, and Vegeta had the disturbing feeling that he was seeing more than he should. "He's got nothing on you, my Saiyan friend."

Despite the sudden fear that was urging him to kill Fenn and destroy all evidence of it, he smirked. "Of course he doesn't. No one can compete with a Saiyan. Not even you." With that, he turned and stalked up toward the ring.

His opponent was already there, waiting impatiently on the other side. He paused for a moment in surprise. _A woman?_ He smirked. _I was worried for nothing._ Cocky smirk still on his face, he marched up the steps and into the ring. The crowd was already roaring in delight, and a chant of "Nox!" was picking up.

He had quickly become a favorite—Hui had made it no secret that this tournament was a test for him, and so far Vegeta had not disappointed. A mix of power, grace, and brutality all in perfect balance came naturally to him. Even _he_ knew that it was impressive.

He drew his eyes away from the crowd and to his opponent. The woman across from him was thin and bird-like, with a peaky face, and a shock of red and orange hair atop her head. She stared at him in grim determination, and Vegeta stared casually back.

She was powerful—surprisingly so, he could sense it—but he was stronger. She would have to have something else up her sleeve if she was to pose a challenge to him.

The announcer introduced them both, and then stepped back. His hand rose to the air, and then with the sound of a gong, it dropped.

As the hand fell, a slow smirk worked its way onto the woman's face. It was an unsettling look, and Vegeta knew instantly that she had something. A moment later, he would find out what. Her smirk snapped into a grin, and, to his surprise, she completely disappeared. And not in the way that Kakarott did it. She did not disappear and then reappear somewhere else. No, she simply vanished. And she took her Ki with her.

He spun around searching for her, her Ki. Anything. _Where are you?_

Crunch!

"Ack!" A painful blow to his side sent him stumbling. It was far more painful than anything he would have expected from such a fighter. _She's still here!_

He still couldn't sense her. At all.

_"You may think you're something Saiyan, but I have an advantage over you." _A voice rang inside his head, like someone whispering in his ear. "_You are a loner, a nobody, with no one to fight for. Me, I fight with all the rage of my imprisoned people."_

Vegeta spun, still seeing nothing, despite turning in circles to try to find his opponent.

_"My race has been hunted for decades by more powerful creatures."_ She spat into his head. "_The Saiyans, the Kold Clan, and then the Taurans. Our planet was finally taken, but not before we developed a technique to avoid all detection. Even a scouter can't pick up on us. The Taurans have no idea how many of my people they left alive on my planet. I intend to free them all."_

Vegeta closed his eyes straining to pick up on the sound of her footsteps, the rustle of her clothes. It was impossible with the screams of the thousands of people in the stands.

_"I need this, Saiyan." _The voice came again._ "You can't understand. I have to defeat you. My necessity is my weapon. Your defeat gets me one step closer to finally buying our freedom."_

"And how will you do that?" He asked aloud.

_"Hush, Saiyan. I wouldn't expect a creature like you to understand the workings of the empire. I'm sure you know the winner of this tournament becomes Hui's right-hand, with the unique privilege of manipulating the emperor. Fenn has managed to keep his people free of Hui's screenings for all these years."_

"So you intend to defeat Fenn as well." He guessed. "And trade his planet for yours."

_"Among other things."_ The voice whispered vaguely.

The slightest shift in air caught his attention and made him duck away, out of instinct, his hand shot up to catch the incoming blow. To his slight surprise the blow landed, just where he'd instinctively expected it would—right in his hand. His fingers instantly locked over the fist.

"I don't know how you became invisible, but I will defeat you." Vegeta promised. "Make no mistake."

_"Ha!"_ Her foot, flying out of nowhere, crashed into his face, and his fingers lost their grip.

"Ragh!" With a yell of rage, he caught his balance and spun around. He'd lost his opponent again, he realized with frustration. "I don't care about your family problems!" He shouted. "They can all die for all I care!"

Another crushing blow hit him then, straight to the kidneys. He groaned in pain and spun around again, throwing a punch into the air where his opponent should have been. Only she wasn't there.

He growled. "Coward!"

He felt another disturbance in the air, and spun, letting his fist fly. The fist connected and he felt flesh and bone give way. The woman cried out in pain, but he didn't give her time to so much as fall down. His other hand shot forward, gripping onto invisible garments and tugging them forward.

He wanted this to end now before the woman had time to pull another trick on him. With that in mind, he pulled back his hand, and packing as much power as he could into it, let it fly forward. Something wet splattered his face, and a moment later a visible woman was hanging limp from his hand, and a purplish-colored blood was dripping from her crushed face onto the tiles. She was still alive. Whether she would survive much longer, he didn't know. A sudden flash of guilt hit him fighting back his rage. That woman hadn't been his enemy. Not really. She was just a victim of circumstance. Like he had been. Like he still was actually. Rather than giving her a finishing blow, he dropped her unceremoniously onto the ring.

She had been wrong. He was fighting for something—for something much more important than her. She was fighting for the salvation of her people, of her own race. He was fighting to save them all.

He sent a hooded glance to Fenn as he reentered the courtyard and took up his previous position near the wall. The man smirked and sent him what might have been interpreted as a congratulatory nod.

"Wish me luck, Saiyan!" He called cheerily to Vegeta. Vegeta merely cocked an eyebrow. Fenn chuckled. "Time me." He said with a wink, and then headed into the stadium.

Vegeta frowned in confusion._ Time him? What?_

The tall, hooded warrior brushed by him again, making his way into the stadium as well. That same, dark tingly feeling lingered in the air behind him. That man was hiding a dark power. Vegeta could tell. He might even be a challenge.

The announcer raised his arm. A gong sound, and the arm dropped. The match was under way.

What happened next left even Vegeta staring slack-jawed in surprise.

The hooded man moved first, bringing his arms around in an arc. An enormous purple aura exploded around him, blowing the announcer back and out of the ring. Two giant long-swords appeared, one in each hand, and he raised them both to strike.

However, before he could take even the first step, Fenn struck.

A shockwave rippled through the crowd followed by a deafening roar. Vegeta felt as if time slowed then. His eyes, used to high-speed fighting, had barely caught the attack.

By the time the shockwave died down, Fenn was already stalking back toward the courtyard. The hooded man tottered and slowly collapsed. Thousands of fans in the stands, whose eyes hadn't been capable of catching the rapid flurry of punches and the final kick, sat bewildered at how quickly the match ended.

"Did you time it?" Fenn asked, as he reached Vegeta's side again.

"No." He said.

"About three seconds." Fenn provided.

"Sort of anti-climatic." Vegeta countered.

Fenn just shrugged. "Our fight will last longer I'm sure."

"Undoubtedly it will." Vegeta agreed.

Fenn grinned and turned away. "Then I'll see you tomorrow morning. Rest well." He said with a wave over his shoulder. "I want you at top form."

"No you don't." Vegeta grumbled, more to himself than to Fenn, but judging by Fenn's laugh, he could tell that he heard it. Even so, Vegeta wasn't so sure. Just how powerful was Fenn? That momentary burst of power had been completely unexpected. Defeating Fenn might be more challenging than he'd previously thought, and that brought about an even greater concern. If Fenn was that strong…

* * *

"Holy crap! How strong it Hui?" Yamcha exclaimed. "That guy's aura was massive, and that Fenn guy took him out in a matter of seconds. He didn't even break a sweat!"  
Beside him, Krillin was looking positively green. "He can't be that strong." Krillin said hopefully. "I mean, he won't be another Majin Buu…right?" He looked around at his friends, all crammed into the small control room.

Snack wrappers and drink bottles littered the consoles and floor, and the heavy traffic that the room was getting was leaving a distinct unpleasant odor. The room was slightly warmer than was comfortable as well. Goku had already given up on propriety and begun walking around in his boxer shorts. Krillin had half a mind to do the same.

Gohan was staring thoughtfully at the screen. "Given the trillions of people in the universe, it's statistically possible. And remember that Hui was basically genetically engineered to be the strongest warrior in the universe. I wouldn't rule anything out." He said.

Beside him, Goku was grinning. "He's fantastic! I'm sure Hui will be impressive too, but man!" He stuck his hands on his hips and shook his head in awed excitement. "I can't wait to see him fight this Nox guy. It's really going to be a show." He leaned over to see the tournament schedule on the nearby computer screen. "When is the final match anyway?"

"Not for another 18 hours—on the time on that planet." Piccolo said.

"I'll set an alarm for it." Gohan suggested. "We should definitely watch it. We will probably end up fighting those two at some point. It's better to know their styles and techniques."

"It's too bad we couldn't watch it in person. Gohan, how long until we get to Loth again?"

Gohan had to repress a sigh. Goku had been asking that nearly every hour since the tournament started. Just for show, he glanced at his wristwatch. "About eight days, dad." He said. He seriously debated drawing up a calendar so that he could mark off the days. He wanted to, but part of him was nervous.

He supposed it was the human half of him, because his father was positively giddy at seeing Hui's massive power. Gohan couldn't help but feel like they were going in unprepared, like this was too much for them to handle.

He watched through worried eyes, as Goku tried to cheer Krillin and Yamcha up and get them as excited about fighting Hui as he was. Gohan wasn't sure there was something to be excited about. In only eight days, they would meet Emperor Hui. They would fight him, and most likely, someone would die.

* * *

A/N: So sorry about the wait. I've had loads of papers and presentations to work on lately, so I haven't had much time to devote to this. I hope you enjoyed it! Thanks to all of you who reviewed the last chapter. I really liked many your suggestions, and I'll see if I can work them in. I'm glad so many of you enjoyed seeing Vegeta's ruthless side again. That's always fun to write.

Let me know what you thought!


	52. Nox's Match

Chapter 52—Nox's Match

It was high noon when the tournament got back underway, and it was time for the final match. The sun was bright and simmering. Young women wearing next to nothing wandered through the stands selling drinks. The heat was playing tricks on many a person's vision. Even Vegeta, one who thrived in high temperatures, could have sworn that there had been a puddle at the end of the street. When he'd approached however, there had been none.

Vegeta could see that in the stands, many of the dignitaries were making full employ of their servants. The unfortunate servants were being forced to fan the nobles, hold sun umbrellas, and run down to the market to fetch cool treats.

For Vegeta himself the hot sun was only slightly uncomfortable. Dressed in his loose black pants and a black tank top, only the lightest sheen of sweat had broken out on his skin.

Fenn was not so fortunate. "Ugh!" Vegeta glanced to the side at the maroon-haired man. He was still dressed in his black leathers, but Vegeta could see that nearly every button that could be undone was undone. He smirked in amusement before looking away.

"Couldn't he have put this in the evening?" Fenn complained, tugging at the collar of his shirt.

"If you'd just take off your jacket, you'd be a lot more comfortable." Vegeta suggested, letting his eyes roam back over the crowd.

"I'm less intimidating without the jacket." Was Fenn's reply.

"I hope you're not planning to intimidate _me_." Vegeta drawled.

Fenn laughed. "Maybe."

Vegeta just raised an eyebrow at him in a way that clearly said "good luck with that" before turning away. The crowd in the stands was restless and impatient. It wouldn't be long now.

Fenn grinned. At that moment a loud bell sounded, and the announcer took to the ring.

"It looks like it's time." Fenn said.

Vegeta nodded, and followed Fenn up into the ring.

The announcer began, introducing the two final competitors. It was no surprise to anyone that Fenn was one of the competitors, but clearly the announcer was not alone in his surprise at how easily the Saiyan, Nox cut his way through the competition.

Vegeta merely stared impassively at the crowd as the announcer gave a short recap of Nox's history and victories. A quick glance at Fenn showed that he was doing the same.

"And now, a word from our illustrious Emperor!"

Vegeta caught Fenn's eye for a moment, and both turned to see Hui swaggering up onto the ring. Vegeta wouldn't have thought it possible, but the roar of the crowd got even louder. Hui's smug smirk was clearly visible even from the distance at which Vegeta stood. He saw Fenn give a small, half-sincere bow. Vegeta merely raised an eyebrow and looked back to Hui. With a deep bow, the announcer handed the microphone to Hui.

After Hui had waved him away with a flick of his hand, he spun around with a flourish. "My dear citizens." He began, causing the crowd to instantly quiet. "What a wonderful day for a competition. Here we have the two greatest warriors in the Tauran Intergalactic Kingdom, my longtime friend, Fenn, and our new friend, the Saiyan, Nox. Now, due to the fact that the empire needs both of these men, I will make the rules for the match a little stricter. In addition to the other rules of the tournament, I will add this one: No killing." He looked at the two competitors with a stern look. "Understood?" Vegeta could swear that he heard Fenn snort, but they both nodded anyway. "Good." Hui chirped. "Let the match begin!"

Raising his hand, he backed out of the ring, finally spinning with a flare of his long embroidered tunic and lifting off to head to his booth.

Fenn and Vegeta turned toward each other crouching down into fighting stances.

"You ready?" Fenn asked.

Vegeta snorted. "Are you?"

Fenn merely smirked, and in an instant, and enormous purple aura had surrounded him.

"Let's not play around." Fenn said. The slightest of movements caught Vegeta's eye, and he saw Fenn's hands curl into fists at his side.

Reflexively, Vegeta crouched into a fighting stance. And it was lucky that he did, for a moment later, he was blown back by a gust of wind.

* * *

"It's starting!" Krillin yelled into the ship's hallway.

He heard a cry of surprise and the pounding of feet, and suddenly Goku and Yamcha, arms laden with snacks and drinks appeared and wearing nothing but boxer shorts, blew past him into the control room. Everyone but Piccolo had finally given up on propriety, and this time there were four men in their t-shirts and boxers crammed into the control room to watch the fight. Only Piccolo still stubbornly remained fully clothed.

"Gah!" Krillin cried as he was bowled over. He ended up on the floor in an awkward and uncomfortable position.

"Oh, sorry Krillin." Yamcha said, turning back to look at his fallen friend.

"Eh." Krillin pulled his legs back beneath him and stood up. "Heh heh. No worries." He said while dusting off his backside.

"Ah wow!" Goku's cry of delight grabbed their attention. "Look at them go!"

The camera used to film the match was clearly not advanced enough to capture the speed of the two fighters. Nox and Fenn appeared as nothing more than red and purple streaks.

Goku settled into one of the chairs setting a bowl of popcorn and a bag of chips onto his lap. "Oh man, this is going to be good!" He said before calling out. "I've got five hundred Zeni on Nox!"

* * *

The sudden blow to the face surprised him, and Vegeta was somewhat stunned to find himself crashing back onto the tiles. He felt the tiles crack beneath him as he plowed through them. Using the momentum, he flipped back to his feet, just in time to avoid the foot Fenn sent through the tiles.

Vegeta sprung back at him, taking advantage of the moment that it took for Fenn to pull his foot back out of the ring. Fenn blocked Vegeta's fist with his forearm, and spinning, sent a kick toward his head.

Vegeta managed to duck it, but he knew full well that he didn't stand a chance of beating Fenn in his plain form. Fenn was just too good. Not only was he insanely powerful, but he was crafty as well.

Vegeta was going to have to do something. He had two options really, and he knew that one of them was much safer.

He dodged another blow and stumbled back a few steps, throwing a hand up into the air.

Fenn stopped mid-attack. "I've seen this before." He said, furrowing his eyebrows.

Vegeta smirked at him. "Yes, you probably have. This is a technique programmed into the standard education program in Saiyan infants' space pods. It's one of the Saiyans' greatest weapons." He released the glowing orb into the sky. "Get ready." And then he raised his eyes to it.

The artificial moon taunted him, drawing out his feral core, and causing his body to quake. The moon suddenly became all that mattered. Fenn, standing curious and eager before him meant nothing. Hui giddy and clapping in the emperor's booth meant nothing. The war, Kurenai, all of it disappeared. For that one moment he was wild and bloodthirsty. He was a beast. But his consciousness quickly gained control. He was far too experienced with this form to allow it to run rampant.

The excited and terrified roar of the crowd—now so tiny—came back to him like waking from a dream.

Vegeta hovered over the stadium, realizing with a small sort of gratitude that his clothes had expanded to accommodate his size. Thank the Kais for one-size-fits-all uniforms.

He knew he would have to be careful. His size gave him power ten times greater than in his normal state, but it also made it much more likely that he would touch something outside the ring.

He turned his glowing red eyes to Fenn. The red-haired man now seemed so small floating there in front of him. His expression was nearly amazed, but it lasted for only a moment.

"So this is the Saiyan oozaru state." He said. "I must say, I'm impressed. Let's see how well you fare now."

Fenn flew toward him, but Vegeta merely laughed. Raising a hand, he caught Fenn and smashed him into the ring, crushing him through the tiles. When he raised his hand, Fenn sat up dazedly.

"You expected me to be slower because of my size." Vegeta accused squatting down to send a chastising look at Fenn.

"I did." Fenn admitted, stumbling to his feet. "My mistake." He coughed on a bit of dust. "Let's try this again." And he charged once more at Vegeta.

* * *

"It's been a long time since I've seen an oozaru." Yamcha said, snatching a handful of popcorn from one of Goku's many bowls. "I don't know if it's more terrifying when it's wild or when it's controlled."

"Good point." Krillin said. "I guess it all depends on who it is."

Gohan nodded in agreement.

"Nox has a disadvantage in that form though." Goku said. "He's more powerful, but he can't move around much."

"He's still holding his own." Gohan said, glancing toward Piccolo for confirmation before continuing. "Fenn's attacks seem to be more localized—much more useful against smaller opponents."

They all watched as Fenn shot a beam at Nox's one good eye only for Nox to swat it away. While Fenn was charging up another attack, Nox brought his tail around and grabbed Fenn.

"I dunno. Nox looks like he's playing with him." Krillin said, as the giant ape let out a loud laugh and began smashing the small man into the tiles.

Behind them, Piccolo had been silently studying the match. "Gohan's right." He finally said. "Fenn's Ki attacks would only be good against a creature that size if Nox weren't so easily defending his target areas." As if in proof of this, Fenn finally got free of his assault and shot a barrage of Ki blasts at Nox. Nox again blocked them all.

Fenn switched tactics, calling up his purple aura again. His hands danced in a quick intricate motion before pointing outward toward Nox. A green orb appeared around the giant ape, and began slowly closing in.

The control room fell silent. On the screen, the giant ape stopped laughing. He stared around at the orb that had encircled him with a worried look, but that look quickly changed to one of concentration. Down below, Fenn's hands twitched, and the orb began contracting more quickly

Fenn's smirk was just visible on the screen. He clearly thought he'd won. The excited cheers and shrieks of the crowd filled the small, quiet control room as the transformed Saiyan was forced to his knees. His red eyes were fixed in a look of concentration and his teeth were set in a snarl.

The orb compressed once more, and the giant roared.

Around him, the crowd matched the sound, growing louder and louder. People were jumping to their feet. Fists were pumping in the air. Snacks were being thrown around, and people were pushing against each other in their frenzy.

Suddenly, the ape's roar grew deafening. He twitched visibly, his large muscles bulging. A moment later, he threw his arms outward, arching his back and standing up full-height. The green orb shattered and disappeared in a shower of sparks. The wind from the Saiyan's Ki blew through the crowd knocking some people over, and sending sun umbrellas flying out of several stunned servants' hands.

Down below, Fenn was staring up at Nox, his teeth clenched, and a look of frustration on his face.

For a brief moment, the scene switched to show Hui, giddy and clapping up in his booth.

"If Nox is able to throw off Fenn's magical attacks, Fenn will have to switch tactics." Piccolo commented, frowning at the face of the young emperor.

The camera returned to the fight just in time to see Fenn dodge a crushing stomp from the enraged animal.

The red haired man flew up into the sky circling back behind the Saiyan's head and charging up a Ki blast. The next events happened in a split second. Fenn released the blast as Nox was still turning. Nox raised a hand to protect his face from the blast. At the last second, however, the blast veered off on its own, missing the ape entirely. A moment later, Fenn's real target was revealed when the artificial moon exploded in a shower of sparks.

* * *

Vegeta roared in outrage at having been tricked, but already his body was shrinking. A moment later, the panting Saiyan was standing on the tiles, in his normal form. Sweat was trickling down his face from the transformation, but he raised a glare to the man floating down toward him.

"It was nice while it lasted." Fenn said, wiping a trickle of blood from his chin. "I won't fall for that again though. You'll have to have something else up your sleeve, because this time," Suddenly, the large purple aura exploded around him again, bigger this time, and laced with static. The wind from the aura threatened to throw the Saiyan backward. "I'm not playing around."

Vegeta weighed his options. He needed to show Hui that he was one of his greatest assets. He needed the privileges that came with being one of Hui's greatest warriors. He needed to be sure that when the final battle came, it was him who Hui called upon to fight alongside him. There was really only one way to do that. He knew it was risky, but he'd have to try his luck and hope that Hui was as blind as he seemed.

He knew he didn't have enough time to earn his place as Hui's right hand by earning his trust. He'd have to do it through power. Everyone knew that the final battle—when it came—would be between "Vegeta" and Hui. It was what Hui feared. He'd heard of the power of the Super Saiyan in stories while growing up—as every child had. He'd undoubtedly heard that a Super Saiyan had been what brought down the Cold Clan. He'd seen the power of the Super Saiyan, plowing through his ships, and destroying his troops by the hundreds. He thought he'd killed Vegeta, but now Vegeta was back among the living—apparently immortal—and ready to hunt him down.

Hui didn't let on, but he was afraid. He was a frightened child, and he was afraid to die. He wanted protection, and what better way to protect himself against a Super Saiyan than with…another Super Saiyan.

Decided, Vegeta fixed Fenn with a smirk. "Fine." He said. "You want more, so be it. I didn't think I'd have to use this to defeat you, but apparently I was wrong." Spreading his legs, Vegeta crouched down, glaring at Fenn angrily. With a loud roar, he transformed, sending a golden aura flaring around him. His one visible eye turned blue, and his wild hair flickered gold a few times before finally remaining that color.

The crowd shrieked in excitement at the sudden turn, and up in the emperor's box, Hui nearly fainted from joy.

Fenn stared at the Super Saiyan before him with an undisguised look of surprise. A moment later, his eyes narrowed. "I should have known." He said.

Vegeta smirked at him, and then lunged forward, hurdled toward Fenn with a loud cry. Fenn braced himself, a wicked grin lighting his face. The two met in mid air, and a shock rippled outwards at the impact, ruffling clothes and spilling drinks all around the stadium.

A roar went up from the crowd—trills of delight and excitement. The final match appeared to have finally begun.

* * *

"What?!" "No way!" "He's a Super Saiyan? How?!" Loud exclamations of surprise filled the small control room as the five warriors reeled from shock.

"How on Earth could he be a Super Saiyan?" Yamcha asked. "It took you years to unlock the secret, and only people from Earth know it."

"Don't forget Brolly." Gohan reminded him. "King Vegeta sent Brolly away because he had the natural potential to become a Super Saiyan, and he would have rivaled Vegeta for the throne."

"Gohan's right." Piccolo said. "There's no telling how many Saiyans King Vegeta exiled because they rivaled Vegeta's power. It seems we might have underestimated this one."

"He doesn't look like he's as strong as Brolly though." Krillin said. "And he's clearly not insane."

"That's always a plus." Yamcha conceded.

"Oh man." Goku was grinning as he watched the two super-powered men on screen exchange blows. "Another Super Saiyan. Who would have thought? I can't wait to meet this guy."

"Don't get your hopes up, Goku." Piccolo said. "It's doubtful that you'll convince him to live peacefully on Earth and become your sparring partner."

"You could let a guy dream, Piccolo." Goku pouted. "Oh look at them go!" Fenn had grabbed Nox, and was flying straight down. A moment later, the two crashed head-first into the tiles, sending rocks and dust flying everywhere. Fenn hopped out a moment later unscathed, and began dusting off his clothes.

"Fenn's still got the advantage." Gohan noted.

"How can this guy be so much stronger than a Super Saiyan?" Yamcha asked. "Wouldn't we have heard something?"

"We had never heard of Abo and Cado until Tarble appeared on Earth, and they were as strong as Super Saiyans." Gohan pointed out.

"Come to think of it, we'd never heard of Tarble either." Krillin added.

"Yeah, you'd think Vegeta would mention that he had a brother." Yamcha put in. "At least to Bulma or Trunks."

They all nodded with small chuckles. "You know, Vegeta never did tell me if he had a sister or not." Goku added.

"A sister?!" Yamcha, Krillin, and Gohan looked at him in surprise.

"Yeah," Goku said, tapping his chin. "I asked, and he didn't really say 'no.'"

"He doesn't have a sister." Piccolo said over the others' interested murmurs. "He was just messing with you."

"What?!" Goku whined. "Really?" He dropped his cheek onto his fist. "And all this time, I've been wondering."

Yamcha and Krillin laughed.

A loud roar from the tv made them all turn their attention back to the fight. The crowd was going wild, and the two fighters were locked in a ki blast battle. Fenn's purple beam was slowly gaining on Nox's blue one. Nox was clearly straining under the blast, but Fenn seemed to be having less trouble.

Nox suddenly roared and put more force into the beam, sending it back toward Fenn. Fenn, however increased his own, and held it at bay.

"If Nox could go Super Saiyan 2, now would be the time." Krillin said.

The others nodded.

* * *

Back on planet Loth Vegeta was thinking the same thing. But he knew that he couldn't do it. Going Super Saiyan was one thing, but transforming past that would bring Hui and Fenn closer to discovering his real identity.

Fenn was still overpowering him though. It was infuriating. How had he gotten so powerful? What race was he? Vegeta had never even seen his type before. Where had he come from?

He put more force into his beam, but Fenn was still beating it back. Over the blinding light, he could see Fenn smirking at him. He clearly knew that Vegeta's Super Saiyan form was maxed out.

And this attack was wasting precious energy.

The tiles beneath Vegeta's feet suddenly cracked under the strain and Vegeta sunk ankle deep into the ring.

His muscles were straining, pleading for him to do something—to either give up or transform into a higher state. He could do neither. He sent a brief glance to Hui. The young emperor was out of his seat, leaning over the rail with interest. Vegeta frowned.

Fenn noticed Vegeta's moment of inattention, and decided to take advantage of it. Suddenly, his beam increased twofold, plowing through Vegeta's as if it wasn't there. Vegeta dodged out of the way of the blast just in time. The blast hurdled toward the stands. Vegeta followed it with his eyes, watching with a sense of déjà vu as spectators scurried over each other to get out of its path.

He turned back to Fenn just in time to see his foot flying at his face. Vegeta took the kick right to the temple, flying back and crashing into the ground. Dirt and grass flew up around him, and he slowly pulled himself to his feet. He looked up to see Fenn, standing at the edge of the ring, arms crossed and a smug smirk on his face.

Vegeta glanced down to where he was standing and sighed. He realized the fact just as the announcer declared it.

"RING OUT!" The announcement was met by loud cheers and boos from the crowd. "FENN IS THE WINNER!"

_Oh well. _Vegeta thought. He'd done what he came to do, and he hadn't really cared if he'd beaten Fenn anyway.

Vegeta glanced behind himself to the stadium to see that there had been no destruction. A forcefield that he had not seen before that point was glowing green. It had apparently protected the crowd from the explosion. _A good idea._ He thought. _I'll have to mention that to Bulma for the next tournament on Earth. _

He finally turned his eyes up toward the emperor's box. Hui was clapping half-heartedly for Fenn, but his eyes were still locked on Vegeta. Even from that distance, he could see the expression in his eyes. It was one that he had seen many times in Kurenai's eyes. It was a hunger—a desire. Hui saw something that he wanted, and he was going to do everything in his power to keep it.

Vegeta turned away to hide a smirk, and climbed back into the ring "congratulate" Fenn. _I'm still in the game._

* * *

Tarble clicked the scouter shut and turned with an exasperated look to Midori and Kurenai. "It's hard to stay in character when I'm talking to them." He declared.

"Do they suspect anything?" Kurenai asked.

"No." He said, slipping the scouter into his pocket. "They were too excited by the fact that 'Nox' was a Super Saiyan."

"So Vegeta transformed." Kurenai frowned, staring down into a small box on her desk. "That was risky."

"Only to the first level of Super Saiyan." Tarble said sticking his hands on his hips and cocking his head to the side with a curious expression. "And he lost the final match."

"He lost?!" Kurenai spun around in surprise dropping something in the process. Whatever she'd been holding fell back into the box with a metallic clink.

Tarble stumbled back a step, sending a nervous look to Midori. She just shrugged at him. "Well, I assume that he thought transforming into the second level of Super Saiyan was too risky. Fenn overpowered him in his Super Saiyan form. He lost by ring out."

Kurenai sighed loudly. "That boy." She turned to Midori. "Midori, I want a copy of that match. I want to see what happened."

She was already pulling her scouter out of her pocket. "I'll see to it." She turned away as she began talking to the person on the other end of the line.

"Lost by ring out." Kurenai snorted, turning back to the box. "At least it wasn't a knock out."

"At least it wasn't death." Tarble added.

She looked up, sending him a wry look. "Yes." She said flatly. "That too."

Midori gave Tarble an amused smirk as she closed her scouter and slipped it back into her pocket. He just shrugged with a small smile.

"Midori, Tarble." Kurenai said suddenly, looking between her two aides with a stern look. In the red light streaming through the window, the small woman seemed slightly demonic. Kurenai's two aides instantly sobered.

"I want you to deliver these bracelets to the five Earthling fighters." She said. "They are hot on Hui's heels, and with that hijacked Tik ship, it's only a matter of time before they meet him. I've got two Tik-issue Veet pods waiting for you on planet Nada. You are to leave at 17-H tomorrow evening. Switch pods on Nada and meet those boys on their ship. You already know the ship number, correct?"

They both nodded.

"Good." She gave them steeling looks. "There are two bracelets for you as well." She said, sending a bracelet floating toward each of them. "Once you meet them, you are to remain with them. And you are to aid them in their fight against Hui."

The two stiffened and swallowed nervously. However, Kurenai's stern look left no room for argument. They both nodded.

* * *

The tournament's festivities lasted well into the night. Hui quickly got over his disappointment that Nox had not won the final match, and instead focused on his excitement that his own personal Saiyan could turn Super Saiyan.

He had dragged Vegeta through the festival, showing him off like a prized trophy, and treating him to food and drink all night. Fenn trailed behind them with a drunken smile and a small crowd of women hanging off his arms.

Vegeta managed to tolerate the festival for a while despite the ache in his temple. The food was delicious and there was plenty of it to go around. He'd eaten something from every stand they passed. Roasted, fried, and smoked meats. Interesting wraps and sandwiches. Everything you could think of on a stick. And sweets like he'd never seen.

Several hours after they'd set out, however, Vegeta was full. He continued to nibble on things just to entertain himself, but he would much prefer to head back to his rooms and shower. He was eternally grateful, therefore, when Hui lost interest in his champions and latched on to a group of young dancers. Many of the girls, all in their silks and glitter, swooned and squealed at the attention they were getting from the young emperor. With a grin, Hui led them off, forgetting entirely about his Saiyan and right hand.

Vegeta used the opportunity to slip away, walking briskly through the crowd and heading up to the castle. He'd showered, and then set about slipping into Hui's command files to see where he was positioning his troops now that so many of his elites had been killed.

Several hours later, finding nothing interesting except for the fact that Hui hadn't done much planning at all, Vegeta went to sleep.

Given the cheer and situation that Vegeta had left him in, it was quite a surprise the next morning to see that Hui was in a dreadful mood. Even Fenn sported a harassed frown when Vegeta came down for breakfast. Their moods seemed entirely out of place in the bright, airy dining room. Light music drifted up from the remnants of the festivities below, coming in from the open balcony. Sheer white curtains seemed to dance with the melody.

At first, Vegeta was inclined to think Hui and Fenn were both suffering from hangovers. It wasn't long, however, before he discovered that there was another reason entirely for their bad humor.

Hui was angry, and for some reason, it was directed at him. Vegeta could feel it, even if the glare and silence pointedly directed at him since he'd walked in wasn't an indication. Vegeta wasn't quite sure what he'd done to warrant such anger though—besides selling out the Tik's greatest secrets and being a traitor. But Hui didn't know about that. Hopefully.

He'd merely silently filled his plate from the silver serving trays near Hui's end of the table and headed back to his seat.

It was Fenn who gave him his first hint. Just as Vegeta sat down at the lavishly decorated table across from Fenn, the man leaned across the table. "Hui wants to know if you've chosen a mate yet." He said quietly, sending a glance to the pale emperor at the end of the table.

It had only been two days since the last time he'd asked. Vegeta rolled his eyes. "No."

"Well you'll need to come up with a good excuse for why not." He said through clenched teeth. "And tell him, not me, because I'm sick of hearing about this."

_An excuse? Besides the fact that it's been less than a week? _Vegeta thought, but instead he simply asked. "Why?"

"Glad you asked." Fenn said. He pulled a small tablet computer out and pressed a button. "This is your prince." He said, sliding the tablet across the table.

Vegeta stared at the picture of what had to be Tarble and cocked an eyebrow. Tarble was pulling off his role very well. The picture was apparently taken in the underground, where "Vegeta" was carrying a small stack of boxes and looking decidedly put out.

Fenn pressed a button and the picture enlarged to show two more people. "This is his mate—an Earthling—and this is their half-blood son."

Vegeta blinked. "So what does this—"

Fenn fixed him with a firm stare. "Apparently they are having another child."

Vegeta's heart stopped for a moment, but he tried to keep the surprise off his face. He quickly stored the fact away and looked back to Fenn. Fenn was staring at him with narrow eyes.

"So surprised?" Fenn asked suspiciously.

Vegeta blinked, and his mind raced for an excuse. "She's not a Saiyan." He said finally.

"Of course not!" Fenn hissed, trying to keep his voice low. "I told you so days ago."

"Then the Saiyans really are all dead." Vegeta continued, weaving his story as he was saying it. "He has a non-Saiyan mate because the Saiyan women are all dead."

"What have I been telling you for the past few days?" Fenn snapped.

Vegeta just stared at him with a blank look. His heart was still thudding in his chest, but for an entirely different reason than what he told Fenn.

"Let me tell you again in case you've forgotten." Hui, who had apparently heard their entire conversation shot up from his seat. His intricately carved wooden chair slid backward across the tiled floor before falling over. "Vegetasei was destroyed over thirty years ago. All but a handful of Saiyans survived—all men. You will not find a Saiyan woman to mate with, but the other Saiyans have mated and had children by Earthling women."

Vegeta just nodded. He had nothing to say to that.

"You will choose a mate." Hui said, his shoes clicking loudly on the tiles as he came closer to Vegeta. "I have asked you nicely. I have introduced you to women. Now you have to choose one. Take a mate, and start making brats!"

Vegeta rose from his seat to stare into the eyes of the Emperor. "You are not my master—"

"Wrong!" Hui's power suddenly exploded, knocking Vegeta back and sending a sick feeling curling through his stomach. Vegeta stared in sincere shock at the dark aura that was circling the man. Black lightning cracked around him as a power greater than any that Vegeta had ever felt bled out of the young emperor. It was a cruel, dark power, the likes of which made even Vegeta's stomach knot. "You are mine now! You may be powerful, and you may hold the future strength of my Empire in your hands, but remember this, Nox," He strode closer and leaned over to Vegeta's ear before hissing. "I can crush your skull with my bare hands. I can fry your insides with a mere thought." As if in proof of that, Vegeta felt a searing heat rip through his chest. He screamed, clutching at his chest, and dropping to his knees, but a moment later it was gone. He stared up at Hui in shock. "I can rip you limb from limb without laying a finger on you. If I have to, I will destroy your brain and keep only your body to make Saiyan brats." Hui continued and then dropped his voice to a whisper. "You could not defeat Fenn. Do not expect to stand a chance against me."

Vegeta pulled himself to his feet with a glare.

"Kneel to me Saiyan!" Hui hissed. "You don't stand a chance of getting away from me, so you'd better start doing as I say. Now kneel!"

Gritting his teeth, Vegeta forced himself to a knee. He wasn't sure if he could even defeat Hui in his Super Saiyan 3 form, but he certainly wasn't going to try it now. Anger smoldered through his entire body, but he remained kneeling. He needed to bide his time. Then he would have his revenge. And how sweet it would be.

Hui smirked down at Vegeta's angry glare. "Good." He looked over Vegeta toward where Fenn was watching silently. "Fenn, we're leaving Loth in an hour. Call the starship and tell them to set a course for Earth." He stared down to the blank face of the Saiyan below him—now carefully devoid of all hatred or shock. "If the Saiyan prince can mate an Earthling, so can our precious Nox. If he wants to choose for himself, he can have the whole planet to choose from."

With that, he spun on his heel, exiting the dining room and slamming the doors behind him. Fenn and Vegeta stayed silently in place for a moment, Vegeta still kneeling and in shock. Then, without a word, Fenn turned and left as well, leaving Vegeta alone in the sunny dining room.

* * *

The sight of Midori and the Saiyan Prince at the Krimzon space station was not an uncommon one. It was unusual, however, for them to come with an entourage. It was usually a quiet affair when the pair boarded their ship or space pods, and hurdled off into space. This time, however, they were being tearfully sent off.

"You take care of yourself." Bulma said, wiping at watery eyes. Behind her, Chichi dabbed at her own eyes with a handkerchief, but whether she was worried for the man before her or simply thinking about the ones she'd sent off at this very port was her knowledge alone. Goten and Trunks, still in their school uniforms stood silently behind their mothers—eyes darting back and forth in search of unattended spacepods.

"Don't get in over your head." Bulma continued.

Tarble gave a wry grin. _I'm already in over my head._ He thought. _Way over my head._ But he didn't say so. Instead, he just said. "Please, don't tell Gure—"

"But—" Bulma started to argue.

"I mean it." He insisted in a low voice. "You don't know her like I do. She'll come after me." He paused and fixed her with a serious look—one that looked slightly too desperate to be on Vegeta's face. "Please."

Bulma dropped her head and nodded. "You'll make it out alive." She promised him, pulling him into a hug. It was a sincere hug, one filled with worry and fear. He might not have been her husband, but he was family, and he was far from being capable of fulfilling the task that had been set for him. "One way or another."

"It'll be okay, Bulma." He told her quietly, pulling back. She could see that he was trying hard to hide the fear in his eyes. "Don't worry. Goku and the others will be there. We won't face Hui alone."

She nodded, but the fact that her other friends would be in the battle as well did nothing to ease her worry.

"Can I go too?" Trunks asked.

"No." The reply was simultaneous, both from Bulma and Tarble—in Bulma's case perhaps a bit harsher than was necessary.

"Geeze." Trunks said, backing up a step. "Forgive me for asking."

"Trunks," Bulma sighed. "I'm sorry, honey. I'm just worried. I didn't mean to…" She trailed off. "Let's just let the adults handle this one, okay."

He frowned, but otherwise didn't respond.

Several feet away, Midori and her fiancé, Chet, separated from a long embrace. Chet whispered something to Midori, and she just shook her head sadly.

Rather surprisingly, Chet turned toward Tarble. "Vegeta." He called, startling the four Earthlings.

Tarble, however, turned without hesitation. "Hm?"

"Look after her." He called, a hard gleam in his eye. "Don't even think about coming back here without her."

Tarble just smirked. "I'll do what I can." He promised.

Midori whispered something else to Chet, and the man shot a momentary glance two the two young demi-saiyans before nodding.

Tarble and Midori finally stepped away from their friends and family and, nodding to each other, turned toward their pods.

Slowly, Chet moved toward the two young boys, snatching their collars as they tried to sneak toward an empty space pod. He leaned down close to their ears and whispered. "I'll be watching you."

The two gulped, and nodded.

Chet straightened, and still holding their collars, stared at the two spacepods as their doors snapped closed. The feeling of dread hung over the space port. Although they had tried to be hopeful—cheerful even—Chet knew that there was little hope. Vegeta may be able to stand up to Hui, but if Midori had ever been capable of defeating that monster, Kurenai would have sent her long ago.

Chet had to force himself to crush down the feeling of blind hatred that invaded his mind just then. Somehow he had always known it would come to this. Midori had known it too, when she's accepted the position as Kurenai's right hand all those years ago. The post was a dangerous one, and they had both always known that. He had always hoped though that it wouldn't come to this. But it had. He would just have to let her go.

Within their spacepods, Tarble and Midori stared down at the blinking lights of their control panels. The goodbyes were over. It was time for them to go. With stomachs full of dread, and the knowledge that they may never see their homes and families ever again, Tarble and Midori got comfortable into their pods and began the sequence for takeoff. Shaking fingers punched in numbers, and trembling breaths filled the silence.

They both forced themselves to push away their hopes for the future, for joys and good times and reunions. Holding back tears and preparing for launch, the two knew that they would probably not make it out of this. Neither of them stood a chance against Hui.

As they stared out of the port windows at their friends on the dock, they said their last goodbyes. To their friends, to their families, to their homes.

A moment later, the two were nothing more than a pair of lights in the red evening sky. And then those too disappeared.

* * *

A/N: Wow. That was a long wait. Terribly sorry about that. Final exams and papers, and then a trip home for Christmas left me with very little time to sit down and write. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this. Thank you so much to all of you who left me reviews and messages. It always makes me grateful to hear that so many people are enjoying this story. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you thought!


	53. System Command

Chapter 53-System Command

"Hui's ship's left planet Loth." Gohan said, his eyes quickly roving over the print on the screen. He ran a hand through his messy hair before dropping it back to his side.

Piccolo's eyes opened at the comment, but he otherwise didn't move from his meditative position in the corner. "Where is he headed?"

"It doesn't say what his destination is," Gohan responded, "but he's coming toward us."

"Will we cross him?" His eyes narrowed at the thought.

"Not if we don't shift our trajectory a bit." He answered, and already his fingers were flying over the controls.

"Do it." Piccolo closed his eyes again. "Kurenai said not to engage yet."

Gohan grinned. "For someone who was so against taking orders from her, you're doing it well."

Piccolo snorted. "I'm not doing it because she ordered it. I'm doing it because it makes sense. If Bulma really made a device that can block the Meiyochi, then we're definitely going to need it. It wouldn't hut to wait until Vegeta gets here before we fight Hui in any case, no matter what Goku thinks about it."

Gohan chuckled. "Yeah, dad was pretty down when he heard Vegeta was coming too. Something about a bet."

"Knowing those two, there's no telling." Although Piccolo's eyes were still closed, Gohan could practically see them roll behind their green lids. "Did you know they played rock paper scissors to see who was going to fight the final battle against Majin Buu?"

Gohan laughed out loud. "That doesn't surprise me."

The scouter in Gohan's pocket suddenly started beeping. "Hm?" After a momentary pause of confusion, Gohan quickly fished it out and looked at the number. He furrowed his eyebrows when he didn't recognize it, but he flipped it open anyway. "Hello?"

"You're making good time in your trajectory to Hui's starship, I trust?" A smooth female voice came over the line.

"Uh, yes." Across the room, Piccolo's eyes popped open. "Is this…uh…?"

"Kurenai." The voice supplied.

Gohan blanched and glanced nervously to his mentor. The older man merely took stood and took a few steps closer—clearly with the intention of eavesdropping. Gohan frowned at his lack of help. Somehow the idea of having a phone conversation with the Empress made him nervous. "Oh. Uh…hi."

"Yes." She said with some humor in her voice before adding in a drawl. "Hi." Gohan hardly had time to process the oddly toned greeting before Kurenai had begun. "I've called with news, and I figured it was right to tell you directly."

"Oh. Umm…okay." Gohan shrugged at Piccolo whose gaze was fixed on the contraption as if that might help him to hear more clearly.

"Hui's starship is heading to Earth."

"WHAT?!" Gohan yelled, nearly crushing the scouter in his surprise. Piccolo winced at the pitch.

Kurenai coughed. "Yes, you heard right. Hui has apparently decided that his Saiyan, Nox, needs to breed in order to build his army, and he is taking Nox to Earth to select a mate."

"Wha…how…that's sick!" Gohan exclaimed. "How do you even know this?"

"I have my sources." Her voice was calm and collected. "There's no need for alarm, though."

"No need for—"

"At the speed at which Hui's giant starship travels, it won't reach Earth for four to five weeks." Kurenai said. "Surely you will intercept them before then."

Gohan glanced at the ship's control panel. "Yeah. Yeah probably. When will—"

"They switched pods on Nara just several hours ago. I've ordered them to land on planet Viora to meet you. I'm sending you the coordinates." A beep on Gohan's scouter alerted him to the arrival of her message. A second beep alerted him to the fact that she'd hung up. Gohan blinked and stared at the scouter for a moment. "Hm." He then turned to Piccolo. "I guess we're changing course. Again."

* * *

Vegeta stared stonily out of his large window. The city stretched out below, before, and above him with glimmering lights and exciting sounds. He hardly saw it.

His frame was still, tense, deceptively calm. Inside, he was a hurricane. Thoughts raced through his head with no sense of order or direction. Even he could hardly make sense of what he was thinking.

It had to be his. There was no question of that. Tarble wouldn't dare…But what could Bulma have been thinking? At a time like this? Right when…Where did Hui get off threatening him like that? Demanding his obedience?...Obedience…Trunks had better still be on Iro. It would be just like him to steal a ship and fly off in search of action…And damn Kakarott. He wasn't sure why. But there was a reason. He knew it.

A low growl built in his throat, and he spun away from the window trying to put his racing thoughts in order. In three quick strides, he'd reached the fireplace. The large, stone fireplace was glowing with an oddly blue-tinted fire fueled by some mineral that Vegeta couldn't place. The odd rocks may have been similar to what the Loups used as fuel, but he wasn't sure. Nor did he care.

It was cold. Space was always so cold.

Or maybe it was Hui. He still hadn't lowered his power-level, assuming—rightly as it was—that his own personal Saiyan could somehow sense it and would be frightened into submission. It was sickening. So dark and sadistic. So overwhelmingly powerful.

Despite the lights and sounds below, Vegeta could tell that the starship was more subdued than usual this night. Clearly Vegeta wasn't the only person aboard who could sense the spoiled Emperor's power level. He was sure that many of the citizens were laying low, hiding in their homes with curtains drawn. No doubt they were terrified at what could have caused the Emperor to display his power so. Knowing the young Emperor's volatile personality as well as they most obviously did, they were likely also fearful of what the repercussions would be for them. Somehow, Vegeta wouldn't put it past Hui to kill a city full of his own people out of sheer anger.

Vegeta continued to wonder. Hui was nothing if not volatile. The fact that a simple piece of news could set him off so quickly reminded Vegeta a lot of another spoiled warlord who he'd rather not name. It was frustrating though. Hating Hui so much and wanting nothing more than to kill him, but being constantly reminded of the man's incredible power. If Vegeta had had illusions about defeating Hui on his own, he'd quickly abandoned them after Hui's stunt in the dining room.

The raging fire in the fireplace didn't seem warm enough, so he threw a few more of the rocks onto the fire. They cracked under the heat, and steam escaped them with sharp hisses.

He stared at them for a moment before dropping into the large chair before the fireplace. He laced his fingers across his stomach and simply stared.

He would never know it, but his father had once sat just like that—in a large plush chair facing a glowing fire. A scowl had been on the elder Vegeta's face back them, just like the one now on his son's. He'd been contemplating how to bring about the death of a warlord so as to keep his people—and his son—free from slavery.

He didn't live to see his dreams come to fruition.

* * *

The ship was quiet. It was hard to tell time in the middle of space. Flying in a continuous night was bizarre, disquieting, eerie even. The lights in the halls were dim, but the control room was lit up bright as day. Several days had passed since Kurenai's call, and they were due to land on planet Viora in only several hours. According to Gohan, Vegeta and Midori should have already landed there and were probably waiting for them.

Yamcha didn't know how Piccolo managed to stay in this room for as long as he did. It seemed as though lately, the Namek was found meditating in the corner of the control room almost every second of the day. Yamcha supposed that not needing to eat had its perks, but it must get boring never moving, rarely speaking, and constantly meditating.

Yamcha himself could hardly stave off his boredom. They had all decided to take turns manning the control room and the communicator just in case Kurenai or someone called with more news on Hui's whereabouts. Or in case Hui's ship turned. They certainly didn't want to run into him. They also didn't want to lose him.

Yamcha had wondered at the accounts of the notorious emperor being fickle, whimsical, and childish at first. After seeing his reactions at the tournament, though, Yamcha was fairly convinced that those accounts were spot on. It wasn't out of the question, therefore, that Hui would suddenly change his mind and alter his course.

Yamcha marked another X on his paper, and in so doing won his 437th game in a row of tic-tac-toe…against himself. With a sigh of boredom and a wistful glance at his silent friend across the room, he began drawing another grid.

Suddenly, the control panel started beeping.

Yamcha glanced at Piccolo again. The Namek's eyes were open now, staring with no small amount of nervousness at the control panel. This had never happened before.

The words "incoming call" began flashing in green on the screen before Yamcha. Piccolo stood, and inched his way cautiously across the room as if the screen itself might be a danger.

Neither of them reached for the button that would answer the call.

After a few moments the screen clicked on anyway startling both of them. _"Soldiers, have you forgotten how to answer calls?"_ An irritated voice bellowed through the link.

Piccolo and Yamcha stared into the angered face of what must have been a Tik commanding officer.

Light green eyes, set into a red, scaly face, narrowed as the man studied Piccolo and Yamcha. The man bore marks on his gray and black uniform. During the course of the tournament, Yamcha and Piccolo had come to learn that those marks were ranks. If they remembered correctly, this man should be a low-level elite. _"Why are you not in uniform?"_ The man asked. _"And where is Captain Jural, your commander."_

Yamcha was quite certain that Piccolo could hear his heart pounding. He wondered if the two Tik soldiers on the other end of the link could hear it as well. "Uhh…" He sent a nervous glance to Piccolo.

Piccolo thinking fast, stepped forward. "Unfortunately, he did not make it off the planet we were sent to bring under control."

The man frowned, and another soldier leaned into the screen and, sending only a precursory glance to the two Earth fighters, told the commander. _"This was the ship sent to follow up on those Krimzon space pods who had breached Tauran territory." _The second soldier's furry pug face scrunched up in disapproval as he turned and studied the two men on the other side of the screen.

The green eyes man's eyes narrowed further at the news. _"If your commander was killed, why did you not report it?"_ He asked, but rather than waiting for a response from the two Earth fighters, he lifted a small handheld computer, and staring at something on the screen, continued. _"And what are your identification numbers? You don't look like any of the soldiers in the squadron that was sent there."_

Beside the green-eyed soldier, the other stared suspiciously at them before mumbling something containing the word "familiar" and beginning to type on a panel below the screen.

Piccolo and Yamcha, however, were searching for an explanation. "We uhh…"

Suddenly, the door slid open behind them, and Goku walked in, clad in only his boxers and with an armload of snacks. If at all possible, his hair was even messier than usual. He'd clearly just rolled out of bed. "'Morning, guys, do you think there might be a gravity simulator—oh hey…" Goku stopped in his tracks to stare at the two Tik soldiers on the screen. "Who's this?"

Piccolo and Yamcha shot him alarmed looks before looking back to the screen.

Somewhat disturbingly, the green-eyed man had begun smirking. _"Well, well."_ He said, rubbing the bottom of his chin. _"I can hardly believe my luck. Imagine, Krey,"_ He said to the man beside him. _"Calling on a routine check-in, and finding Kurenai's new 'dream team.'" _He chuckled slightly before cocking a scaled eyebrow at them. _"I suppose when you hijacked that ship, you didn't expect that we would find out."_

The three fighters from earth merely stared at each other nervously, not knowing what to say.

On the screen, the second soldier had begun typing rapidly.

"_You probably also didn't expect,"_ The green-eyed commander continued, and as if on cue, the lights in the Earth fighter's ship went out. Emergency lighting activated, leaving the room dim and shadowy. _"That we could override your system." _A satisfied smirk crept onto his face._ "Sit tight right where you are."_ The man said as the three sent nervous looks around the now darkened room. _"Someone will be along to escort you to his excellency shortly. Oh," _He smirked._ "and don't bother trying to escape. Teleportation blockers are activated, and the ship is rigged to self destruct if any of the windows or ports are opened. I imagine, not even a Super Saiyan can survive in space for long with no oxygen."_

And then the screen went black.

"Umm…" Goku looked at the other two. The snacks in his arm were momentarily forgotten, as the reality of the situation set in. "Soo…"

Piccolo groaned and slapped a hand over his eyes. "We were so close." He dropped his hand in frustration and glared at the now-dead screen.

"What?" Yamcha gasped, sending panicked looks between his friends. "You're not giving up are you? We can still get out. We have space suits. Even if the ship explodes, we can still escape."

"And do what? Fly through space in our space suits until our oxygen runs out or we run into another Tik ship?" Piccolo asked. "We're too far into Tik territory now to find a friendly planet to escape to."

Yamcha turned to the control panel. The normally colorful buttons were now all dark. He tried pressing a few. "Damn. It really is shut down."

"Do you think you could rewire it?" Piccolo asked.

"Who me?" Yamcha asked. "Do I look like an alien rocket scientist to you?" Nonetheless, he knelt down below the control panel anyway and took a look at the wires underneath. After a few moments, he got back to his feet. "I have no idea what any of this does."

Goku frowned. "Maybe Gohan will know?" He suggested.  
"Doubtful." Yamcha said before sighing. "But it doesn't hurt to try."

* * *

From a haze of sleep, Trunks recognized the sound of beeping. His first thought was that it was his alarm, but upon cracking open an eye and noting the lack of light coming through his window, he quickly ruled that option out. He simply groaned and dug his face further into his pillow.

The beeping didn't stop, and the pillow was doing little to muffle the noise. "Ugh!" Trunks threw his covers back and sat up, looking around the room in annoyance. "Where is it?" His eyes trailed of their own accord to his doorway, and with a sigh, he pulled himself out of his bed. He stumbled up the stairs and into the living room—instantly spotting his mother's communicator on the table. "How can she not hear this?" He grumbled, glaring at his parents' bedroom door—only several feet away.

Nonetheless, he picked up the communicator. "This had better not be Goten." He groused before flipping it open. "Hello?"

"_Trunks!"_ Gohan's voice came excitedly from the other end of the line._ "Thank Dende! Is Bulma there?"_

"Yeah," Trunks said none-too-pleasantly. "But it's the middle of the night. She's _asleep_." He made sure to stress the last word obviously.

Trunks might have expected an apology. What he got in reply however was. _"Wake her up. It's an emergency."_

"Seriously?" Trunks groused. "You want me to wake her up? Do you know how crabby she is?"

"_Just do it, Trunks."_ Gohan ordered.

Trunks sighed in frustration, but turned and trudged over to his mother's door. "Moooom." He called while knocking loudly. He sighed again in annoyance, and opened the door himself. "Mom. Mom, wake up." He called, crossing the room to the bed and tapping his slumbering mother's shoulder.

She finally rolled over and cracked her eyes open slightly. "What?" She asked groggily. What is it Trunks? It's the middle of the night. Are you sick or something?"

"No." Trunks said. "Gohan's on the phone. He says it's an emergency."

"Gohan?" Bulma slowly sat up and ran a hand through her hair. Clearly trying to make herself alert, she took the phone from Trunks. "Gohan? What's up?"

"_Hey Bulma, sorry for waking you up. We've got a situation here." _

Bulma could instantly tell by the tone of his voice that the situation was rather serious. It made her instantly awake. "What's going on?"

"_Well, you knew we hijacked a Tik ship right?"_ Gohan asked.

"Yeah, I'd heard about that."

"_Well here's the thing. The Tik found out about it, and they've overridden our controls. We're completely shut down, and the ship's wired to blow if we try to escape. Apparently, some other Tik ships are coming to 'escort' us to Hui."_

"Oh Kami." Bulma whispered, earning a nervous look from Trunks. "Okay, what can I do?"

"Do you think you can help us get back online?"

"I can try." She said, finally pulling herself out of bed and heading into the living room. Trunks, now fully awake as well, was right on her heels. "Can you put on the video?"

"_Sure thing."_ Gohan said. _"Thanks for this, Bulma."_

* * *

Vegeta was practicing his katas in the elaborate, sparsely-used training rooms in the lower levels of Hui's floating castle. He'd found this room several days ago, and had taken to coming here to work off some steam. It certainly had nothing to the gravity chamber or an all-out spar with Kakarott, but it was the best he could do.

He spun gracefully with a perfectly-executed kick. He was perfectly concentrated. The outside world was nothing at the moment. There was no war, there was no terrifying prospect of another baby, there was no worry. It was just him and the dance. It was peaceful.

The sound of the training room door sliding open sent the world crashing back to him, and he knew without turning who he would find. No one had such perfectly bad timing quite like Fenn.

Vegeta continued his movements, ignoring the man who was most likely leaning on the doorway with a smirk on his face.

"You know…" Fenn's voice drifted across the room, and Vegeta couldn't help noting the ironic note in it. "I heard the strangest thing today. Incidentally it was a report that came to Hui about an hour ago."

Vegeta continued with his kata, completely ignoring the man behind him.

"It seems," Fenn's voice came again. "That Kurenai's Saiyan team hijacked a Tauran ship several days ago."

Vegeta faltered, and knowing that his charade was up, finally turned to look at Fenn. He was just as he'd imagined him—leaning cockily on the wall. The smirk, however was missing, replaced by a carefully calculating look.

Vegeta said nothing, simply staring at Fenn and waiting for him to continue his story.

"Our command central discovered this on a routine check in a few hours ago. They have locked the hijacked ship's control panel, and our ships are closing in as we speak to capture them." Fenn paused for a moment. Vegeta's face was carefully blank, but inside, he was cursing at them all for their stupidity. "They have been trying to override the block on the controls." He continued after a moment. "But their efforts will inevitably fail. In several hours, they will be in our custody."

Vegeta stared at him blankly for a few moments longer, before he finally spoke. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Well," Fenn began, pushing off the wall and taking a few steps further into the room. "Hui is rather excited to…meet them, and so he is taking a cruiser and flying out to meet with the ships that will be carrying the Saiyans. I wondered if you would like to come along."

Vegeta blinked, and a sneaking uneasiness began to creep over him. He squashed it away, however. It wasn't really a choice. He needed to be on that ship. "I would." He answered simply.

Fenn grinned. "I thought so." He said. "Go get ready. We're leaving as soon as Hui finishes his bath." With that, Fenn spun on his heel and exited the training room.

* * *

"Anything yet?" Bulma asked.

"_No."_ Gohan and Yamcha answered simultaneously. _"Nothing."_

Bulma sighed and looked around herself. She was sitting in Kurenai's throne room now in a hastily thrown-together outfit. Her hair was in a messy ponytail, and her eyes were red from lack of sleep. A cup of coffee sat before her and each of the engineers and technicians who had been hurriedly called in to solve the problem.

Kurenai stood behind the table of scientists, arms crossed, and a worried look on her face. She hadn't said a word, however, knowing that this was a problem that she could not solve. It was no secret to anyone that the fate of these five fighters was very important for the fate of the universe. Fittingly, a thick air of tension had settled over the room, refusing to lift. Bulma hadn't seen a single scientist touch their coffee. They were all too nervous at the situation. Bulma's stomach was twisting into knots—and not really for the fate of the universe. Those were her friends. They were men she'd grown up with, and who she'd watched grow up. They had always been there for her. They had saved her so many times. And now they had called on her to save them. But she hadn't been able to do it. That had been evident almost from the beginning.

Trunks had been the one to call Kurenai, asking in a panicked voice for her advice on the issue. Kurenai had immediately ordered for Bulma to come to the palace—alone. Trunks had been upset at being left out, but Bulma had understood that it simply wasn't the place for him. In very quick words, she had reminded him that Iro wasn't Earth, and that neither she nor Vegeta wanted Trunks in any way involved with the war. With a quick hug and a kiss—which had left him blushing and embarrassed—she ran out the door.

Kurenai's car had been waiting for Bulma when she'd gotten down to the street, and Bulma had spent the car ride trying to find a way to override the block on the system. When she'd arrived at Kurenai's throne room, it was already swarmed with Iro's top scientists already briefed on the issue. A semicircular wooden table had somehow appeared in the room, and pens and paper were waiting before each chair. Moments later, a young man and woman came in offering coffee to all of the scientists.

Bulma hadn't had time to be impressed by how fast Kurenai had pulled things together. She had simply handed over the scouter to Kurenai on Kurenai's request, and in a moment the image that she had seen on the small device's screen had been projected before the wooden table for all the scientists to see.

Bulma wrapped her hands around her coffee mug. The coffee had long gone cold, but perhaps out of habit, she searched for that lingering warmth.

Another scientist gave Gohan and Yamcha another suggestion, simplifying the technical words, in such a way that would have ordinarily made Bulma laugh. She wasn't laughing now. "Pulling the blue wire" hadn't worked. "Switching the red and blue triangle things" hadn't either. Nor had reading any of the ship's system's coding and changing a few of the combinations helped anything.

Around the table, heads were bowed together, as the scientists frantically discussed possible ways to solve the problem. She knew that in the Krimzon control tower—that tall, looming building that she could just make out on the darkened horizon—another team was trying to hack into the ship's system. As Tik and Krimzon ships operated on entirely different systems, they were having no luck either.

Bulma was all out of ideas. She had tried everything. She simply wasn't familiar enough with Tik technology to possibly override such a complicated system. She looked up to the screen where her friends were all waiting—hopeful that their lives would be saved. They had put their faith in her, but she was doomed to fail.

Her eyes briefly met Gohan's—those wide, dark eyes. Those eyes spoke volumes about him—filled with his mother's love and spirit, his father's kindness and innocence, and his own brand of intelligence and wisdom. Whatever Gohan saw in Bulma's eyes, though, it was not what he wanted to see. Bulma knew what she'd showed him—that hopelessness and sorrow—an unspoken apology that she could do nothing more. She felt her eyes start to water, and Gohan quickly looked away.

Bulma looked down the table again. She had rarely felt like this before. Never had there been a problem that she absolutely couldn't solve. Had she been in the ship with them, perhaps she could have thought of a solution. Perhaps she could have fixed it. But here, so many light years away, seeing only what Gohan's small communicator allowed her to see, she could do nothing.

She heard a cry from the other end of the line, and instantly, all of the scientists in the room fell silent.

From the other end of the line, she could hear a voice—Krillin's voice—panicked and distraught. _"They're here! There are three of them! Haven't you guys figured it out yet?"_

It was Gohan who answered, in a voice that was resigned and far too emotionless for his age_. "There's nothing we can do, Krillin."_ Krillin clearly wasn't the only one who was dismayed at the statement. Yamcha and Goku both briefly began arguing that there was certainly something to be done, but Gohan cut them off. _"They've all done the best they can, but there's really nothing. Just think about it. If the Krimzon could override Tik ships' controls in only a few hours, don't you think they would have won the war already?"_

That caused them all to fall silent.

"_So what do we do?"_ Krillin asked.

Finally Piccolo's deep voice came into the conversation. _"What we always do. We fight."_

Gohan's deep, dark eyes came onto the screen again. _"Thank you Bulma."_ He said sincerely. _"And thanks to everyone else. We'll take it from here."_ From somewhere off screen, Bulma heard Yamcha announce that the Tik had turned on a Meiyochi. Then the link was cut.

Kurenai's throne room was in silence, and the feeling of failure was so heavy that no one seemed capable of movement. Slowly, Bulma leaned forward and buried her face in her hands. She had failed them. They had come to her and she had failed. "I'm sorry." She whispered, hoping that, somehow, her friends might feel it. Hot tears poured out of her eyes, and her shoulders started shaking with silent sobs. She whispered again. "Oh, Dende! I'm so sorry!"

Around her, the scientists sat silently out of respect for the men on the ship. They didn't know them. They'd never spoken to them before today, but most of the scientists were certain that they would be yet more casualties in this wretched war.

* * *

It had only taken a few minutes for the five men to put on their Krimzon uniforms and armor. With their Ki blocked already, they strapped their weapons to themselves and filed into the hall.

Still fiddling with buckles and buttons, the five Earth warriors stared around at each other. "Will they just shoot us down?" Krillin asked. His eyebrows furrowed in worry and he glanced around at the walls as if they might explode at any moment.

"If they haven't done it yet, they probably won't" Piccolo answered.

"Should we go out to meet them?" Yamcha asked, looking out of the hall's window toward where one of the ships was floating. "They've come out of their ships."

"They what?" Piccolo asked, following his gaze out of the window. Sure enough, dozens of Tik soldiers in their black spacesuits were filing out of the ship. Rather than lining up in anticipation of a fight, however, they were all moving toward the ship.

"Where are they going?" Yamcha asked.

Suddenly, the power on the ship flickered back on. They all jumped at the sudden flood of light, and looked around warily. "Bulma?" Yamcha suggested hopefully.

"No." Piccolo assured him.

"They must be trying to open the doors." Gohan said.

"If they're trying to get in, they want to take us alive." Piccolo concluded. "Gohan, come with me to the front door. Goku, Krillin, and Yamcha, you go to the airlock."

"Right." They all nodded, and a moment later, the hallway was empty save for the sound of retreating footsteps.

By the time, Goku, Krillin and Yamcha reached the airlock, it had already been opened. Already eight Tik soldiers were in the room waiting for them, and more were coming in.

The door of the room was standing open, and just as the three rounded the corner to come in, a shot fired out. "Ahh!" The three dodged aside, unintentionally separating themselves. The Tik soldiers wasted no time, charging out of the airlock room and into the hall between Goku and his two friends. More shots rang out, hitting the walls and the ceiling, and causing Goku to stumble farther back down the hallway, firing off shots with his blaster.

When Goku finally paused to take a look around, he realized that Yamcha and Krillin were not with him. The sounds of struggle further down the hallway alerted him to the fact that Krillin and Yamcha had somehow ended up on the other side of the Tik soldiers.

The Tik soldiers hadn't even bothered to take off their helmets, making them eerily faceless. They were not particularly strong fighters. Goku could tell that just by reading their Ki. But it would be difficult to take out so many of them—especially now that he was alone.

Goku raised his weapon and fired. The blast hit one of the soldiers head on and clipped a second. There were simply too many Tik soldiers crowded into the narrow hallway for any of them to dodge properly. He ran down the hall, firing off a few more blasts, until he came to a doorway. He punched the panel for the door, but it wouldn't open.

"What?!" He hit the panel again. Nothing happened. "Open!" He yelled at it, jumping back and firing his blaster at it. A hole was burned into the door. Goku could probably crawl through it. He would never know if he would have fit, however, for at that moment, the Tik soldiers who had, until then, been leisurely making their way down the hallway fired at him.

He somehow managed to dodge the brunt of the blasts, only suffering some burns on his bicep and thigh. He fired again at random, hitting another of the soldiers. He continued firing. Blast after blast, without stop. The Tik soldiers grabbed the bodies of their dead comrades and held them up as shields. Goku scowled, but continued firing, aiming for openings anywhere he could.

Another group of soldiers flooded into the hallway from the airlock room, raising the number of Tik soldiers to somewhere around 15.

He moved again toward the hole in the door, wondering how he could climb through it without getting shot in the process. The edges of the door were still red and melting. He hadn't thought of that. He might do more damage to himself trying to crawl through than the Tik would do.

Suddenly, somewhere down the hall, Krilin's shriek carried over the noise. "Yamcha!"

Goku glanced over the heads of the soldiers, but he could not see either of his friends.

The moment of distraction cost him, however.

In the chaos, he hadn't noticed that one of the soldiers had drawn a different gun. Another barrage of shots fired out. Goku tried to dodge, them but they were simply everywhere. Goku raised his arm to shield his face. Burning blasts hit his shoulders, chest and forearms, and oddly Goku felt something akin to a bee sting on his arm.

The shots stopped, and the Tik soldiers lowered their weapons. The soldiers had oddly lost interest in him, and were turning away to where he could still hear Krillin struggling with the soldiers.

Goku suddenly felt strange. He turned his arm slowly to look at the area where he felt the persistent stinging. Horror overcame Goku when he saw his arm. "A needle!" He screamed, yanking it out and throwing it down the hall. While his alarm at the needle was a bit exaggerated, there was indeed a good reason for alarm. Goku realized this a moment later, when the hallway seemed to tilt.

He reached out to the wall for support, but his movements were too sluggish. A moment later, his knees buckled and he felt himself falling. He crashed to the floor, jarring his shoulder. Around them, the hallway was still spinning and warping. His head was growing foggy.

"What…" He managed to whisper. "What _was_ that?" And then everything went dark.

* * *

The news came during dinner. Hui had taken to having Vegeta at all of his meals. His power, still raised to terrifying levels, seemed to wilt the vegetables and make the food in general taste blander. Vegeta knew for certain that the lights flickered when Hui entered a room. Fenn had pointed it out to him, and he had looked for the flicker ever since.

Hui seemed certain that the massive display of power would keep his Saiyan in line. For the moment, it seemed to be doing the trick. Although he scowled and did not speak, Nox was doing as he was told.

Vegeta ate heartily of the spread of food before him, ignoring the spoiled Emperor that sat at the end of the table. The table on which they were eating was much smaller than the one in Hui's palace, but one simply couldn't be too lavish on a spaceship.

"Are you excited, Nox?" Hui's voice carried across the ship's small dining room.

Vegeta ignored him, and shoveled another piece of meat into his mouth.

He could practically feel Hui's scowl at the lack of a reply, but nonetheless, the young man continued. "This will be the first time you see another Saiyan, isn't it? It's your lucky day, because I'm going to take them all into my army as well." He wiggled excitedly in his seat. "Can you imagine, Fenn?" The Emperor asked, turning his attention away from his Saiyan. "Can you imagine the look on Kurenai's face when she realizes that I've taken all of her Saiyans? What good is Vegeta now that I've got five Saiyans of my own?" Vegeta had to resist the urge to glare at him.

Fenn, however, spoke up then. "Don't forget that quality matters more than quantity." He said, daintily tasting a bit of something resembling pudding. "It may well be that five Saiyans won't be a match for Vegeta."

"Oh of course they will." Hui argued.

Fenn ignored him. "And don't forget that Kurenai also has the younger two and Vegeta's brother.

"You always spoil my good moods, Fenn." Hui groused. "I don't know why I keep you around."

The door to the dining room slid open then, and a nervous looking officer crept in. Vegeta could practically hear the poor man shaking. "And just _why_ are you interrupting my dinner?" Hui demanded upon seeing him.

"Sir, you…you ordered us to inform you immediately when we catch the Saiyans." He said.

"I know what I ordered." Hui snapped. "I was there."

"Well…that is. We've got them, sir. They used the tranquilizer like you said. It put them out cold. They've separated them between the three ships, and they're being transported here now."

A broad grin lit Hui's face. "You hear that?" He said, turning to Fenn and Vegeta, while the officer scurried in relief out of the room. Hui jumped out of his chair and did an excited twirl. His long black tunic swirled around him as he turned. "I've now got five Saiyans, and there's nothing Kurenai can do about it."

Vegeta simply continued eating his dinner in silence.

* * *

A/N: Hello, everyone! I'm back once again with another update. This took a little longer than I hoped it would, but school's been—and will likely continue to be—quite hectic. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Thank you to everyone who left me a review last time. I really appreciate the time and effort that all of you put into giving me comments, and I absolutely love how many of you enjoy this story.

Anyway let me know what you thought of this chapter!


	54. Hope

Chapter 54-Hope

He was on the floor. Without opening his eyes to look around, he could tell. It was cold, hard, and smooth. His head was cloudy, but he forced his eyes open. The room was small and dark. No doors or windows were visible at all and, save for a small toilet and sink in the corner, there was nothing in the room.

"Whah?" He pushed himself up on an elbow and looked around. "Where…?" And then he remembered.

He jumped to his feet, causing his head to spin. Swaying unsteadily, he called out. "Gohan?" He stumbled toward the wall and felt along it for a door. "Gohan! Where…?" He spun around again, looking about frantically. "Where's…Gohan! Piccolo! Krillin! Yamcha! Anyone! Can you hear me?" His limbs felt heavy, but he was determined to…to do something. He had to find them, but there appeared to be no way out of the room.

"There must be!" He argued to himself. "I got in here somehow. There's got to be a way out."

Suddenly, a screen came to life behind him. He spun around in surprise to see a white, scaly creature with bright blue eyes was staring at him. He thought it might be a woman…something about the slender frame and slanted eyes. It was odd though. He hadn't noticed there being a screen there before.

"You…" Goku blinked. His mind still wasn't as sharp as usual. He knew that he'd never seen this person before—at least he thought he hadn't. What was familiar though was the black and grey Tik uniform that the soldier wore. "What have you done with my son? And my friends."

He came closer to the screen and braced his hands on either side of it.

"Where are they?" He demanded again.

The scaled creature finally spoke. "We have them as well. They are in their own holding cells. You may not have a very high opinion of the Tauran Empire, but I assure you that our soldiers are not so dense as to leave very dangerous prisoners together."

Goku just blinked at her, and leaned to the side as if doing so might allow him to see past the white creature on the screen or catch a glimpse of something that could tell him where his son and friends were.

"You are the first to awaken." The white creature said, drawing Goku's attention back to it. "I assume that you are the most powerful of your group. The others are taking much longer to recover from the tranquilizer."

At the mention of the word, Goku absently rubbed his forearm where the needle had stung him. He didn't have anything to say.

"It's no worry though." She said. "There are several hours yet before the Emperor's ship reaches ours. And in any case, there was no real _need_ for any of you to be conscious."

Goku narrowed his eyes. "What do you plan to do with us?"

"I thought I said?" The creature said. "We are taking you to Hui. He has a favor or two to ask of you."

Goku snorted.

The creature smiled a bit mockingly. "You will not keep that attitude long. No one refuses Emperor Hui. You may think otherwise, but the _collar_ always agrees with the Emperor." Goku's hand shot to his neck where to his horror, a metal collar was locked. The woman had the gall to wink at him. "See you later, Saiyan."

A moment later, the face had disappeared and Goku was once again staring at a blank wall. He brought his hand up to touch it. Not even the slightest warmth or twinge of electricity indicated that anything had once been there. There was no seam, no button, no difference in texture.

Goku turned and studied the rest of the room. Hui would be here in a few hours? He moved to the corner and sat down on the floor. He had to think of a way out of this mess.

* * *

The news had been kept under wraps so far, but it wouldn't be long until word got out. Especially with the way Goten was behaving. Their friends had all asked the boy what was the matter, but he hadn't responded. Even the teachers noticed his sullen mood. He'd been sunk down in his seat all day, hardly taking notes, and not at all participating in class. He hadn't even eaten anything at lunch—something which had surprised Trunks most of all.

His heart just wasn't in it. He was too worried. He was angry at his mom too. Why would she make him go to school when his dad and brother had just been kidnapped? Goten had heard about what happened to Uncle Vegeta when he'd been caught by the Tik. Goten hadn't known what "executed" was when Uncle Vegeta had said it that first night at the table, but he'd heard the adults whispering about it the day after they'd gone to visit the king.

Goten could almost see his brother and dad lying across a bloody table being hacked to bits by some scary guy with an axe. It made his stomach turn.

Sudden movement around him made Goten look up. The blurry black squiggles on his notebook had long ago ceased to mean anything to him. It felt like class had just begun, but as he looked around, all of his classmates were packing up their bags.

"Huh?" He mumbled to himself as his classmates filed past him out of the classroom. "Is class over?"

"Yeah." One of his classmates—a boy whose name he couldn't remember—said, pausing for a moment beside Goten's desk. "Didn't you hear the bell?"

Goten looked back down to his paper. "Guess not." He mumbled, beginning to pull his things together.

"You don't look so good." The kid said. "You should stop by the nurse before you go home." And then he was one his way.

Goten wouldn't have answered anyway. He just morosely packed his bag and made his way out of the classroom.

Trunks was waiting for him in the hall with his friend Han'nei. "Hey Goten." Trunks greeted, and the wary tone in his voice made it obvious that his friend was worried about him. It wasn't like Trunks to really know what to say to make Goten feel better though. He'd let Goten know that he understood…that when his dad went missing he'd felt terrible…that there was still hope that Gohan and the others would make it out alright. But after that, there wasn't much else for Trunks to say. So he'd just kept silent, casting Goten worried looks.

"You ready to go home?"

Goten just nodded.

"Cool." Trunks nodded toward the elevator, and the three set off down the hall.

It wasn't lost on Goten that Trunks and Han'nei were casting each other worried looks. Goten wondered if Trunks had told Han'nei what had happened. He figured he probably had. Trunks seemed to tell her everything.

As they made their way through the lobby, down the street and to the train platform, Trunks continued to talk, telling him how he'd narrowly avoided Lysibet and the others' questions by claiming that he had to get home to help his mom. Their usual stop by the arcade would be bypassed. Goten just wasn't up for it, and Trunks had enough video games at his house anyway.

Goten boarded the train without much thought, hardly seeing the faces of the various aliens around him. He usually thought it fascinating to see all their different colors, shapes, and sizes, and occasionally struck up a conversation with one to hear about what their home planet was like. He'd done that once riding the train with his mom and Bulma, and the two women had spent the entire afternoon talking about how Goten was "Goku-made-over."

The aliens didn't interest him today. Nothing did. Trunks had apparently given up on pulling Goten into a conversation. That was just as well. Goten preferred to watch the scenery fly past the window anyway. It was nothing but a blur—patches of light and dark with no sense or pattern.

It was a few minutes after Han'nei had gotten off at her stop that Goten noticed she was gone. The train was packed now, and a man jostled him as the train came around a corner. Goten hardly heard the man's apology and mumbled an inaudible apology of his own.

His eyes had suddenly locked onto Trunks. His friend was staring seriously out the window, seemingly deep in contemplation. The orange sunlight was darting between the buildings as they sped through the city, playing games with his friend's purple hair. Trunks's face was set in a way that made Goten think of Uncle Vegeta. It was the face that the adults said made him look much older—or like an older version of himself. Goten wasn't sure what the difference was.

"Trunks." Goten whispered.

Trunks's sharp blue eyes darted toward Goten with slight surprise. "Hm? You alright, kid?"

"Trunks." Goten repeated, and a flutter of hope went through his stomach. He decided to switch to Saiyago. He'd seen Trunks and Vegeta do that a few times when they didn't want people to hear what they were saying. "Do you think we could steal a ship? And…and find Gohan and my dad?"

Trunks swallowed and looked away, as if he'd known Goten might ask that. He took a deep breath and then turned back. "No." He said.

Goten had to admit that he was shocked. Trunks, his go-getter friend—his friend who was scared of nothing, and would always dare anything once—had just flat out refused. Goten furrowed his eyebrows. "Why not?" He asked. "You'd do it for your dad."

"Goten…" Trunks sighed. "I've thought about it. Gohan's my friend too, and so are the others, but…" He frowned. "We just can't do it. I'm sorry, Goten. I was trying to think of a way to get to them, but I just can't. You heard how much trouble they had just getting where they are now. They were attacked, crash-landed, and had to fight their way off a planet with no Ki. I just…we can't do it, Goten. And…knowing your limits is part of what makes you a good warrior."

Goten just stared at Trunks for a moment as a strange look came over Trunks's face.

"Where on Earth did I get that from?" Trunks mumbled. "I almost sounded wise just now."

Goten didn't reply. Just then, the train pulled up to their stop. Goten shouldered his way through the crowd of people and onto the platform. Without another word, he stalked into their apartment building. Trunks was right on his heels.

"Goten." Trunks's voice hardly penetrated through Goten's mind, so full of anger and deception were his thoughts. Even in the elevator ride up to their floor, Goten refused to so much as look at Trunks. Apologies would do no good. The one time Goten had ever asked anything of Trunks, he'd refused. The one time Goten had ever needed anything from his best friend—after years and years of going along with Trunks's plans—Trunks had flat-out said 'no.'

Goten was out of the elevator and down the hall before the doors had fully opened. He reached the door and, being careful not to break his key or the door handle in his anger, let himself inside.

His anger immediately drained away, only to be replaced by a mild sense of confusion. The moment Goten stepped into the flat he shared with is mother, he was grabbed into a suffocating hug. "Oh Goten!" Chichi cried, and from her voice Goten would have almost thought she sounded happy.

"Mom?" He mumbled. His voice was muffled from the fact that his face was wedged between his mother's breasts. He instantly grew alarmed. "Mom! What is it?" He wiggled himself free. "What happened?"

"I just heard from Kurenai." Chichi said, and Goten completely missed the note of desperate hope in her voice. Goten's stomach dropped, and he could feel the blood drain from his face.

"Did…is…" He couldn't seem to get a sentence out.

"Kurenai said there is hope." Chichi said. "Vegeta will reach the ship in a few hours, and Kurenai is almost certain that he can get them out."

"My dad?" Goten turned to see that Trunks had followed him into his house. "My dad's there?"

In less than a second, Trunks had also been pulled into a hug with an undignified squawk. A moment later, Chichi let him go.

Goten smiled for the first time since he'd gotten the news that Gohan and his dad were gone—not a smile. A full grin. "Uncle Vegeta's there?!" He repeated in excitement. He turned and grabbed Trunks' arms. "He can save them. Just like they saved us from Buu!"

Trunks nodded with a grin, and Goten didn't notice the slight pallor in Trunks's face that indicated that he wasn't entirely thrilled that his dad was supposed to sneak alone into Hui's ship to rescue their friends. But he didn't say anything.

As Goten danced away to give his mother a warmer hug, Trunks stood to the side staring at the scene before him. The excited babbling, the statements of hope and confidence, the reassurances—it somehow made Trunks nervous.

He realized what it was. The end was near. All of the fighters were now in one place. There was no more running now. No more hiding. No more stalling. It was time for the fight. This is what they'd been preparing for for over a year. And Trunks could do nothing to help.

It was out of his hands.

* * *

Vegeta threw another punch at his invisible opponent. His pent-up anxiety was mounting with every passing moment. This was it. They were closing in on the ship. In no time at all, the others would be brought in to face Hui. Vegeta, of course would be there as well. Would they recognize him? Kurenai and Midori did an impressive job on his disguise, even going so far as to change his Ki. So far no one else had recognized him—at least he thought not. Sometimes Fenn seemed like he knew a bit too much, but Vegeta had no idea just _how_ much.

But would they somehow know it was him? He had no idea.

He spun gracefully, sending a kick into the air, then twisted, flipping and landing gracefully across the room.

At that moment, the door slid open. He sighed and turned. "Yes, Fenn?"

"They're here." He said simply.

"Whah?" His eyes widened in honest surprise, and he turned around as if looking for a clock. He hadn't realized he'd spent so much time in there. He supposed that was nothing new, though. The Woman always complained about how he spent hours on end in the gravity chamber, when to him it didn't feel that long at all.

Fenn smirked slightly. "I presume you want to see them. Don't be surprised if you find them not all that impressive. All Saiyans look alike."

Vegeta furrowed his eyebrows in annoyance, but Fenn had already turned away.

"Come along then." Fenn called over his shoulder. "It's time to meet your brethren."

Vegeta followed along after him, checking his reflection in the outer window to make sure he was as well-disguised as he could possibly be. His eye-patch was in place with a long scar running down his cheek below it. His hair was totally unnatural to him, half of it sticking up widely, and the other half falling over his face. He'd even let a light beard grow in. The Tik uniform that Hui had insisted he wear helped as well—even if gray was not really his best color.

The halls were completely empty of soldiers, lending the ship a sort of eerie silence. The only sound was the echo of their boots on the sleek floors. Fenn didn't say another word as they walked. His demeanor betrayed nothing—no excitement, no suspense, not even curiosity.

Within moments they had reached the "throne room" of the ship. Like the ones on Frieza's ships, it sported a large window in the back that looked out into space. Hui, sitting in an elaborate black throne in the middle of the room seemed to be floating in the black, starry void. The room was packed with soldiers—apparently almost every soldier on board. All were in uniform, standing stiffly, crowded along the sides of the room. It was obvious from the odd undercurrent of excitement, that this was not something that happened often.

Fenn strode toward the throne to lean against it and listen with some humor to Hui's excited whispers. Vegeta moved toward the back of the group of soldiers, allowing him to blend into the mass of black and gray, but giving him a good view of the doorway.

It appeared as though he had gotten there just in time. He had only been standing there for a few moments when he heard the sound of a commotion in the hall. His heart began to pound in nervousness. The room was completely silent. The only sounds were the yells from outside in the hall, and the sounds of scuffling feet as people approached.

A quick glance at Hui showed that the young emperor's hands were gripping the arms of his throne and that he was leaned forward in anticipation. His dark hair fell in lank strands around his face, and his pale face seemed to sport slightly more color than usual. The young man licked his lips, and his eyes remained wide and fixed on the door.

The sound of the door sliding open drew every gaze in the room. Vegeta, like all the others, turned his eyes toward the doorway. His stomach dropped.

First came Krillin. The small man had clearly not yet fought off whatever tranquilizer he'd been shot with, and he was dragged without struggle into the room. His head lolled about weakly, and only a brief glimpse of fluttering eyelids let Vegeta know that he was at least partly conscious. Next came Yamcha, in nearly the same state as Krillin. He supposed that this was one of the downsides of everyone assuming that these two were Saiyan. Vegeta was surprised that the two were even alive given the strength of the tranquilizer they'd probably used on them.

Next came Piccolo, looking much better than the others. The tall Namek was walking stiffly, his face slightly paler than usual and with an oddly-sick fluctuation in his Ki. But his shoulders were back and his head held high. His eyes landed on Hui the moment he was taken in, and he sent the young man the most unimpressed, disgusted, and scathing look he could muster in his weakened state. Had Piccolo been a more magical being, Hui would have likely have been turned into something akin to a slug right then.

Finally came the source of the noise, a group of nearly eight guards were wrestling with Gohan and Goku, pulling the struggling, shouting pair into the throne room. They were yelling for someone to bring a doctor for Krillin and Yamcha, for Hui and his men to fight them like honorable men, and surprisingly—in Gohan's case—some rather violent and lewd suggestions.

Vegeta hardly kept himself from raising an eyebrow, though internally, he wondered where the mild-mannered young man he'd watched grow up had gone.

A few limping guards were the last to enter the room, all sending angered glares to the pair of struggling Saiyans. Finally, the door closed behind them, and Hui stood.

Gohan and Goku stopped yelling, and turned their somewhat fevered faces toward the young emperor. The room slipped into a hushed silence.

Hui took several steps toward the group, leaving Fenn leaning casually against the throne. Hui's rather malicious eyes passed over the group of men as he moved. Having gotten halfway between his throne and the group, he stopped abruptly letting his flowing tunic swirl around him.

Everything was still for a moment. There was no sound, no movement. It seemed as if everyone was holding their breaths for what the emperor would do. Oddly, Hui smiled.

"Hello." He said almost warmly. "And welcome to my ship. Indeed welcome to my empire, for you are now a part of it."

"You wish!" "We'll never fight for you!" Gohan and Goku shouted at the same time.

Hui waved their comments away. "Many men before you have said the same thing. And I assure you that they all did in fact fight for me." He shrugged. "Or they died." His smile broadened into a grin. "But here's the thing. Saiyans are a very valuable commodity at the moment. It seems at though Kurenai realized this before I did, but the joke's on her now, because now, you all belong to me."

While Goku and Gohan shouted their rejection of that idea, Piccolo finally spoke. "You're getting ahead of yourself, I think." He said. "What makes you think you could make any of us do what you want?"

"I have technology." Hui sniped.

"So do lots of other people. What's special about yours?" Piccolo goaded.

Hui just rolled his eyes as if at having to put up with an annoying child. "I have a microchip that, when implanted into your brain can tell me where you are and what you are doing at all times. If I don't like what you're doing, I can kill you."

"Kill us now then." Piccolo said. "We will not fight for you."

Hui's grin turned into a scowl.

"Watch what you say, green man. You're not a Saiyan, and I have no interest in your kind. I'm keeping you alive out of courtesy right now."

"By all means, don't show me any courtesy."

Hui let out a huff of indignation, as he eyed Piccolo. "I am inclined to kill you, but you are just as powerful as these Saiyans. That would be such a waste. We'll just have to have you broken." Dismissing Piccolo, he turned to regard Yamcha and Krillin. "What's wrong with these two?" He raised his eyes to the guards. "What have you done to my Saiyans. You'd best hope for your sake that they're not permanently damaged."

The guards sputtered in fright for a moment before one of them finally spoke. "No sir! They're just still under the effects of the tranquilizers. They already look much better now than they did a few hours ago."

Hui frowned but nodded in understanding before taking a few steps closer to study Gohan and Goku. "And you two. You're clearly the two most powerful in the bunch." Neither of them spoke, but Hui didn't let that deter them. "I hear that you are acquainted with Prince Vegeta." Hui raised an eyebrow at them. "Tell me, what are your power levels in comparison to his?"

Goku and Gohan shared a look before turning back to Hui. Both stubbornly stayed silent.

Hui appeared to try to let it slide, but failed. He was unused to being ignored, and certainly unused to insubordination. "I asked you a question." He snapped.

Goku and Gohan again remained silent.

"Fine." Hui spun on his heel. "If you won't tell me your power levels, we'll just test them."

Gohan finally spoke then, stopping Hui in his tracks. "Will we test them against _you_?" He asked without the slightest hint of fear in his voice.

Hui turned and looked over his shoulder.

"I trust it would be a fair fight?" Gohan continued sarcastically. "You're so _obviously_ a man of honor. Or would you have us wear these Ki collars to fight you?"

Hui's eyes narrowed dangerously, and a moment later, black energy shot out, coiling around him and sending up dark bolts of electricity.

A shiver ran through the room, and those Z fighters conscious enough to react took a step back in surprise. Krillin and Yamcha, perhaps the luckiest parties in the room promptly fainted.

After a moment, Hui let his power down again and fixed Gohan with a glare. The two young men locked eyes for a moment, before Hui finally spoke. "You couldn't handle me."

Gohan glared, but didn't respond. Judging from the pallor in both his and Goku's faces, they weren't quite over the tranquilizer themselves. It would be dangerous enough fighting Hui. It would be downright foolhardy to provoke Hui into a fight when they weren't anywhere near top form.

Hui smirked. "But we will test you now. I've been waiting so long for this, I simply can't wait any longer." He turned to a uniformed man near him. "You. Technician. Put up the energy shield." As the man scurried toward a heretofore invisible panel in the wall, Vegeta felt the crowd of soldiers pushing farther back toward the sides of the room. A moment later, a green dome flickered to life in the room. Hui smirked at the startled Z fighters now inside the dome. "Now, you can fight without blowing the ship to bits. Energy blasts and individuals who are 'powered up' so to speak cannot pass through the barrier." He pointed toward Krillin and Yamcha. "Pull those two aside. We won't have anyone killing my Saiyans before they can fight for me." The guards obediently hauled Yamcha and Krillin out of the ring and lay them down outside of the dome.

"Don't worry." Hui said to the now, anxious Z fighters. "You won't be fighting me." He turned and let his eyes scan the crowd for a moment. Finally, his gaze settled on Vegeta. "Nox! Come out and play!"

* * *

Bulma didn't know how Goten and Trunks could be so calm. Trunks had brought his game console to Goten and Chichi's apartment, and the two boys were playing through some fantasy adventure as if they didn't have a care in the world. Sure Trunks thought the world of Vegeta, but Bulma knew that by now, Trunks knew that even Vegeta had limits. Whatever Kurenai was expecting him to do, it would be no cakewalk.

Bulma had never thought she'd see the day when Chichi put all of her faith in Vegeta, but she supposed that the woman was desperate. Bulma had faith in him too. The man was one of the strongest in the universe, and he'd done some amazing things so far. But still, so much could go wrong.

Iro City was having one of its rare light rainfalls. Light droplets of rain were hitting the window, and running in streaks down the pane. Bulma thought momentarily that they looked like tears. She turned her gaze away. It was too foreboding.

Bulma checked her watch. "I think they'll all be there now." She said. Bulma had gotten there about a half hour ago, fully aware of the situation. Kurenai had pulled her out of the labs yet again to let her know what was happening, and ordering her to not say a word to anyone who wasn't family. The family part was rather loosely interpreted. Bulma had immediately called Chichi, only to discover that she'd already heard the news. Still though, they would need to tell everyone back on Earth.

Chichi looked up from her cup of tea. "Hm?" She shook herself and glanced at the clock on the wall. "Oh yes. They should be." She pushed herself out of her chair, taking her steaming tea mug with her.

Bulma followed her with her own mug of hot cocoa. "Okay boys, can you pause for a moment? We're going to call Earth."

The boys whined about how they'd just gotten to the good part, but nonetheless, they paused their game and let their mothers take control of the screen.

Bulma tapped a few buttons and a loud beeping announced that the call was connecting. It was hardly two seconds before the call was answered.

"Any news?" Videl's wide eyes seemed huge on the screen. The young woman was pale. Her hair was messy, and she had dark circles under her eyes. If she'd slept the night before, it hadn't been well. Puar hovered beside her looking just as distressed.

"Back up!" Oolong shouted at them. "We all want to hear!"

As Videl and Puar scooted backward, the group on Iro could see that the Kame house was full of people. 18 stood in the back, looking tired, but clearly trying to seem calm for Marron's sake. 17 stood beside her, leaning casually against the wall. The giant Ox King, leaning forward anxiously, seemed to be taking up half the room. Master Roshi sat beside Oolong looking oddly serious.

"Well?" 18 asked from the back of the room after the silence stretched on for a moment or two.

"Uncle Vegeta's going to go rescue them." Goten said with a broad grin.

In the Kame house, there were mixed reactions. Videl's showed the most obvious sense of relief. Master Roshi was nodding as if considering the possibilities of success. The others seemed less optimistic.

"How will he do that?" 18 asked stepping forward, looking specifically to Bulma.

She just shook her head, looking unsure. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"No offense," Oolong piped up. "But after how quickly Goku and the others got captured, I can't see Vegeta getting anywhere near them without being captured himself."

While Trunks clearly did take offense with the remark, Bulma merely nodded anxiously. "That's what I thought too." Bulma admitted, looking worried. "But I spoke to Kurenai not even an hour ago. He's apparently already there."

"Really?" That caused a definite stir in the Kame house. 18 finally came forward, the worried crease on Puar's forehead smoothed slightly, and Videl sat back in relief.

"What do you mean he's already there?" 18 said.

Bulma shrugged. "According to Kurenai, he's managed to get onto Hui's ship. She seems confident that he'll be able to get them out."

The Ox King spoke up from the back. "Did Kurenai say how Gohan and the others were doing? Are they alright?"

Chichi shook her head. "She hasn't been in touch with them. But she says that she doesn't think Hui means to kill them." When their friends in the Kame house shared confused looks, she clarified. "She says he wants to recruit them."

Silence fell, and everyone stared at each other nervously. Some may have thought it odd that the prospect of death was less worrisome than that of being drafted into an army, but this was indeed a special band of people. They were used to odd situations, to fear and trauma. They were also used to worry. And worrying was something that they would do a lot of in the coming hours.

* * *

Piccolo looked back toward Krillin and Yamcha. The two had been laid on the floor on the outside of the green barrier. They at least would be safe for now. The same could not be said for him, Goku and Gohan.

His gaze moved over the ranks of soldiers lining the walls until he spotted a place where the soldiers were moving aside the let someone through. Hui was looking in that same direction.

A man dressed in the black and gray Tik uniform emerged from the crowd, sending a blank glance to the Z fighters, and moving to stand before Hui. Piccolo had seen this Saiyan before, if only on TV. The Saiyan's hair was odd. Long, straight bangs fell limply covering one half of his face and hiding an eye patch. While the right side of his hair was short, the left side was long and spiky.

"I'd like you to meet _my_ saiyan." Hui declared smugly. "His name is Nox."

The man turned to face them, and nodded his head in a sort of greeting. A scar was visible rising up cheek his and up under his eyepatch. His face had clearly not seen a razor for a few days.

"Dad, check the power on this guy." Gohan said lowly. There was a touch of nervousness in his voice. "I know he's a Super Saiyan, but he feels like he's got much more power hidden."

Goku's drug-wary eyes were gleaming slightly, in natural anticipation of a good fight. "It's incredible. I mean. He was good in the tournament, but I agree. He was definitely hiding some of his power then."

Piccolo glanced over at Goku, to remind him of their situation, but suddenly there was a voice in his head. _"Namek, remain calm. Do not try to find me. Don't even look around. No one can know that I'm talking to you."_ The voice paused. _"Now, you're going to have to play along. You shouldn't be here. There is no way that you can beat him here."_

Piccolo finally placed the voice. _"Vegeta?"_

"_Of course. Who did you think it was?" _There was a short pause. _"Anyway, I'm going to try to help you escape, but I may need to hurt you quite a bit so I don't blow my cover."_

"_Your cover?"_

"_Yes."_

"_You're a spy?"_

"_Hence the need for a cover. I'm standing right in front of you by the way." _Piccolo had to fight the urge to let his jaw drop. His eyes had immediately darted to Nox, now in quiet conversation with Hui. Nox glanced toward him in that moment and cocked an eyebrow. In that moment Piccolo knew without a doubt.

"_What do you plan to do?"_

"_Just leave it all to me. I'm going to get you away from Hui first. I'll figure out a way to get you off the ship later."_

Piccolo's response was somewhat reluctant, but he knew there were few other options. _"Ok. I'm trusting you."_

Piccolo studied Nox. Now that he knew, he could see it. It seemed strange that he hadn't noticed before. The same height and build, the enormous power level. Sure the face, skin tone, and hair were different. It was probably the difference in Ki that had been the main thing to throw him off. How had he done that? And also how…? No it didn't make sense._ "Hold on. If you're Nox, how were you also on Iro? How are you also waiting on that planet? Is this magic?"_

"_This really isn't the time to explain everything, but just to make it simple…Tarble."_

"_Of course!"_

While Piccolo was reeling in shock, Hui and Nox/Vegeta had descended into an argument. Rather quickly though, it wrapped up, with Hui shouting "fine!" Hui looked over to the guards clustered around the wall. "One of you come take their collars off!" Then he retreated to his throne and dropped into it gracelessly.

The guards looked around at each other nervously, before one of them came forward. Pulling a set of keys out from his belt, he slowly approached the standing Z fighters.

"No sudden movements." Piccolo whispered to them. Gohan and Goku just nodded, and with some small confusion, allowed the guards to remove their collars. Their Ki flooded back to them, and although they were still a bit weak and shaky from the tranquilizers, they felt ready for a fight.

The father and son pair followed Piccolo's gaze to the dark Saiyan standing before him.

"I have been ordered to fight you." The Saiyan, Nox, said. "Which of you will come first?"

The three had a short, quiet conversation, before Gohan turned toward him. "I will." Piccolo and Goku gave him supportive pats on the shoulder before stepping back. "We don't have to do this though." Gohan said, taking a few steps forward. "You don't have to take orders from Hui. You have other options. You're welcome to come with us…the last of the surviving Saiyans."

"And how are you proposing you leave?" Hui cut in.

Gohan ignored him. "We've dealt with guys like Hui before. They're always overconfident, and they always slip up in the end. When we defeat Hui, you're welcome to come with us to Earth."

Hui huffed and dropped his cheek onto his fist. "Nox! Hurry and shut him up!"

To Gohan's surprise, Nox rolled his eyes at Hui's order before turning back to Gohan. "That's pretty talk. But I never said I was aiming to kill you. I just want to fight you."

Gohan grinned. "Well in that case, get ready." He crouched into a fighting stance. "You're a Super Saiyan. Let's just skip the kid stuff. Transform." With a yell, Gohan called on his mystic power. Lightning crackled around him, and many of the soldiers were knocked off their feet. The walls and ceiling vibrated, but to the credit of the Tik engineers, everything held together.

Despite the display of power, however, off to the side Piccolo and Goku looked worried. "He's not as powerful as when he fought Buu." Piccolo noted quietly.

Across the room, Vegeta/Nox powered up to Super Saiyan, raising his Ki to be almost on par with Gohan's.

"Yeah." Goku mumbled, noting the obvious decrease in power. Whereas three years ago on the Supreme Kai's planet, Goku had been stunned by Gohan's transformation, now Gohan only seemed equal a Super Saiyan 2. He was still powerful, but not amazing.

"Do you think he's losing his mystic powers?"

"No." Goku defended quickly, though his voice was less certain than he'd intended it to sound. "It must just be the tranquilizers still messing with him."

Piccolo nodded. "That or years of not training have finally caused him to lose potential. Maybe he's just past his prime."

Goku snorted, watching as Gohan leapt forward and began exchanging furious punches with Nox. "He's hardly twenty. He's not past his prime." Goku said. As if to prove that, Gohan landed a punch square in Nox's face, sending him stumbling backward. It was becoming clear though, that Gohan wasn't going to be able to run maxed out like he was for very long.

Nox quickly righted himself and, charging at Gohan, gave him a kick strong enough to send him flying backwards and crashing into the barrier.

"I'm just saying that perhaps instead of just relying on the Kais' magical power boost, he might have made a little more effort in his training." Piccolo said—a concern that had been on his mind for several years already.

Goku frowned, watching again as Gohan and Nox danced through the air, exchanging blows. "He's young. He likes other things…like books and girls." Goku defended again. "There was no need to train since Buu. Who cares if he got a little…less in shape?"

Gohan was sent plummeting to the ground, hitting it hard and rolling a bit. He pulled himself back to his feet a bit slower than before. It was almost visible how quickly his power was falling away. Nox dropped down before him.

Piccolo just snorted. "It certainly would have been nice now if he were more powerful than a Super Saiyan 3. Don't you think?"

"This is crazy." Goku said, not bothering to answer Piccolo's question. "This guy…he's hardly even breaking a sweat. Piccolo, it's gotta be the drugs. Gohan should be able to take this guy."

Piccolo just nodded, though he didn't completely agree. Gohan _was_ more powerful than this, but the sheer drop in power from what he had been before made him wonder if the drugs were not the only factor. In any case, he doubted that Gohan would be able to beat Vegeta if they were both fighting full out.

Across the room, Nox and Gohan were still at it. "You are powerful." Nox said, as Gohan lunged at him again. Nox danced away and spun back toward him. "But someone must have told you that you can't always expect to rely on power." He sent a kick straight into Gohan's kidneys—knowing that the organs would be overworked and sensitive while trying to fight off such a powerful drug. It was a dirty move, but Vegeta had been a warrior long enough to know its efficiency. The kick had the desired effect. Gohan dropped to his knees, doubling over in obvious pain.

As Gohan gasped for breath Nox came to stand over him. The young man was sweating and not only due to the pain or the exercise. Vegeta could see the signs that the drug was still in his system. The dilated pupils, the shaky limbs, the grayish pallor. It would do more harm than good to drag out this fight any longer. Gohan needed to rest and fight off the drug—food wouldn't hurt, but there was only so much he could do. Vegeta knelt down before him. "Don't worry though." He sent an indicative nod to Hui. "You're not the only one who is about to learn this lesson"

With that, he sent a well aimed, powerful punch to the stomach, knocking Gohan out instantly. Gohan fell forward onto the floor and lay still.

"Gohan!" Goku's cry was shocked, as if he couldn't believe that his son—the one who had defeated Cell and gone toe to toe with Majin Buu—could have been beaten so easily by this stranger. "Piccolo, get Gohan." Goku said. His voice had dropped an octave, a clear sign that he was angry. His darkened glare fixed on Nox.

As Piccolo lifted Gohan and carried him off toward the sidelines, Goku and Nox locked eyes. "I get that you're strong." Goku said. "But I'm not so bad myself." He crouched down into a fighting stance. "Your fight is with me now."

* * *

A/N: Again a rather long-ish wait. I'm terribly sorry about that. School's been busy, as usual.

I hope you enjoyed this. I know lots of people have been asking about Gohan's power level, and that's something that's been debated quite a bit online. While Gohan's mystic transformation was initially more powerful than a Super Saiyan 3, in one of the movies (which is supposed to take place after Buu) Gohan uses it to fight Hildegarn, but fails, and Goku later takes him out with Super Saiyan 3. So there really seems to be no clear answer on why Gohan's mystic form is not consistently more powerful than a Super Saiyan 3, or why the form itself seems to get less impressive over time. Anyway, I am open to hearing your interpretations on this.

Thanks so much to all of you who have reviewed, and who have stuck with this story. I really appreciate your support and enthusiasm. Thanks again!


	55. Kith

**Warning: This chapter contains violence and a bit of swearing.**

Chapter 55- Kith

In worlds uncounted people had fallen to war. The song of screams was unending, echoing up to the heavens like a steady wind. It was the scream of children ripped from their beds and their mother's arms, of women shielding their babes from violence, of men drowning in pools of their own blood, defenders standing bravely before forces that easily wiped them out. The universe was one of never-ending battles, like a dance. The music changed, the partners were different, some people watched from the sidelines, but always someone was in motion.

This was just the next number, one might say. The universe had always been a place of wars—of violence, treachery, and deceit. Some might say it always would be. He preferred to be a bit more optimistic, but it was difficult to be so when mankind could be so selfish—so savage.

The Supreme Kai knew savagery best of all. He had watched it—simply watched, but rarely participated. The affairs of man were sometimes a mystery to him, despite his reputation as an all-knowing being. How could people be so cruel? What had been wrong with the mould of mankind, that power and control came to be valued more than the lives of their fellows?

He couldn't have said.

He sent a quick glance to his ancestor, with the briefest intent of asking, but quickly pushed the thought away. The old man was silent. There was no lecturing, no whining, no wails of despair about the behavior of the "youth." He was riveted by the image on the small glass ball before him.

The Supreme Kai turned his attention to the ball. It seemed as though the entire universe had paused, and that only this fight mattered.

Indeed, on Earth, the family of the Z fighters were all together at the Kame house, waiting for more news. Kurenai's forces had been halted, as if the empress was too preoccupied with waiting for news of this one event to keep the rest of her army in motion. The Tauran forces too had been idle. The conquest of planet Unina had halted in its tracks, with Tik fighters sitting idly near their radios waiting for news of the power of the Empire's new recruits.

There was no doubt that this was an important event. The outcome of this one fight could determine the outcome of the war. And it wasn't even the final fight. That had yet to come.

In the glass ball in front of him, two Saiyan men were glaring at each other. The tall Namek, Piccolo had pulled his mentee off to the side, and lain him next to the two unconscious Earthlings. Everything was so still that it looked nearly tranquil. The Supreme Kai knew that that was only an illusion.

* * *

Within Hui's "throne room" the atmosphere was thick.

The power emanating from the first fight had left many of the soldiers trembling, and there was no doubt that this new Saiyan was more powerful than the younger one had been.

"You're not at top form." Nox noted, seemingly unperturbed by the angered glare Goku was sending him.

"I don't need to be at top form to beat you." Goku said. He crouched into a fighting stance and narrowed his eyes challengingly at Nox.

"That's what the other one thought." Carelessly, Nox nodded to the unconscious demi-saiyan across the room. "And you see how that turned out."

Goku's only response was to flare his aura, immediately transforming to Super Saiyan 2.

While the other soldiers, gasped and jostled each other at the dramatic display of power, Nox merely stuck his hands on his hips and cocked his head to the side. "Is that all?"

Goku's eyes narrowed, and he felt a flash of anger. "You want more?" He asked, cockily. "Fine." With a yell, his aura exploded. His muscles bulged and his hair grew longer. Crackles of lightning danced around his body.

At the sides of the room, the Tik soldiers were all stumbling backwards, both at the force of the winds that were penetrating the barrier, and in fear of the awesome sight before them. Only Fenn and Hui seemed unperturbed by the display. While Fenn was staring at the show with mild curiosity, Hui was leaned forward, hands fisted on the arms of the throne, and near to drooling at the power coming off of this new Saiyan.

"That's the same thing Vegeta does!" His excited hiss was just audible over the sound of Goku's screams.

"So it is." Fenn mumbled. "You of course realize that Nox _can't_ do that." He added. "He's going to be killed."

"What?!" Hui whipped his head to the scene, where a very _un_perturbed Nox was watching the show. "Shit, you're right. He's got no idea." Hui began to push himself out of the throne, when the oddest thing happened.

Goku's power drained away. One moment, he was standing tall, back arched, with a giant aura surrounding him. The next moment, his hair had reverted to black, and he was hunched over, hands on his knees and breathing heavily. Beads of sweat dripped from Goku's face to the floor, and he swayed slightly.

Nox hadn't moved from his earlier position. Still standing with his hands on his hips and his head cocked to the side, he frowned at Goku. "You just wasted a lot of energy trying to show off." He pointed out.

Goku took a deep breath, and straightening, sent a glare to Nox. He was still breathing heavily. His heart was pounding in his chest, and his head felt somewhat fuzzy.

"You probably shouldn't have tried that so soon after being tranquilized." Nox continued. "But what's done is done. Should we fight in our base forms?"

Goku scowled, and forced his shaking body to transform into Super Saiyan. "No. We fight at Super Saiyan level 1."

"Fine." In a flash, Nox's hair was golden as well, and he was hurdling at Goku.

Goku barely had time to sidestep the attack, planting his foot to the side, and twisting to avoid the incoming fist. _Damn, he's fast!_ Nox touched the ground, swiveled, and a moment later was back on Goku. Goku blocked the next kick with his arm, and within seconds, the two were exchanging blows faster than the average person could see.

On the sidelines, Piccolo was watching the fight with a helplessly amused smirk. _He never ceases to amaze me._ He mused. While "Nox's" fighting style was, to Piccolo, clearly Vegeta, the man had tweaked his technique just enough to throw off a person who didn't know who he was. The dancer-like grace was replaced by a more brutish movement, the right arm clearly favored, the landings a bit harder. _"You're not pointing your toes."_ He called telepathically to Vegeta, distracting the Saiyan just enough to get Goku's fist planted firmly between his eyes.

"Nox" flew backwards, crashing into the ground, before flipping to his feet. _"I don't always point my toes. I'm not a ballet dancer."_ He called back in irritation. _"And get out of my head. You're distracting me." _He landed a punch in Goku's gut, and then grabbing his shirt, sent another into his face.

"_Your fighting style is different than it usually is." _

"_Of course. If 'Nox' suddenly appeared having the same exact fighting style as a man he'd never met in his life, it would be a bit suspicious." _Goku's foot caught Vegeta's side sending him crashing shoulder-first into the floor.

"_You just don't have the same finesse you usually do." _Piccolo continued to muse. _"That's all."_

Vegeta's reply was nearly a pout. _"I can't be expected to fight seamlessly in a style I invented in a few weeks. Especially when I'm fighting against _this_ cow." _A drop kick caught Goku square in the chin.

"_I never said it was bad. I just said it wasn't graceful. It's kind of like Yamcha's style."_

Silence was his only answer, and Piccolo could see Nox dart him a brief glare before turning back to the fight.

His smirk grew._ "Come to think of it, with that scar on your face, you look a bit like Yamcha."_

"Augh!" Piccolo might have interpreted Vegeta's cry as indignant if it hadn't been for the obvious pain that Goku's foot to his stomach had caused. _"Okay enough." _Vegeta's voice was a bit strained._ "I actually have to come out of this conscious and in good enough a shape to break you lot out of this place later. Stop distracting me."_

"_Of course." _He replied._ "Let me know if there's something I can do to help."_

"_Actually…Remember when I said I would hurt you?"_

"…_yes?"_

Vegeta dodged a swing from Goku, and then ducking, sent his elbow into Goku's chin. Goku fell backwards.

"_I'm about to do it."_

Goku pulled himself onto one knee and glared at the man he called Nox. The dark saiyan just stood with is hands on his hips and cocked his head to the side.

Across the room, Hui was bouncing in his seat and clapping. Vegeta rolled his eyes at the sight at turned back to Goku. Like Gohan, the strain of fighting was only compounding the lingering effects of the tranquilizer. Goku's breathing was ragged now, and his energy was quickly draining from him.

As Goku tried to pull himself to his feet, Vegeta sent a kick to his temple sending him crashing back into the stone floor.

"_Ready, Namek?"_

"_..."_

Vegeta pointed his hand down with his fingers aimed directly at Goku. His hand began to glow. Goku dazedly propped himself up on an elbow.

"What's he doing?" Hui's voice carried over to him, and the emperor began rising from his chair. "Don't kill him! He's mine."

Nox smirked, and then made a slashing movement with his arm. Still on the floor, Goku raised his arms to shield himself. But the attack wasn't aimed at him.

The sound of a gasp and a wet splatter brought the room to silence.

Goku dazedly turned his head, just in time to see the top half of his friend slide off of the bottom half and hit the floor. "Piccolo!" Piccolo's expression was clearly shocked, but a moment later, his eyes rolled back into his head, and he apparently fainted.

"Nox!" Goku and Hui's angered shouts were simultaneous and nearly identical in their fury.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Hui yelled, striding off his throne. He took a look at the severed, bleeding Namek and wailed. "Oh! You killed my green man!"

Goku had apparently also found a renewed vigor and pulled himself to his feet. "That was dirty, Nox! You were fighting _me_! How could you attack someone when their guard is down?"

"Nox" cocked his head again and smirked. "Hui told me that I would do everything he asked of me. He said that I was his property and that I lived to serve his whims. But I think he wanted _that_ man too. I guess he was wrong. I would have killed you too, just to prove him wrong. Lucky for you lot though, I can't justify killing another Saiyan."

Goku's "Huh?" came at the same time as Hui's "What?!" and masked Fenn's chuckle.

"Nox! You and I are going to have a very long… talk." Hui seethed.

Nox ignored Hui and directed his next words to Goku. "It's unfortunate that you didn't turn back. Life under Hui is no life at all."

The comment produced a low growl from Hui, and just as they had before black tendrils of power appeared around him, lashing and swirling. There was a low murmur of terror at the edges of the room, and soldiers jostled each other to get to the back of the crowd.

Hui didn't pay them any mind. He raised a hand and the black tendrils curled around Nox, closing in on him like creeping vines. Vegeta hardly had time to realize what was happening before he had been caught by them. Though he struggled against them, the black vines only, gripping him and lifting him off the floor. With every moment, they squeezed tighter and tighter.

The room itself seemed to darken with Hui's anger.

Then the tendrils electrified, and in the next moment Nox's screams were echoing off the walls of the room. Tik soldiers were trembling, some frozen in terror, and others pressing backwards against each other to distance themselves from their angered leader. Hui continued to squeeze, but suddenly the screams stopped. Hui waited a moment longer, before releasing him.

Nox's feet touched the tiles of the floor, but he collapsed to his knees a moment later, staring dazedly at the air before him. His breathing was ragged and pained, and his body trembled and spasmed with the remnants of the shocks. Nearby, Goku sent him a pitying gaze, but seemed torn about just what he should do in that moment.

Hui turned his eyes on Goku. "Let that be a lesson to you." He then looked to the frightened soldiers near the door. "Take them to holding cells." He looked at the severed Nameckian on the floor. "And take that green mess with you." He turned to Fenn. "Figure out what planet he's from and if there are others as powerful as him." He swirled around, sending his tunic billowing around him, and began striding toward the door. Just before he disappeared, he called back. "Fenn, call the cleaning staff. It stinks in here." And then he was gone.

The room seemed to hold its breath as the doors slid closed, and then suddenly, it was a flurry of motion. Guards seized Goku, snapping a collar around his neck and pulling him backward. Goku squirmed and struggled, cursing himself for dropping his guard long enough to let them put a collar back on him, but knowing that with Fenn in the room at least, there wouldn't have been a way for him to escape anyway.

From the corner of his eye, he saw guards grabbing Gohan and the others and dragging them out the door. Other guards grabbed Piccolo's torso and legs and hauled them out of the room as well.

As Goku was dragged away, he saw Fenn approach Nox. The red haired man was saying something to him, but from the distance, Goku couldn't hear it. Goku didn't know what to make of Nox. There was something about him that Goku just couldn't put his finger on.

He didn't have time to think about it. A moment later, he was out of the throne room and being dragged back down the hall.

* * *

"What just happened?" The Elder Kai's shriek split the calm and peaceful sky of the Kais' planet.

"I'm sure there's an explanation." The Supreme Kai replied wishfully, although the expression on his face suggested that he wasn't too sure about that.

"He just killed that Namek. He was one of the Earth's most powerful fighters. Heck! He was one of the universe's most powerful fighters."

"I'm sure he had a reason for that."

"No. I've listened to your explanations and your reasons for far too long. You were wrong to put your faith in that Saiyan. Too cocky and headstrong. He's unreliable. I knew it from the start!"

The Supreme Kai frowned at the screen, alternately showing Goku, Yamcha, Gohan, and Krillin in their holding cells. With the exception of Goku, they were all still unconscious.

"There's got to be an explanation." The Supreme Kai mumbled to himself. "Come on, Vegeta. I had faith in you. What's your plan?"

* * *

Vegeta did indeed have a plan, but it wasn't until hours later that he set it in motion. Hui had ordered a large celebratory dinner, and had demanded not to be interrupted for anything. He and Fenn would dine together with several of the concubines that had been brought along.

'Nox,' was not allowed to the party. In fact, he was not allowed meals for five days as punishment for his disobedience. It was a punishment Frieza often used but, as history would show, with little success.

It was fine with him though. It just saved him having to wait until Hui and Fenn were asleep to put his plan into action. The first order of business was a disguise. He had picked up a low-level soldier's uniform several days ago, and had encapsulated it.

As the power levels of the prisoners had the ship on high alert, all of the guards were wearing helmets which covered the majority of their faces. As he pulled his own helmet on, he looked at himself in the mirror. If he were caught, he would not be caught as Nox, but as Vegeta. His sharp, black eyes—both of them—were gleaming out of the visor in anticipation, and his tall, black hair was bunched and uncomfortable under his helmet.

He strapped the standard-issue blaster to his waist, and then encapsulated all of the extra equipment. Taking one last glance around the room, he slipped out. The hall that he shared with Fenn and Hui was deserted, and he made it to the stairwell with ease. There were a few stops to make first.

Earlier, he had "asked" a few soldiers if the Saiyans had had any items on them when they'd been captured—anything from Vegetasei. The answered was that they'd had nothing but scouters, weapons and a bag of weird beans. After asking where the items had been put, he'd been told that they'd all been brought to the lab for inspection.

Lucky for Vegeta, it was the lab he needed to go to anyway.

A lone scientist was in the lab when Vegeta entered, but he was so engrossed in the tissue sample he was studying that he appeared not to notice Vegeta's entry. That was just as well. Vegeta had a long casual look around the room, noting the white walls and shiny silver furniture. Piccolo's torso and legs were laying on one of the exam tables. On a table near the edge of the room, a pile of random items had been deposited. It was there that Vegeta went first. He examined the items for a moment and plucked up the back of senzu beans, tucking them under his belt.

Seeing nothing else of interest, he turned away from the table.

"Hey, old man." He called across the room.

The scientist looked up and frowned at the soldier before him in clear disapproval, but held his tongue. "Where is the key to the Ki collars?"

"In the safe, of course." The man pointed to the safe near the wall and turned back to his work.

"Old man!" Vegeta called again. "Get it for me."

The old scientist huffed in annoyance, but did as he was told, swiftly unlocking the safe and depositing the key into the soldier's hand. Then, he turned and shuffled back to his microscope.

Vegeta dropped the key into his pocket and then snatching a new set of armor from near the regeneration tank, headed over to the table where Piccolo lay. _"Wake up, Namek."_ He called telepathically. _"But be quiet about it."_

_"It took you long enough_." The grouchy voice came back to him, and Piccolo's eyes popped open to glare at him.

Piccolo's eyes scrunched closed for a moment and suddenly new legs sprouted from his torso. Vegeta, who had never seen him regenerate that much, was silently grateful that he had somehow regenerated his pants as well.

Piccolo sat up, sending a nervous glance to the scientist across the room.

"Don't worry about him." Vegeta said. "Here, this is the key for the ki collars." He handed it over. "The code for the doors is TH7-0H9-7. Can you remember that?" Piccolo frowned.

Looking around, Vegeta snatched a pen from a nearby table, and quickly scribbled the code onto Piccolo's wrist. "There. And here's a set of armor so you can get through the building without trouble. Do you remember the layout of Tik ships?"

"Of course."

"Good." As Piccolo quickly pulled on the Tik armor, Vegeta darted a glance to the scientist, and then to the door. Everything seemed to be quiet, but he could never be too careful. Piccolo finally straightened, and pulled on the helmet, frowning at the way it pressed on his antennae.

Vegeta looked him up and down to make sure everything was in order. Seeing no problems, he nodded. "They're in the first four cells. Take this." He snapped a bracelet onto Piccolo's wrist. "Just in case. And these too." He tossed the senzu beans to Piccolo. "Try to look normal. I'll clear the way for you and get your pods ready. Meet me in the airlock." With that he turned and strode out of the room.

Taking a deep breath, Piccolo strode out after him. It was rather fortunate that he had spent so much time riding in a Tik ship. He practically knew it like the back of his hand. Turning down the halls with the skill of a person who had been doing it for years, he attracted no attention from the other soldiers in the halls. He reached the stairwell and strode downwards three flights until he got to the floor with the prisoner cells.

This hall was heavily guarded, but it wasn't a problem for him. His Ki was not blocked. Fully aware that his every action would be caught on camera, he extended his Ki senses. Goku was in the second cell. He would get him out first.

He took a few steps to the side. Although the straight orderly line that the soldiers were standing in might have looked nice, it made them perfect targets. Piccolo raised two fingers, and then fired a beam at them. The soldiers never knew what hit them. They fell like dominoes in bloody heaps. He could hear Goku and Gohan suddenly banging on the doors, demanding to know what was going on. Demanding to be let out.

He quickly pulled up his sleeve, and glancing at the code Vegeta had written there, punched it into the keypad near the door. The door slid open a moment later and Goku lunged out at Piccolo. Piccolo sidestepped the attack and pulled off the helmet. "Son, calm down. It's me."

"Egh?! Piccolo, but I thought…"

"I regenerate." He pulled out the bag of senzu beans and handed it to Goku.

"Oh yeah." Goku blinked digging a bean out of the bag and popping it into his mouth. As he did so, Piccolo pulled out the key and quickly removed the Ki collar. Goku sighed in relief. "Ah, much better."

Piccolo left Goku then, quickly punching the code into the nearby doors. The doors opened. Like his father, Gohan came barreling out, only catching the bean Goku tossed to him by reflex, and not realizing until a moment later when he saw there was no danger just what it was that he'd caught. Krillin and Yamcha emerged much more slowly, still looking quite weak.

As they chewed on senzu beans, Piccolo quickly removed their collars. "We need to move." He said, when the last collar dropped to the floor. Four pairs of rejuvenated eyes stared at him. He took the bracelet from his wrist and snapped it on Goku's. "Here. You lead us. The rest of you, arm yourselves."

As the others scavenged weapons from the fallen guards, Goku stared wide-eyed at the bracelet for a moment. "Is this…"

Piccolo nodded.

"Where'd you get it?"

Piccolo just smirked. "From Vegeta."

A round of curious and excited murmurs followed. "He's here?" "Do _we_ get bracelets?"

"He only had the one. He's getting our pods ready." Piccolo said. "We have to hurry. Tik soldiers have no doubt figured out what's going on."

"Right." They needn't ask which direction to go. They had all spent the past few days in the Tik ship, and they had all explored the ones that had landed on Earth. They knew the quickest way to the pods.

With Goku in the lead, they ran up the stairs. As Piccolo had predicted, the Tik soldiers had figured out what was going on. They had hardly gone more than a few steps when a Meiyochi was activated. Piccolo raised his own weapon, and he saw Gohan, Krillin, and Yamcha do the same. Goku, thanks to the bracelet, was unaffected.

When they emerged from the stairwell, a group of guards were waiting for them. Goku had hardly gotten his foot out of the door when his hair flashed to gold and he fired a large ki blast into the group of soldiers. The soldiers panicked, clearly not expecting for anyone to still have use of their Ki. Some retreated. Others tried to stay and fight, but they were immediately blown away by the combination of Goku's power and the others' blasters.

With hardly a pause, the group ran through the hallways, blasting away soldiers who stood in their way.

When they reached the door to the space pod dock however, they saw a group of soldiers standing before it, apparently trying to get in.

"Blast it open." Piccolo ordered.

"Okay." Goku raised a hand, and in a moment, the soldiers were all obliterated. An added burst of power, and the door blew open.

The five men poured into the room, scanning the room for enemies. There was a lone soldier standing in the middle of the room, but upon noticing who they were, he pulled off his helmet.

"Vegeta!" Although they had been told he was on the ship, it didn't dampen their surprise at seeing him there before him dressed in Tik armor.

"How'd you get in here?" Gohan asked.

"We don't have time for _that_ story." Vegeta said, turning away and heading toward the ships. "I've already programmed the ships to take you to the planet Midori's on."

A sudden dark aura washed over them.

"Hurry up." He said motioning to the open pods. "Someone's apparently warned Hui. I don't want to be waiting for him when he gets here."

"Right." They hurriedly clambered into their pods. Gohan, Yamcha and Krillin's pod doors were already closing, when Goku noticed that Vegeta hadn't moved.

"Wait, you're not coming?" He asked.

"I'll follow you soon." Vegeta said, pulling his helmet back on. "I've got something to finish up here."

"Do you want me to stay with you?" Goku asked.

"No, just give me that bracelet." Vegeta said.

"Oh. Right." Goku pulled the bracelet off his wrist and tossed it to Vegeta. "If we get to that planet, and you haven't followed, I'm coming back for you." Goku warned. "So don't try taking Hui on by yourself."

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "Just get in the pod."

Goku frowned, but he sat back, allowing the door to close.

Under the watchful gazes of the Z fighters Vegeta took a step away from their pods. A clear wall rose up between him and the pods, and the hangar doors opened. Vegeta backed away across the room to the wall by the blasted door. Just as he reached it, a group of soldiers rushed in.

The space pods revved up, and the soldiers were clearly torn between trying to bring down the glass wall that separated them from the ships, or standing back. Vegeta joined the confused crowd of soldiers, blending in perfectly.

That was the last thing they saw as their pods were sucked out of the hangar into space.

* * *

The ship was a confused mess, as Vegeta strode through the halls. Soldiers were running everywhere. Many were bleeding. Many more were dead. He could hear people shouting orders everywhere, as he headed down away from all the noise.

He wouldn't go to his room. Undoubtedly that would be the first place Fenn checked.

He reached the training rooms without trouble, stripping off the helmet and armor and incinerating them in the shower. After washing away the evidence, he turned to the mirror, quickly magicking back on his "Nox" face and hair. Checking his appearance once more, he moved into the training room to begin his katas.

It took a full 7 minutes before Fenn appeared, and as he usually did, Vegeta ignored his presence. Fenn was having none of it this time though. With the heels of his boot pounding hard on the tiled floor, he crossed the room, grabbed Vegeta's shoulder, and pulled him around.

Vegeta let his fist fly, not full force, but enough to get across "Nox's" displeasure at being interrupted. "What do you want?" He griped, jerking away from Fenn and returning to his katas.

"What did you have to do with it?" Fenn demanded.

Vegeta just ignored him.

Fenn grabbed him again and pulled him around, this time keeping a firm grip on his shoulder. For once, Fenn's face held an expression of seriousness and he dropped his voice down to a threatening whisper. "Let me make this clear, Nox. Hui is _pissed_. And when he's this angry, nobody is happy. So you need to tell me what you know. _Now_."

"About what?" Vegeta jerked away again. "Is one of the _other_ Saiyans having a brat now?"

"Don't play stupid." Fenn snapped. "Their escape."

Vegeta just cocked an eyebrow in apparent ignorance.

"The entire group of Saiyans and even the green thing you supposedly killed escaped from the ship only a few minutes ago." Fenn said. "You're telling me you had nothing to do with it?"

"That green thing wasn't dead?! I cut it in half!" He said indignantly, before suddenly appearing to register what Fenn had said. "Wait, they all escaped?" He grinned. "Ha! Serves Hui right. And you too." He said before frowning. "I just wish they had let me in on it. I'd have escaped with them."

Fenn stepped back with a frown as "Nox" began doing his katas again. He appeared to be considering whether Nox was telling the truth or not. Finally, he rolled is eyes and said. "I don't think that after attempting to kill one of them, they would be happy to take you along with them."

Vegeta paused. "I meant the Saiyans. Not the green one. They could have at least told me they had a plan to escape when I was fighting them. If they had, I might not have cut the green one in half."

"It's a moot point now." Fen said, crossing his arms and glaring toward the doorway. "Hui wants to go after them."

"Hm." Vegeta snorted. "And bring them back?"

"I'm not sure. He may well decide to kill them." Fenn leaned against the wall. "There have been reports that Vegeta was here."

Vegeta finally stopped his katas. Although he was standing still, and apparently only mildly curious now, inside, his mind was racing. "Prince Vegeta? He was with the other Saiyans?"

"Word has it, he revived the green one and helped the others escape."

"So he is with the others now?"

"Undoubtedly, yes." Fenn mused.

"Then I will go with Hui to meet them."

Fenn pushed himself off the wall. "I don't think it will be quite the meeting you anticipate, but you can come if you want. Get your armor and meet us at the dock. Hui's pod is already being prepared." He started striding toward the door, but paused. "And, for both our sakes, don't piss Hui off any more than you already have."

* * *

The pod docking area was still in chaos when Vegeta returned.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Hui asked as Vegeta approached.

Fenn gave him a warning glare, but Vegeta ignored it. "I want to meet the prince."

Hui just snorted. "Too bad." He said. "I've had enough of these monkeys. They're apparently meeting up on some wretched planet. I'm just going to torch the whole thing and be done. Frieza was a fool for not finishing the job. I won't make the same mistake."

Vegeta frowned. That certainly wasn't part of the plan. He began wracking his brain for a way to convince Hui to fight. It took him a few moments, but he thought of a way. It was risky though.

"If you're too afraid to fight them, I will." Nox said. Behind Hui, Fenn was sending him a warning look and shaking his head.

Hui's eyes widened in a dangerous glare. "I am _not_ afraid." He said. "I'm just being practical.

Vegeta cocked an eyebrow. "I think you are making the same mistake Frieza made. I bet Frieza didn't die because of the Saiyans. I bet he died because he sat in his throne too much and forgot how to fight. If you won't do it though, I will." Vegeta said. "I will fight them. Like a man. And when you're a fat, powerless slob, I will take over your empire."

Hui huffed. "I was genetically engineered to not get fat." He said, but still appeared to be thinking over what Vegeta said.

Behind Hui, a slow smirk was working its way onto Fenn's face, and he shook his head in amusement. "I'll go too." He said. "We'll need someone in shape to keep the empire strong."

Hui adopted a petulant look for a moment. "No! _I'll_ fight them."

Fenn and Vegeta shared a look, and for a moment Vegeta wondered if Fenn knew. If he knew everything. If he'd known all along. He didn't have time to dwell on the idea though, because Hui was already striding off to his pod muttering about loyalty and coups.

Sharing another glance, Vegeta and Fenn followed.

* * *

Up in the heavens, two Kais were staring down at a crystal ball. One had a large grin on his face. The other seemed less enthused.

"See? I told you. I was right." The Supreme Kai said. "Vegeta did have a plan. And it all worked out fine."

"Yeah, yeah." Elder Kai groused. "I heard you the first twenty times you said it."

"I wasn't wrong to put my faith in him." The Supreme Kai added. "He pulled through. Just like I thought he would."

"You're counting your chickens before they hatch I think." Elder Kai said. "The battle hasn't been fought yet. The war's still on."

But the Supreme Kai wasn't listening. Goku, Gohan, Vegeta and Piccolo would all be in one place. The Z fighters had shown serious character growth during this war in his opinion. They certainly wouldn't be held down by the petty squabbles that held them down during the Buu fiasco. They would make an excellent team of intelligence, strength, magic, and ingenuity. Whatever his rather pessimistic elder might think about it, as far as the Supreme Kai was concerned, nothing could go wrong. They would certainly defeat Hui, and in doing so, they would pave the way for the establishment of a new universal order based on peace and cooperation rather than conquest and power.

Perhaps this would be the end-the end of the long dance of war. It certainly would be nice, he thought.

* * *

A/N: I hope you enjoyed that. I'm terribly sorry about the wait. School's been really hectic lately.

A very big thank you to all of you who reviewed. I absolutely love how enthusiastic you guys are about this story. You all really keep me wanting to write more.

Let me know what you thought!


	56. From Dust Thou Art

Chapter 36—From Dust Thou Art

Dark purple rocks cracked as the first pod hit the ground. Four more followed, creating equal-sized craters in the rocky landscape and sending an enormous purple dust cloud into the sky.

On the edge of a cliff some distance away, two figures stood silently, their faces anxious, and wind whipping at their clothes. Neither of them spoke as the rumbles of the impact died down, their echoes getting quieter and quieter each time until the deserted planet was silent once again.

There was no life on this planet. The remnants of destroyed buildings spoke of civilizations that had once lived here-long ago, before the water had been depleted by imperial demands. Whatever tales those people had to tell would never be told. Whether they had all died out or whether they had packed up and moved to another planet was a mystery. Whatever had happened to rid this planet of life, it had happened centuries ago.

"Is it them?" The grayish-blue skinned woman asked as the first figure emerged from the dust. Her long purple hair had been twisted up behind her head, and her normally sheer uniform had been replaced by more substantial armor.

Beside her, her spiky-haired comrade narrowed his eyes, trying to see the features of the lone figure floating above the dust cloud.

"I think so."

Not a moment later, four more figures rose out of the cloud as well and floated silhouetted against the gray sky. After a moment of stillness, the five newcomers turned straight toward Midori and Tarble and began flying toward them.

"Yeah that's them." Tarble confirmed upon finally recognizing the faces of the five.

"Vegeta!" Goku was the first to drop down atop the cliff where Tarble and Midori stood waiting. "How'd you get here so fast?" One by one, the other four Z Fighters touched down beside him.

"Ummm." Slightly taken aback, Tarble's eyes widened, and he turned to Midori for help.

Midori let her appraising gaze travel across the torn clothes of the five warriors before her. Despite their generally disheveled attire, there didn't appear to be a scratch on them. How had they managed that? "This is Tarble." She said flatly, finally meeting Goku's gaze.

A light wind picked up some dust by their feet and carried it away. Four blank stares fixed on Tarble, blinking slowly as if the statement was taking a while to register.

Finally, someone responded. "Wait…" Gohan started. "I don't…Tarble?"

Tarble and Midori shared a mildly amused glance before nodding.

"Tarble has been impersonating Vegeta for some time now…" Piccolo offered, taking a step forward. "Presumably to throw Hui off Vegeta's tracks?" He looked to Midori and Tarble for confirmation.

The two simply nodded.

"But…" Yamcha stuttered. "You're taller! And…your Ki. It's exactly like Vegeta's." He leaned closer a bit hesitantly and narrowed his eyes. "It can't be."

Tarble frowned at the close proximity and leaned back a bit nervously.

Midori shoved a strand of hair out of her face. "Kurenai is one of the most powerful magical beings in the known universe. You don't doubt that she's capable of the magic required to make a few slight alterations to a person's appearance and Ki signature." She cocked an eyebrow. "There was already a strong resemblance between the two. It hardly took much."

"Hm." Goku, Krillin, and Yamcha leaned closer again to study Tarble as if trying to find a flaw.

A bead of sweat formed on Tarble's forehead and he held up his hands defensively. "The disguise is flawless, I promise." If they had any lingering doubts, the higher octave of Tarble's real voice was enough to confirm his identity. "Even Bulma and Trunks couldn't tell us apart. We tested it."

"Really…" Goku leaned back and tapped a finger to his chin. "It's incredible."

"So if you've been Vegeta this whole time, where has the real Vegeta been?" Krillin asked.

Tarble and Midori shared a look. "We're not supposed to say until Hui has officially been defeated." Midori said.

"Just in case he needs to…go back." Tarble clarified, and glanced at Piccolo. Piccolo just nodded. "But…that shouldn't happen right?" Tarble looked to the rest of them "You guys are the best of the best, aren't you? You can defeat Hui, no problem…Right?"

While the others suddenly began sending nervous glances to each other, Goku just grinned and scratched the back of his head. "Well we'll try. Hui's a bit stronger than we anticipated, but that's never stopped us before." He chuckled a bit. "It's going to be a thrilling fight. I don't know about you, but I'm excited." He looked straight at Tarble as if expecting him to share in his excitement.

Tarble grimaced and laughed nervously while waving his hands. "I'm kinda just here as decoration." He explained.

"What happened to the Saiyan fighting spirit Vegeta talks so much about?" Yamcha mocked playfully.

"I think Vegeta took more than his share of that, and our parents had none left for me." Tarble scratched his head embarrassedly, earning a few laughs and mumbled agreements. "Vegeta and the boys trained me a bit, but in all honesty…well…they say I'm more use in a garden than a battlefield…and then only as a plant." He sagged slightly, while the others laughed. After a moment, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a capsule. "On another note though, Chichi and Bulma seemed to think you'd like to eat before the battle." Pressing the button on the capsule, he tossed it aside. Instantly, a large refrigerator popped into existence.

"Alright!" Goku shouted in excitement, skipping to the fridge and pulling it open. "Thank Dende for Chichi."

As the Saiyan and human fighters descended upon the refrigerator to fill their empty stomachs, Piccolo and Midori stood to the side near the edge of the canyon. Goku and Gohan were inhaling everything in sight, exclaiming over how good it was to have home-cooked food again. Krillin and Yamcha ate with much less gusto. While they typically preferred not to fight on a full stomach, they knew that they wouldn't be able to fight on an empty one. Senzu beans could only do so much. Tarble was somewhere in between, intermittently shoving large quantities of food into his mouth, and chatting with the others. Goku's enthusiasm and excitement for fighting Hui seemed to have set his heart at ease, and he questioned them eagerly about their capture and their encounter with Hui and "Nox."

Some distance from the group, the two silent members of their group were much less cheerful. After a moment of staring at the sky, Midori moved closer to Piccolo.

"Can we actually beat him?" She asked quietly.

Piccolo turned his eyes away from the sky from where he'd been tracking the approaching Ki of Hui and his squadron. It was not hard to see the look of terror in the woman's eyes. He almost felt pity for her. She clearly had no desire to face Hui in battle, but she would do so out of duty.

While most the others, laughing and eating cheerfully, had long lost their fear of death, Piccolo knew for this woman, death was final. It was the end of her hopes and dreams, of her love, her relationship, her future. It wasn't hard to see her regret as well. What she had to regret, he could only imagine—perhaps it was the fact that she had chosen a risky life of glory and power over a quieter life with a guaranteed future. Or had she chosen at all?

"They're here." Her voice was hardly more than a whisper, tinged with fear and anticipation. Her warm reddish-brown eyes reflected the gray sky just a little more wetly than they should have.

He wanted to do something to reassure her—to tell her that one way or another she would likely make it out alive—but he didn't. He merely stood silently, staring at her profile for a moment, before raising his eyes to the sky where a myriad of lights were streaking through the sky like so many shooting stars.

Beside him, he saw Midori shake herself, and a moment later, she turned and started walking toward the others. "They're here!" She called again in a stronger voice this time. "Hurry and finish."

Goku shoved an impossible amount of food into his mouth, and grabbing one more large handful of meat, he hopped to his feet.

"Tarble!" Midori called, jerking her head for the Saiyan to come toward her.

Tarble had jumped to his feet as well, dusting the purple dirt off his pants and licking some grease from his fingers. "Coming!" He called, trotting over.

"Everyone, be careful of Hui's spells. I'll do what I can to give you some magical protection, but I can only do so much.

They nodded.

"We'll wait here." Midori said. "Let them come to us."

Over the rocky crevices in front of them, the saw the tell-tale dust clouds that marked the impact of space pods.

* * *

A pale delicate hand waved through the cloud of dust trying to find a bit of clear air to breathe. "Ugh! What a wretched planet!" The pale, young emperor exclaimed before mumbling. "Why did I let them convince me to come along? I have people to do this kind of thing for me."

Gazing through the thick purple dust, he could barely make out the shapes of warriors emerging from their pods. Seemingly unbothered by the dust, they all began rising toward the sky. Looking around himself at all of his floating subordinates, Hui followed them.

When he finally cleared the dust cloud, he found Fenn and Nox already floating there waiting, surrounded by his hand-picked twenty best soldiers. Well, they were the best that he had on hand. As Fenn had rather cheekily pointed out to him before boarding their pods, Hui used to have much better, but he'd let Nox kill them during the tournament.

Upon his arrival, his soldiers quickly formed a straight line, facing the area where their scouters told them the Saiyan soldiers were waiting.

Hui turned back to stare at the rank of warriors behind himself, as if confused about what he was supposed to do. He'd never actually led a battle before. He'd always had people to do that for him. Should he stand before them and actually physically lead them…or was he supposed to let them go first? He turned to regard Fenn enquiringly.

The red-haired man was floating gracefully, his arms folded across his chest, and his feet crossed at the ankles. He looked perfectly in his element. Fenn raised an eyebrow in question at his seemingly confused Emperor. "The Xiee will be here in about an hour." He informed him.

Hui blinked. He'd completely forgotten that he'd asked for Xiee. It was nice to know, he supposed, but it didn't solve his current predicament. He floated closer to Fenn, fully aware that Nox was also regarding him curiously. "Do I…do I go ahead of them, or do I follow?" He asked quietly. Apparently it wasn't quietly enough, for Nox snorted a laugh.

Fenn's lip twitched upward in amusement. "It's up to you." He informed him, sharing a glance with Nox. Hui was about to turn away, when Fenn spoke again. "It, of course, looks braver if you lead."

"Of course." Hui said, turning toward his dutifully awaiting troops. They were quite the impressive sight in their sharp black and gray uniforms. Hui's own black tunic billowed gently in the light wind. "Right." He blinked at the soldiers before turning back to Fenn. "What do I say to make them follow me?"

"Just start flying, and they'll follow." Fenn told him, trying to hide how much he was enjoying the situation. Hui nodded and turned away, purposely ignoring the way Nox was pinching the bridge his nose.

He nodded toward the soldiers, and then doing as Fenn had directed, started flying toward the waiting Saiyan warriors. One glance over his shoulder assured him that his soldiers were indeed following.

Hui smirked and picked up speed.

* * *

As Hui and his soldiers rocketed away, Vegeta made a move to follow.

"Wait." Fenn called. The black-clad warrior hadn't moved. Still floating relaxed with his arms and ankles crossed, he scrutinized the Saiyan before him.

Vegeta cocked an innocently curious eyebrow at him. "Hm?"

Fenn scowled at him, entirely un-fooled by the innocent act. "Who are you really?" He demanded. "You might have Hui fooled, but you're just too perfect. A miraculous warrior discovered at the height of the war to turn the tide? A Saiyan no less? I believed it at first, but after that Super Saiyan trick…" He raised an eyebrow. "So tell me? Did Kurenai send you? Or was it the prince?" He kept his firm gaze fixed on the Saiyan before him, and Vegeta could see his muscles tense as if he were expecting a sudden attack.

Vegeta merely stared at him, dropping the air of innocence. "I'd wondered if you suspected." He said. He _had_ in fact wondered. Fenn had always seemed a little too smart, say things a little too close to the truth, and wave away Vegeta's indiscretions a little too quickly. "I suppose there's no way around it now." He reasoned. "I can't have you running off to tell Hui, just in case things go badly. Let's do it this way." Vegeta moved into a fighting stance. "If you beat me, I'll tell you everything. How's that?"

Fenn grinned and, finally uncrossing his arms, moved into a fighting stance as well. "You're on."

* * *

As Hui and his soldiers approached the small group of warriors, Midori scanned the crowd of Ki. Sensing Ki without a scouter was certainly a handy trick. While she'd been able to do it to an extent before she'd met Vegeta, after his feat on Oso, she had taken the time to fine-tune the technique. Unfortunately, either her technique still needed work or… "Where…" Her voice trembled slightly as she whispered. "Where's Vegeta?"

To her left Piccolo extended his senses. "He's fighting Fenn."

"What the…?!" Midori whipped her head to where surges of Ki and flashes of light had suddenly appeared back near the ships. "That crazy bastard! What's he doing? He's going to ruin everything."

The other fighters looked curiously toward the flashes of light as well.

"We need to stall Hui until Vegeta gets here." Midori said.

"What?!" Goku cried. "Why?"

Midori cocked an eyebrow. "You want to face Hui without him?"

Goku smirked. "We can try." Behind him, Krillin and Yamcha sent each other nervous glances.

"Dad, that might not be a good idea. If we can't beat him we're going to need you and Vegeta to fuse."

Beside them, Midori turned to Tarble. "They fuse?"

"Yeah." Tarble said. "I've never seen Goku do it, but I've seen Trunks and Goten do it. It's pretty impressive."

"Don't worry." Goku reassured Gohan carelessly. "If it comes to it, you and I can fuse."

"I don't know the fusion technique, dad."

That finally took the excited look off Goku's face, and his eyes widened in dismay. "What?!" Goku exclaimed, turning fully toward his son with a stunned expression. "Really?"

Gohan just shook his head. "We all assumed that you and Vegeta would always be together to fuse, so I never needed to learn. If I'd known Hui was _this_ powerful, I'd have had you teach me on the ride over." He hung his head. "Sorry, dad."

Goku frowned and shifted his weight. "Hey, don't worry. It's pretty easy. Vegeta picked it up in a few minutes. He got it on the second try."

"I wouldn't want to risk it, dad." Gohan sent a concerned glance to the direction from which Hui was approaching. "If I botch the technique, who's going to hold off Hui until we de-fuse."

Goku just nodded in thought. "Well, we'll just have to do it the old fashioned way." He turned away from Gohan just in time to see Hui and his group of soldiers touch down on the other side of the large canyon. "It'll be fine."

* * *

Vegeta and Fenn jumped apart, breathing heavily. Their initial exchange of blows was nothing more than a warm-up…a taster. Vegeta had to say that Fenn was impressive. He was a caliber of fighter that just hadn't existed in Frieza's day. He was powerful, skilled, and also, intelligent—not a combination often found in warriors—he should know; he'd met plenty.

A glance into the distance confirmed that Hui had already reached the Z fighters.

He knew he had to finish this quickly. This wasn't the kind of fight he could play around with. As much as he enjoyed cat and mouse games and flaunting his power, he had spent too many months trying to bring Hui down. He clenched his hand into a fist. "No more games." With a yell, he powered up to Super Saiyan 2.

Fenn took a step back, somehow knowing that this wasn't the kind of Super Saiyan he had seen before. If the crackles of lightning now surrounding his opponent were anything to go by, this wasn't the simple Super Saiyan level.

"So you surpassed the first Super Saiyan transformation." Fenn concluded. "I should have figured that as well. If both Vegeta and that other Saiyan can do it…It wouldn't make sense not to send the best to infiltrate Hui's army."

Vegeta smirked. _He doesn't know how right he is._ "Let's go." In a flash, he was upon Fenn, sending a punch flying at his face. Fenn blocked with a forearm, grabbing Vegeta's arm and sending a kick into his side. Vegeta flew back a few feet, and took a better look at Fenn.

A purple aura had appeared around the maroon-haired man. "You're much stronger now. He said, but can you fight magic?" With a flick of his hand, purple tendrils flew out and coiled around Vegeta. Vegeta closed his eyes and concentrated. In the split second that the coils took to close in around him, he had found his magical energy. Just as they touched his skin, they shattered.

A smirk graced his features and he lifted his head to Fenn. "I can actually." He said meeting Fenn's stunned expression. "The binding spells are always the first ones people use, so I've learned to throw them off. I've also learned to do this…" Without so much as a whisper of wind, he disappeared.

Fenn spun, looking behind himself for his opponent. A quiet swishing sound had him spinning back again just in time to duck the blade that was swung at his head. He fired off a blast in the direction from which the attack had come, watching as his opponent deflected it easily.

Fenn blinked. "A sword? Where'd you get a sword from?" He asked astounded. "You can't tell me that you know how to conjure things too."

Instead of replying, the Saiyan swirled his hands, making the sword disappear, before reversing the motion and bringing it back.

Fenn smirked. "I'm impressed. You're much more talented than I thought. Well, if it's a sword-fight you want…" A blade suddenly appeared in his own right hand, and he lunged at Vegeta.

Their blades met with a clash, before they broke apart, both spinning and slashing at each other again. Bright flashes of light peppered the sky as their swords met again and again.

"I can't believe this!" Fenn cried, breathing heavily. A broad grin lit his face, as he spun, dodged and slashed. "You're incredible."

Vegeta just smirked. Fenn was fast—very fast. Some of his movements were almost too fast for Vegeta to follow, but at Super Saiyan 2, he could meet them blow for blow. Just as he thought this, Fenn twisted, sending his sword past Vegeta's own, aiming straight for his chest. Vegeta had just enough time to dodge the stab, and in too awkward a position to parry Fenn's next blow, disappeared again.

He reappeared behind Fenn, but Fenn had expected it, already spinning around and lunging toward him. Vegeta turned sideways, dodging the lunge, but flipping his sword in his hands drove the hilt into Fenn's face. A sickening crack sent Fenn flying backwards, and left droplets of purplish blood hanging in the air. Vegeta didn't stop his attack there, but with one swift swing, sent Fenn's sword flying from his hand.

Vegeta let his own sword disappear as he watched Fenn right himself. Wiping a trail of blood from under his nose, the maroon-haired man regarded him in amazement. He was breathing heavily, but in his defense, Vegeta was too.

The two simply stared at each other for a moment, before they both disappeared. They reappeared some distance away, in a clash that sent a thunder-like shock ripping through the air, and the battle recommenced.

* * *

Hui stared around at the motley crew of Saiyans and other assorted aliens before him. The group all stared back at him with stern and hostile expressions. He ignored the majority of them. Instead, his eyes locked on to two in particular. "You!" He yelled in surprise. The cocky Saiyan Prince and Kurenai's little messenger girl were standing among the fighters, both with arms crossed and without a hint of fear on their faces. For some reason, Hui felt his stomach tighten with a feeling he didn't recognize. He had certainly not expected to find them here. He should have known.

He called over his shoulder toward the soldiers assembled behind him. "Fenn! Nox!" No one replied. Furrowing his eyebrows in impatience, he spun around, and then blinked at the unexpected lack of his two best fighters. "What?!" He looked around again, and then spotted the flashes of light that marked a high-powered battle going on near where he'd left the ship. "What are those two idiots doing?!" He cried stupefied, before growling. "Whatever." He spun back to the group of Krimzon fighters, and in the same movement let loose a blast of power.

The move was clearly unexpected, catching most of them off-guard. With a noise like a sonic boom, the five unwanted Earth fighters were pushed back, each struggling against the wall of power that was pressing on them. Hui ignored them. With a twitch of his fingers, black tendrils of power wrapped around Kurenai's two aides.

Midori, a powerful sorceress herself, broke the hold easily, and managed to dodge the killing shot to the chest just in time. Hui's other victim wasn't so lucky.

A strangled scream echoed through the mountains as the bright blast entered the Saiyan Prince's chest before bursting through his back. Shocked black eyes stared vacantly at some point above Hui's head, as if he couldn't comprehend what was happening. Too slowly for the situation at hand, the Saiyan's eyes filled with horror and sadness.

Time seemed to slow, and the only movement seemed to be that of the wind, gently ruffling his black hair. A drop of blood fell from his mouth only to be followed by a small stream. It ran down his chin, and his lips parted as he searched for air. He twitched slightly, and ever-so-slowly, his eyes glazed over.

As his stunned partner, pulled herself off the ground and began conjuring a spell, the black tendrils ensnaring the Saiyan Prince dissolved into the air, and Hui let him drop back to the ground.

"You bastard!" Midori's enraged cry split the silence. Hui turned his eyes to her just in time to see the spell she threw at him. He caught it in one hand, surprised momentarily by the power behind it, before vanishing it with a wave of his arm. Her pretty face was contorted in rage, and a light wind was carrying a few strands of hair that had escaped from her tight bun. The chains in her hair glimmered in the faint sunlight.

In a split second, he was inches from her. If she was surprised at his rapid movement, she didn't show it. "I could make you my Empress." He mused aloud.

What hit his face next was not a spell. Raising his hand slowly to his cheek, he was disgusted to feel a sticky wad of spit. The witch!

"Did you just—" But his moment of inattention would cost him, for when he looked up at Midori again, it was to be met with the business-end of another one of her spells. Hui felt himself flying backwards, with his innards engulfed in flame. It was a feeling unlike any he'd ever felt. He knew that he'd cast similar spells on people plenty of times, but no one had ever cast one on him. Not even Kurenai. She was such a _clean_ fighter. Such things were beneath her.

He could hear himself screaming as his back hit the rocky earth, and it took him a moment to realize that he was perfectly capable of breaking her spell. With a yell of frustration, he threw it off, and pulled himself back to his feet.

The young emperor took a deep calming breath, and fixed his eyes on Midori again. Through the corner of his eye, he saw the other fighters, free of his wall, crowding around the fallen body of the Saiyan Prince. He ignored them. Let them mourn all they wanted. He needed to get rid of Midori.

He straightened his tunic and tried to brush away some of the purple dust that had settled on him. He forced an aura of calm over himself, although inside, he was quite miffed. In a moment, he was before her again seemingly unperturbed by her attack.

"You are pretty." He said offhandedly, taking a step toward her again. She shuffled back a step, holding a hand up threateningly. He could see white wisps of power curling around her fingers, but he just kept walking. "And I do think you'd do much better in my empire than in Kurenai's."

She threw another spell at him. It was one he'd never seen before. He raised a hand to block it, but it merely burned his hand before filtering through his fingers and leaving three burned streaks on his face.

"Bitch!" He howled. He raised his hands and returned her spell with his own. Again she managed to block, but this time only partially. With a pained cry, she was thrown backward, hitting the ground and rolling almost gracefully for several meters before coming to a stop.

His mouth set into a snarl, he advanced on the woman, who was shakily pulling herself back to her feet. He had only gone three steps, however, when a person dropped down before him.

Hui clicked his tongue and sighed in annoyance at the familiar cheeky young Saiyan that had tried to convince Nox to flee his army. "Do you mind?" Hui asked in annoyance. "I'm in the middle of something."

"I don't care." The young man said. "You have hurt all of us. So you fight all of us." A burst of wind exploded around the young Saiyan, and Hui was momentarily surprised at how much more powerful he was now than when he had fought Nox on the ship mere hours ago.

From some distance away, he heard a nasally voice yell. "Be careful, Gohan!"He realized that two of the Saiyans had taken their Prince's body off of the battlefield and had apparently laid it behind a large bolder. Hui rolled his eyes at the pitiful display of emotions.

The strongest Saiyan and the green man were standing near Midori several yards behind the younger Saiyan.

"Gohan huh?" Hui humphed. "That's a stupid name."

"No stupider than yours." The young man countered with a hard glare. "But we're not here for insults. You invaded my home, slaughtered my people, persecuted my family, and brutally executed one of my good friends."

"I assume you're referring to Vegeta." Hui hazarded, but Gohan didn't pause. "I didn't know he had friends."

"You threw my life into chaos. Now I'm lightyears away from my home and my girlfriend and years off of my career path. You have destroyed the lives of billions of innocent people all for your own selfishness. And to top it all off, you just nearly killed my friend without giving him the chance to defend himself." If Hui caught the adverb, he didn't let on to it. Gohan's eyes narrowed, and he leaned in close. "I've had enough of you."

Hui grinned. "That makes two of us." He said, brushing some more purple dust from his clothes. It was a pointless gesture. He was so covered in dust now that nothing but a long hot bath would do the trick. He couldn't wait to get this over with and get back to his ship. "I must say your manners are appalling. Where did—augh!"

The fist that plowed into Hui's face was a complete surprise to the young emperor, and before he realized it, he was yet again careening backwards to collide into a cliff.

Gohan smirked and cracked his knuckles. "Man, that felt good."

"Yeah!" Goku cheered striding up beside him. "Way to go, Gohan! Come on Piccolo. What do you say we tag-team this guy."

"We did come all the way." Piccolo conceded, although he spared a moment to send an annoyed glance to the distant flashes of light and rumbles that marked Fenn and Vegeta's continuing fight.

Beside Piccolo, Midori nodded as well. "Here." She said, sending a floating sphere of light toward the three Z fighters. The light touched their chests before enveloping them. The noticeable drop in her energy let them know just how draining the seemingly small technique was for her, and they gave her grateful nods even though they weren't sure quite what she'd just done.

Seeing their confusion, she explained. "This will give you a little protection against magical attacks." A flash of guilt crossed her face. "I should have done it before."

As Hui pulled himself slowly, grumbling, out of the mountain's rubble, Goku glanced back toward the boulder where Krillin and Yamcha had taken Tarble. "You mean for Tarble? Ah, he's fine. Feel for yourself."

"Eh?" Midori spun around wide-eyed and looked toward the boulder. Sure enough, she could sense Tarble's small life force there. "But…how?"

Goku just grinned at her. "Magic." He had no time for anything else, for at that moment, the mountain around Hui exploded and the full force of his dark power washed over them.

* * *

The dark power made his stomach turn even though he was concentrating on the fight. Vegeta spared a glance toward the direction in which his allies were fighting Hui. All he could see was a dark cloud of purple dust, rising into the sky. He brought his gaze back toward Fenn a moment later, just in time to duck a spin kick to the face. Without losing a moment, Vegeta sprung upward aiming a punch to Fenn's chin, but the man danced away.

Vegeta glanced back toward Hui's power again. Sweat was leaving wet trails down his face, and he could feel his Tik uniform sticking to his back. It was a feeling he was used to, and he had to admit that he would have loved to fight someone like Fenn…under any other circumstances. At the moment though, he didn't have the time.

He raised his hand just in time to catch the punch Fenn sent at his face

"You're an impressive fighter." Vegeta said. His voice was slightly winded due to his heavy breathing. "But I have to put an end to this fight."

"Not that Oozaru trick again." Fenn said. He was breathing heavily as well.

Vegeta smirked. "No. Better." And Fenn was suddenly blown backward as Vegeta's Ki exploded. With no more pretenses and no more explanation, Vegeta transformed. His hair extended, his eyebrows disappeared, and a moment later he was floating before Fenn in all his Super Saiyan 3 glory.

Vegeta was actually surprised that he had to use this. Fenn was a good fighter, but he wasn't quite Super Saiyan 3 caliber. Vegeta could have most likely beaten Fenn without transforming, but that would have taken time. Time that he didn't have. He had to end this now.

His transformation was hardly complete before he was lunging at Fenn.

He would forever relish the wide-eyed astonished face of the maroon-haired man before him. To finally realize that this sort of power had been sitting under his nose the entire time without him realizing it…it must be eating the man up.

Fenn just managed to dodge the first punch, letting his aura flare out around him, as he spun to send a kick at Vegeta.

Fenn was good. He was powerful, fast, smart, and a highly skilled fighter. But Vegeta was all of those things as well…and now he was a Super Saiyan 3. This fight was over.

* * *

Some distance from the battlefield, black eyes fluttered open in panic. "We've got him. It worked." "Oh good. You're okay." The pair of voices, talking over one another, stunned him for a moment, and he felt a latent sense of fear still gripping him. For the life of him though, he couldn't figure out why.

"You'll be okay." Someone said again.

Tarble blinked and finally focused his gaze on the people crouched down before him. Yamcha and Krillin.

"The Senzu bean patched you right up," Yamcha told him. Still crouched down, he craned his head to see something behind the boulder. "But Hui's really got it out for you…well not _you_, but you know. You'd probably do better hanging out here and letting him think you're dead for now."

"You had us worried though." Krillin said. "That was a nasty shot, and we didn't know if we'd be too late to save you."

"It would have been weird though, wouldn't it? For his and Vegeta's first deaths to both be getting shot through the heart by a crazed warlord, I mean."

"Hmm yeah." Krillin agreed. "Lucky that Saiyans seem to be able to survive for quite a while with that kind of serious injury though."

Tarble found that he couldn't join in the conversation. He vaguely remembered being lifted from his feet, being choked, and then feeling an excruciating pain in his chest. He raised his hand to his chest, feeling the cracked armor and the still-wet blood. There was no pain now though. And no hole. How had that hole suddenly gone away? He had no idea. What had they said before…some kind of bean?

"Wait…" His voice was low and shaky, even to his own ears, and suddenly two pairs of concerned eyes turned to him.

"You okay, man?" Krillin asked. "You don't look so good."

Tarble briefly wondered who would look good after a near-death experience, but then realized that these people probably thought it was normal. "No I…I mean yeah. I'm fine just…just not used to…this." He furrowed his eyebrows. "How am I not dead?"

"A senzu bean." Krillin answered, and at Tarble's blank look pulled out a small bag. "They're magical beans that grow on Earth. They heal people."

"Oh. That…makes sense." _But not really._ He added to himself. Seeing Krillin and Yamcha looking somewhere behind the boulder—in the general direction of explosions and crashes—Tarble twisted to see what was going on as well.

Down below, Hui was screaming something. Goku, Gohan, Midori, and Piccolo were crouched down, shielding themselves from the rocks that were being lifted and thrown by Hui's power. Whether Hui was performing some kind of intricate spell, Tarble couldn't figure. From this distance though, it looked like Hui was just throwing a tantrum.

Tarble wondered if Hui's attack had damaged his head as well. He felt silly for even considering that the Emperor of half the universe would do something as childish as throwing a tantrum in the middle of a battle.

Whatever he was doing though, the black tendrils of power that were swirling around the young emperor left a sick feeling curling in the pit of Tarble's stomach.

Hui was too powerful. Tarble couldn't even sense Ki like the others could, but he could feel this. He sent a glance to Krillin and Yamcha. The pair's faces were slightly blue. Tarble figured that his must look the same. "Are you not going to fight with them?"

The two jumped and sent him slightly guilty looks before looking at each other. "What do you say, Krillin?" Yamcha asked.

Krillin let out a nervous chuckle. "Well it's what we came here for." He admitted. "But I honestly can't see us lasting long."

"Yeah…" Yamcha agreed. "Still" He stood up. "It looks like they're going to need all the help they can get."

"Yeah." Krillin chuckled again, and looked skyward for one desperate moment.

"You should probably stay here." Yamcha said, letting his eyes rest on Tarble.

Tarble stared at him for one wide-eyed, astonished moment. _Is he kidding? I just narrowly escaped my death, and he thinks there's a chance I'm going back there? These people are insane_. "Yeah…" He said aloud. "Yeah, don't worry. I'm not going anywhere." _Except maybe farther away._

Yamcha nodded at him and turned to Krillin. "Ready, Krillin?"

Krillin nodded. "Ready." And the two took off toward the battlefield.

* * *

Fenn crashed into the ground, getting a mouthful of dirt. He lay there stunned for a moment. The feeling of his own hot blood coursing down his face and chest were unpleasant, but that was nothing to what would certainly prove to be a shattered rib cage. He tried to take a breath, and found himself choking on his own blood.

It was a situation he'd found himself in a few times before. It wasn't fatal, but it was damned unpleasant.

Mustering the last of his strength, he pushed himself onto his hands and knees, but found that he couldn't rise any further. Those Super Saiyan 3 were really something else.

A pair of black boots that could belong to no one other than the Saiyan, Nox, touched down gently right before him.

"How did you get so powerful?" Fenn asked. His voice was a hoarse croak.

He could practically hear the gloating smirk on the Saiyan's face when he replied. "Years of training." He said. "Numerous battles, and several run-ins with extremely high-powered opponents."

"So you didn't live your whole life on that barren planet." Fenn concluded, spitting out a wad of spit mixed with blood.

"Of course not."

Fenn laughed but his laugh turned into a cough, spewing blood forth. "So who are you then? One of Vegeta's boys?"

"Do you yield?" The Saiyan asked.

Fenn only laughed. "I couldn't fight you anymore if I wanted to."

"Alright then." A small poof sounded, causing Fenn to finally raise his eyes to the Saiyan. Somehow a bag had appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Nox dug through the bag for a moment before pulling out a Ki collar. He stared at Fenn for a moment.

Fenn wanted to fight back at that moment. No one wants their power locked away from them. The feeling of terror raced through his veins, but at that moment, his arms gave out and he crashed down onto his stomach. Stars exploded in his vision, and when they cleared, he felt the cool metal already around his neck.

A strong hand grabbed his shoulder and rolled him over. "Don't worry. You'll get used to it." The familiar voice said.

Fenn stared dazedly into Nox's single black eye. "Now really?" He asked. "Who are you?"

The Saiyan grinned. The grin was stained red due to the Saiyan's swollen and split lip. "I said I'd tell you if you beat me, and from the looks of it, you didn't beat me. In any case, I suspect you already know who I am."

Fenn closed his eyes and grinned. "I suspected. But I didn't know how you could pull it off." He looked back to him. "Vegeta."

Vegeta grinned at him. "You're smarter than you look." A loud explosion drew his attention away. "I have to go now. If I were you, I'd take one of the spacepods and disappear. Consider it my gift to you for not ratting me out."

Fenn laughed. "You're alright, man. I'll be on my way as soon as I can move again. And once I get this collar off, I'll be back for a rematch."

Vegeta smirked and nodded to him. "Later then."_ Damn I'm getting soft._ He thought, and then he blasted off into the gray sky.

* * *

A/N: I hope you enjoyed that. If you've been reading this far, then you probably know that one of my weaknesses as a writer is writing fight scenes. It tends to take me much longer to write those than other parts, but then it just depends on my mood. Anyway, let me know what you think.

I've been so happy with all of the great reviews that I've been getting for this story. Thanks so much for all of your complements and suggestions. You guys are all awesome!


	57. To Dust Returnest

Chapter 57—To Dust Returnest

The capital city of Iro was as peaceful as it ever was. The early afternoon sky was a bright orange. Down in the city, people were going on about their business. Employees were at their desks, typing away. Cooks were in their kitchens, the children in school. Trains were running as usual. A small traffic collision at the corner of 35th and Kartikeya Street had resulted in a few minor injuries and a bit of congestion, but things appeared to be clearing up now.

Despite the apparent calm, however, Kurenai was nervous. Nervous was perhaps an understatement, but there may not have been a word for just what she was feeling.

Her round office felt lonely and cold with no one else in it. The black floors and throne had never looked so dark and severe before. She hoped that soon, her aides would be back to bring life into her office again. Given what she knew was happening though—incidentally the cause of her current disposition—it might not be likely.

She had been staring out of the window over the city for some time now. Her scouter was in her hand, where it had been for several hours already. She was awaiting news, anything.

Suddenly, her scouter began beeping. Before the second beep, she had already answered. "Midori?"

"_No."_ The equally familiar voice came back to her.

"Vegeta!" The relief was evident in her own voice. "What's going on? What's happening?"

"_I've gotten rid of Fenn."_ He announced.

"It's a start." Kurenai quipped, though the comment lacked the sarcasm it usually had.

"_Hui's throwing a tantrum right now." _The connection was full of static, and she could hardly hear over all the wind, but she managed to make out what he said._ "I'm heading over."_

"Vegeta," Kurenai began, and she could tell that Vegeta had heard the beginning of an order in her voice, for he groaned. "Don't engage him yet."

He hardly gave her time to finish before he was speaking. _"Kurenai, I'm putting this brat in his place today. I've had enough of all this sneaking around."_

"Yes, yes. Calm down! What I meant was: don't jump into a fight with him without observing his fighting style first. I chose you for this job because of your skill and experience. Now, until you've spotted his weakness, do not engage. Do you understand?"

"_You're assuming that he has a weakness."_ He pointed out. If she had been on the planet with him, she would have probably understood the feeling of sickness that was currently curling through the man's stomach. The sheer magnitude and darkness of Hui's power had a tendency to do that to people.

As she could not possibly understand this, she just snorted. "Just do as I say. And try to get me a video of what's going on." And then she snapped the scouter shut.

* * *

Vegeta pulled his scouter off his ear and glared at it for a moment before stowing it in his pocket. The scene down below was a mess. Dark tendrils of power were swirling around Hui, boulders were flying and crashing into the sides of cliffs. The Z fighters and Midori stood below, shielding themselves from the rubble.

Vegeta scanned the fighters assembled. Krillin and Yamcha were in the milieu as well. _That's brave of them._ He mused sarcastically, but with an odd feeling of respect. _But__** I'm**__ certainly not going to sit back and film this._

It was then that his eyes locked onto someone else. _Ah…of course._

Huddled close to the ground and peering around a boulder was his own dear little brother. Vegeta smirked and dropped out of the sky right behind him without a sound. His smirk grew slightly as he leaned close to Tarble's ear and said. "Making our ancestors proud. As usual."

As he'd predicted, Tarble squawked and spun around. His boots dug into the purple dirt and sent pebbles skittering away, and his arms flew up to shield his face as if expecting an attack.

Vegeta took a step back and chuckled. "Are you planning to sit on the sidelines the whole fight, Tarble, or were you going to man up and fight?" He asked.

Tarble tensed in embarrassment, but lowered his arms nonetheless. "Oh, well…uhh…" He looked up to his older brother. Vegeta was covered in dust and had a trickle of blood running down his chin. His arms were crossed and he was staring down at Tarble sternly. Tarble flinched at the expression of expectation. "I got shot!" He announced suddenly. "Through the chest. I nearly died!" He scrunched up his eyebrows, and looked at Vegeta as if pleading for him to let him sit it out. "The scariest part is…I never saw it coming."

Vegeta frowned at him, his eyes locking on to the hole in Tarble's armor for a moment before nodding. Judging by the size of the hole and its location, it could have been a lethal hit. Tarble was lucky to have survived it. Vegeta pulled his eyes away, casting a glance over the boulder toward the fight below. "I'd have expected as much." He said. "You're way out of your league."

Tarble slumped down against the boulder morosely, drawing his knees up and folding his arms atop them.

Vegeta smirked down at him. "But, I'd imagine the rest of us are as well."

That made Tarble bite his lip nervously. "Can we win?"

Vegeta let his gaze linger on the battlefield once more. "Of course."

"How?"

To Tarble's horror, Vegeta just shrugged. A moment later, Vegeta snapped his gaze away from scene below, and looked down to Tarble. "I have a job for you."

The noise Tarble made was a mix between a groan and a whine.

"It's nothing hard." Vegeta fished his scouter out of his pocket and tossed it to Tarble. "You know how to work these, I trust." When Tarble nodded, he continued. "I need you to film everything that happens down there and transmit it to Kurenai in a live feed."

"Oh okay." Tarble's relief was evident. "I can do that."

"Good." He snatched Tarble's own scouter off his face and dropped it into his pocket, Then, with a nod, Vegeta started walking away—away from the battle.

Tarble blinked after him, wondering momentarily if he should inform his brother that he was walking the wrong way. A moment later though, Vegeta had jumped to the top of a high cliff and sat down.

Tarble just shrugged and turned on the scouter.

* * *

As suddenly as Hui's power had exploded, it stopped. The sudden absence of wind made Gohan stumble forward a step, but he quickly regained his balance. To his left and right, he saw his father and Piccolo do the same, and judging from Krillin and Yamcha's squawks, they were equally surprised. Gohan's arms were still crossed before his face—a good enough defense against the surges of power, but not so much against the flying pebbles. His cheeks stung from the sand and rocks that had hit him, cutting like so much glass because of their speed.

The black tendrils of power had disappeared just as suddenly. The rocks and stones crashed back to the ground. Gohan's eyes stopped squinting, but leaving his arms raised, he looked through the gap at Hui.

The young emperor was trembling slightly. Occasional crackles of black lightning swirled around him before fizzling out.

As the purple dust settled around their feet, the Z fighters tentatively lowered their arms.

"Okay." Hui flicked his hair out of his face. "Let's get this straight." He stuck a finger out toward the dust-covered fighters before him. "_You_ want to fight _me_?"

"Yes!" Gohan shouted, in exasperation. "That's what we came all this way for!"

"And you expect to win?" Hui cocked an eyebrow at them, before flicking his finger back toward himself. "Against me."

"That's the idea." Goku said. "Yeah."

Hui sighed loudly. "Where the hell is Fenn? And Nox, too. I have people to do this kind of thing?" He turned around toward the soldiers that had accompanied him. They were all trembling in fear, and he knew without having to see them fight that none of them stood a chance against these Saiyans. Still, that's what they were there for. "You! Get out here and fight them!" He flicked an impatient hand toward the Z fighters by way of indication before turning, striding toward a rock, and dropping down on it.

"Really?!" Gohan yelled impatiently, while Midori tried to shush him. "You know these guys stand no chance against us?"

The men were shaking, staring in terror at the Saiyans before them. They knew they were outgunned, but facing Hui was clearly more terrifying.

"There's no need to kill these guys." Goku said. "Just knock them out."

The others, even Midori, nodded in agreement. "Right."

It was the Earth's fighters that moved first, rocketing toward the Tik soldiers faster than they could see. Gohan almost felt bad for his opponent. The man was sweating with fear, and when Gohan appeared before him, he gasped in surprise, taking a step backward as if to flee. "You'll be okay." Gohan told him, and sending a firm chop to the man's neck, rendered him unconscious.

He glanced over to Piccolo to see that his own opponent was unconscious as well. Piccolo had apparently already gotten over the fight, and was scanning the area around them.

Goku and Midori had also knocked their opponents out. Gohan was a little surprised that Midori had done it so quickly, but he supposed he shouldn't underestimate her. She was Kurenai's right hand after all. Midori and Goku let their opponents drop to the ground and went to take care of the rest.

Krillin's and Yamcha's opponents had had time to react. The two Earthlings were more evenly matched against the Tik fighters, but Gohan didn't see any cause for concern. The two men had been fighting for decades. Admittedly these Tik soldiers likely had too, but he had faith in Yamcha and Krillin.

As their scuffles moved away, Gohan turned toward Piccolo. "Where do we put these guys?" Gohan asked.

"I doubt there's a safe place anywhere on this planet." Piccolo said. His eyes had stopped scanning the area and had rested on one cliff in particular. Gohan followed his gaze, immediately spotting the black shape atop the cliff.

"Is that a person?" He asked.

Piccolo nodded. "Nox."

"Oh." Gohan frowned. "I wonder why he's staying there."

Piccolo turned away. "I'm sure he has his reasons."

"We should keep an eye on him. We wouldn't want him to attack us from behind." Gohan said. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Krillin send his opponent crashing into the ground. In a move that Gohan would have considered dirty in any other context, Krillin followed up the attack, kicking his still-downed opponent, and rendering him unconscious. Krillin stepped away from the unconscious soldier, and spotting Gohan and Piccolo, started making his way toward them.

Piccolo's reply was slightly more forceful than it needed to be. "You keep your focus on the battle with Hui. Nox isn't going to attack us."

Krillin had apparently overheard Piccolo's statement as well. Finally reaching the two, he asked. "He won't? How do you know that?"

"I just do."

Gohan and Krillin shared a look, but then the sound of Yamcha shouting an attack caught their attention. Yamcha had finally taken down his opponent. The Tik soldier crashed into the rocky earth, with smoke rising off of his body. Yamcha wiped some sweat from his brow, and turning, spotted Gohan, Krillin, and Piccolo. A quick glance to Goku and Midori showed that they had made short work of the other soldiers, and talking quietly to each other, were making their way over.

Judging by the way Goku was glancing to the top of the nearby cliff, he had noticed Nox as well.

When they got nearer though, and authentic smile found its way to Goku's face. "Nice job, guys!" He said cheerfully. "But, what are we going to do with them?"

"Yeah, we can't leave them here, can we?" Yamcha mused.

"I'll send them back near their pods." Midori said, raising a hand, fingers spread. A moment later, the Tik soldiers floated into the air. With a flick of her wrist, Midori sent the soldiers rocketing off in the direction of their pods.

"Heh heh. Well that's one way to do it." Yamcha said, his wide eyes following the retreating soldiers.

"I'm telling you." Gohan agreed.

"Magic's where it's at these days." Krillin chuckled.

Goku, meanwhile, was speaking quietly to Piccolo. "So we're just going to leave him there?" It wasn't hard to figure out who he meant. "What if he attacks Tarble? We should at least keep an eye on him."

"I'm telling you, he's fine." Piccolo said, with some annoyance.

Goku scratched the back of his head and stared up at the cliff where Nox was sitting. Unbeknownst to him, the man he was staring at was smirking in amusement back down at him.

"Nox is fine." Midori confirmed. "He won't cause any trouble."

Four curious gazes fixed on her.

"Yeah, but how do you know?"

Midori sent a glance toward Hui. The young emperor was glaring at the fighters who had just gotten rid of his soldiers, but he wasn't moving. It was almost as if he was biding his time until someone else came along to fight for him. "Hui's a pansy mama's boy who can't even use the toilet without help." Midori said.

The Earth's fighters stared in wide-eyed confusion at her announcement.

However Midori's eyes never left Hui. After a moment, she nodded and turned back to the confused Z fighters. Her face, which had, until then been nervous and tense, softened slightly in amusement. "I'm assuming he can't hear us." She said. "He probably would have responded to that." Gohan and Piccolo caught on instantly, and while the other fighters were trying to work out what she meant, Midori's face grew serious again. "What I'm about to tell you can absolutely not be repeated to Hui, understand?"

The men all tensed, and sending nervous glances to each other. As one though, they nodded.

"I'm only telling you this because we need you to be 100% focused on Hui. So don't worry about Nox. He's with us."

"What?!" "Really?" "No way!"

"Yes, I know. But just trust me on this. He_ is_ with the Krimzon. And don't say anything to Hui."

They all nodded.

"That's a relief!" Goku said with a grin before winking at Piccolo. "See, maybe I can convince him to come to Earth and be my new sparring partner."

Midori cocked an eyebrow at that, but didn't say anything. Piccolo just rolled his eyes, before turning to Hui.

The energy and cheer drained from the group as the rest of them turned as well.

"I guess this is it then." Krillin murmured. Beside him Yamcha swallowed thickly and nodded.

Across the rocky expanse, the emperor was still sitting on the stone, his elbow propped on his knee and his cheek resting on his fist.

He huffed. "Really? That took like two minutes. Why is it so hard to find decent fighters these days?" He sighed. "And where the hell are Fenn and Nox?" He pressed a finger to his scouter, but clearly didn't get a response. Finally, he gave up. "Fine." He dusted off his tunic the best he could. "You want a fight? I'll give you one."

"Finally." Gohan didn't waste a moment, rocketing off toward Hui with a speed that all but a handful of people in the universe would have been unable to see. However, unlike the time before, Hui was ready.

Stepping aside at the last minute, Hui sent his fist straight into Gohan's ribs. The punch sent Gohan flying to the side, crashing into the side of a cliff.

Goku and Piccolo were next. Goku sent a punch straight toward Hui's face. Hui blocked it and landed a kick to Goku's midsection. Goku crashed onto his back and continued sliding backwards, leaving a man-sized rut in the ground. When he finally came to a stop, he remained still, his eyes fixed to the sky and his mouth open slightly as he tried to force air back into his lungs.

While Hui was distracted with Goku, Piccolo tried his luck. Piccolo's fist actually reached Hui's face. However, the young emperor's head hardly turned despite the force of the blow and, aside from a slightly distorted cheek, the hit did little damage. The angry young man narrowed his eyes and reached out to grab Piccolo, but Piccolo was faster, dancing away. Hui tried to pursue him, but a bolt of magical lighting hit him square in the chest, shocking him and throwing him backwards. Twin blasts followed, courtesy of Yamcha and Krillin, hitting Hui while he was still reeling.

Hui fell backwards hitting the ground, and rolling away. With a growl, he pulled himself back to his feet, only to be knocked sideways. Revived, but with a trail of blood running down his chin, had Gohan rocketed head-first into Hui. The young emperor tried to retaliate, but before he could so much as turn, Gohan had grabbed him in a strangle hold.

"You're not as tough as everyone makes you out to be." Gohan said.

Hui was breathing hard, nearly frothing at the mouth in his anger. "ENOUGH!" His power exploded around him again, electrocuting Gohan and sending him flying backwards. The others were bowled back as well by the sudden upsurge of wind.

The group of Krimzon fighters struggled against it. It was impossible to attack when they could hardly keep themselves from being blown away.

It was Goku who managed to react. Lying as he was in his own man-made crater, he couldn't be blown backwards. His eyes moved from the rocks flying above him to where Hui was standing—right in the calm center of the hurricane. Ever so slowly, he raised two fingers to his forehead. A moment later, he flickered away.

"Ka…"

The sound was hardly more than a whisper, drowned out by the howling wind and crashing of rocks.

"Me…ha…"

While Hui hadn't yet noticed the disappearance of one of his opponents, several of the Z fighters had. It was Piccolo who spotted him first, floating high in the sky directly above Hui's head.

"Me…"

Seeing Piccolo looking upward, Gohan looked as well.

"HA!" The white beam hurdled down toward Hui. Hui finally realized he was in danger, glancing upward just as the beam reached him. He didn't think to dodge, but he didn't block either. The beam hit him head-on, throwing him down to the ground, before exploding into a giant, glowing orb.

* * *

Atop the cliff, Vegeta sat cross-legged, and with his chin leaning into his palm. Tarble's scouter covered his right eye, but it was a familiar feeling. He hardly noticed it. The wind down below had died down, giving the Earth fighters and Midori a moment of reprieve. Kakarott was still hovering in the sky, his hair golden, and his hands outstretched. The spherical explosion was slowly expanding, devouring the rocky earth around it.

Vegeta frowned at it, and raised his hand to the scouter. "Kurenai." He waited a tic before continuing. "Are you seeing this?"

"_I'm seeing it." _She said. _"I can't say that I'm believing it."_

"Hm." Vegeta smirked. "This may be easier than we expected."

"_Don't count your niwatori before they're out of their incubators."_

He frowned at the admonishment, but he understood the general concept. "I thought this guy was trained by the best." He pointed out. "He's clearly…stronger than any of us."

"_Hui has an exceptional natural power. His Ki and magic levels were both engineered to be enormous. Fighting ability, however, is not innate."_ He cleared his throat loudly, and despite being on another planet, he could _feel_ that Kurenai had just rolled her eyes. _"I stand by what I said. You're an excellent fighter because you learned, you practiced, and you fought to improve on your natural talents. Had you sat on your backside all day for the past ten years as Hui has done, that would be a different story."_

Down below, the blast was dying down, becoming more smoke than energy. Vegeta didn't have to be able to see through the smoke to know that Hui was largely unharmed.

Sure enough, as the wind carried away the last of the dust, Hui was shown to be standing, whole—if perhaps annoyed—at the bottom of the large crater.

"But what about all those stories?" Vegeta asked. "…The greatest warriors from all over the universe called in to train the son of the Tauran king to one day defeat Frieza?"

"_So you did do your homework." _Kurenai joked. _"I'm impressed. That happened." _She confirmed. _"But when Frieza died, Hui was still an adolescent. When I fought him, he was hardly any older."_ She paused. _"You have never seen him train since you've been in his ranks." _She reminded him. _"Unless you just forgot to mention it."_

"No." He said. "No he's never done anything. Not even a pushup." He chuckled a bit. "He had no idea what to do when we got to this planet." Vegeta cocked an eyebrow down at the battle. "Kurenai, how many times has Hui actually been in a battle?"

"_When he was young, he was very involved in his own battles. His enormous power and skill allowed him to consolidate his empire. But then when the empire got large enough, he…well, he sat back and let his soldiers do the rest of the work." _She paused. _"I've never gotten any reports of him actually fighting anyone."_

"So it's entirely possible that he's unused to combat in…well in his _adult_ body." Vegeta continued studying the fight for a moment. "Interesting."

"_That's appearing to be the case." _Kurenai said. _"He's incredibly strong, fast, and clearly has the technique. He just doesn't appear to be able to put all that together in any efficient manner, does he?"_

"Are you asking me?" The Z fighters below were swarming around Hui now, hitting him faster than he was able to respond. They appeared to gain the upper hand for a moment, but Hui was suddenly surrounded by a sphere of lightning. The sphere then exploded, sending everyone flying away. Hui didn't let up there though. He locked on to one target, Krillin, and grabbing him by the skull, electrocuted him and launched him into the side of a cliff. Krillin hit, sending spiderweb cracks into the rock around him. A moment later, he fell, hitting the ground, and not moving.

Kurenai's voice was back in his ear as if she hadn't seen one of her own "soldiers" possibly get killed. _"You're my strategist."_ She reminded him.

He snorted. Krillin's Ki was still there, but judging by the level, he was unconscious. "I'd say you're right." Vegeta said, watching as Yamcha tried to make his way toward Krillin. Hui appeared suddenly in front of Yamcha, grabbed him, and sent crashing into the same cliff side. Yamcha fell limply to land right beside Krillin. "If it was just that that we were up against, I'd say we had this in the bag."

"_But then, there's his magic."_ Kurenai reminded him.

"How could I forget?" Vegeta rolled his eyes. "And that's something that he hasn't slacked on."

As if in proof of this, Hui sent black tendrils coiling around Gohan, snatching him off the ground. The tendrils tightened and electrified, eliciting a gut-wrenching scream from their victim. A moment later, Piccolo and Goku were again on Hui, double-teaming him with a flurry of punches and kicks.

As he had before, when attacks began getting through Hui's defenses, Hui threw his two opponents backwards with an enormous burst of energy, and surrounded himself with an seemingly impenetrable sphere of magic.

* * *

Down on the ground, Piccolo and Goku slowly backed away from the sphere of magical lightning. "What is he waiting for?" Piccolo mumbled, as Midori ran over to join them.

Goku glanced over at his friend. "What was that Piccolo?"

"Nothing." Piccolo shut his eyes and concentrating, sent a message to Vegeta. _"We're going to be killed. What are you waiting on?"_

"_Permission to fight."_Vegeta's voice came back with a hint of humor.

"_Permission?!"_ It took all of Piccolo's self control not to shout it out loud. _"Permission from who?"_

"_Kurenai."_ Was the simple reply. _"Or that's the official story."_

"_If you're just sitting up there waiting for the right moment to make a dramatic entrance, we're going to have a very serious talk once this is over!"_

Vegeta's only response was a laugh.

Piccolo rolled his eyes at his unhelpful ally. "Right." That was said out loud. He looked back to the fallen fighters behind them. Krillin and Yamcha were down for the count. Gohan was out too, but the kid had a habit of bouncing back.

To his left, Midori looked terrified. Sweat dripped down her face, and more than one strand of hair had fallen out of the tight twist she'd had it in. But she still held her guard up.

On the other side of him, Goku was crouched in a fighting stance, breathing heavily. His armor was cracked in a few places, and scrapes covered the parts of skin that were showing. Piccolo knew that he himself didn't look much better. "It's just us now." He said, staring into the sphere of electricity at the angered young emperor. As soon as he said it though, dark tendrils of power shot out, wrapping around him and electrifying.

He could hear himself screaming as the tendrils coiled tighter and tighter constricting his chest an shocking him. And then there was no air left. He went silent, but his mouth was still opened in a silent scream of agony.

Somewhere beside him, he heard someone shout his name. Son Goku most likely. Then everything went black, and he fell.

* * *

"No! Piccolo!" Goku yelled, running toward his friend. He shot a glare to Midori, who was lowering her arms from the defensive spell she'd just cast. "Why didn't you save him, too?"

"That was a powerful spell!" She defended. "And I only have two hands. One to defend myself. And one for you." Although she looked guilty, she was clearly trying to keep it from showing. "You shouldn't need to ask why I defended you. You're far more likely of defeating Hui than he is. But in any case, the protection I put on you all earlier kept him from being killed. He'll live." Another magical attack came flying at them, and clearly straining, Midori deflected it. "We might not be so lucky."

"No!" Goku said, turning serious dark eyes on her. His hair was even more disheveled than usual, and his entire body was covered in a fine layer of dust and blood. "We'll be fine." His arm shot out and he pointed toward the two fallen Earthling fighters near the cliff face. "Go to Krillin. He's got a brown bag of beans. Get them and give one to Gohan, one to Piccolo, and take one for yourself. Then take Krillin and Yamcha up to Tarble where they'll be safe."

She stared at him as if he'd lost his mind. "Wh…what?"

"BEANS!" He shouted at her, in the most angered voice she'd ever heard come out of him. "They heal people. That's what healed Tarble. Get them and do as I said!" He turned back toward the spoiled emperor. "I'll hold off Hui."

Midori clearly thought that he was insane for taking on Hui alone, but if what he said about the bean things was true, then that could be their salvation.

A moment later, her worries vanished. The large Saiyan's hair turned back to gold, and began growing. She knew what was happening. She'd seen Vegeta do it. It was the Super Saiyan 3 transformation.

With a flurry of hope, she turned and sped off on her mission.

Goku meanwhile had locked eyes with Hui. The pale young man's eyes were wide with terror at the sight of the Saiyan before him. He took a step backwards, stumbling on the cracked purple earth. "Wh…why won't you DIE?!" He threw his hands in front of him, sending out two beams of what appeared to be lightning.

Goku dodged, and without wasting a moment, charged at Hui. Hui appeared to be too distressed to defend himself properly. He threw up his arms in front of his face as Goku approached, and again the sphere of lightning surrounded him. Goku, however appeared undeterred. His fist met the sphere, causing a ripple to run through it. Then a crack.

"NO!" Hui shrieked in terror.

A moment later the sphere shattered, and Goku's fist reached the emperor's chin. Hui stumbled backwards, throwing an attack at Goku's face. Goku raised an arm to block it, but that proved to be a mistake. Whatever the attack was, it could not be deflected. A searing pain shot through Goku's arm, traveling up his shoulder, and through his chest before expanding throughout his entire body.

It was only when Goku collapsed to his knees that the look of terror disappeared from Hui's face. "Huh." He chuckled. "Who'd have thought a torture technique would be good in battle?"

Goku's hands gripped the earth, fisting around rocks and dirt in an effort to channel his pain elsewhere.

"It's too bad." Hui said, coming forward and sending a kick to Goku's temple. Goku fell sideways and skidded slightly. "I was almost afraid of you." He smirked. "For just a minute there."

Goku fixed his eyes on Hui, and with evident pain in his face, struggled to his knees. He was gasping for breath now, and tears of pain were leaking freely from his eyes.

Hui just laughed and took a few steps backward to survey his masterpiece. He raised a hand toward Goku, palm out. "I can't say I've had fun." A ball of Ki formed in his hand. It looked small, but Goku could feel that it was deadly. "I think this will be enough to take off your head. Ordinarily I'd have it for a trophy, but I'm already tired of looking at it."

And then, Hui fired. Time seemed to slow. Goku saw the blast coming toward him, but he was in too much pain…he couldn't control his own body enough to block it.

"No! Dad!" He heard the shout somewhere in the distance, but he couldn't turn his head to look. All he could do was stare at the light, coming closer, ready to snuff out his life.

And then suddenly, the light disappeared and was replaced by a dark-clad figure surrounded by a golden aura. Goku could tell instantly that it wasn't Gohan, but in his pain-addled mind, he couldn't quite place who it was. Dust kicked up around the man's feet, and Goku could see that he was straining against something. Then, he saw Hui's blast fly off and crash into a nearby mountain.

The mountain exploded. Typhoon-strength gusts of wind raced through the area, bringing with them rocks and dust before carrying them away again.

As the dust cleared, Goku was left kneeling, with his hands still fisted in the dirt, staring in pain and incomprehension at the man before him. The man sent a glance toward Hui and then turned back to Goku, furrowing his eyebrows for a moment. Then, with a look of concentration on his face, he raised his hands toward Goku. His fingers seemed to twitch, and suddenly Goku's pain was gone.

"You." Goku seemed to be a mix between resigned, overwhelmed and excited. "Thanks. But…I wanted to fight you again, but…heh heh. I'm not at top form now."

The rogue Saiyan before him snorted. "Don't make excuses. You're a Saiyan. I could break every bone in your body and you'd still fight me."

Goku smiled. "I suppose that's true."

Nox smirked at him.

"Nox!" To Goku's surprise and continuing confusion, the Saiyan rolled his eyes before turning to regard the flustered Emperor. Whether Hui was upset by the fact that Nox had just foiled his plan to kill the Saiyan or just with the fact that he was being ignored, Goku couldn't tell. The young sorcerer waved his arms in exasperation. "What are you doing?! I was about to kill him."  
"I know." Nox called back to him. "That's why I stopped you. I promised this guy a fight, you see. I can't let you kill him before I get it."

"What?! That's idiotic!" His hand flew into the air, and he spun on his heel, marching away a few steps as if to calm himself before turning back. "Fine! _You_ kill him. And then take out the others as well. They just keep getting back up!" He snarled at Gohan, Piccolo, and Midori who were now standing, fully healed, off to the side. "Just hurry up with it! And don't let some weird Saiyan-loyalty, brotherhood crap get in the way this time."

"Call it what you want. I'm stepping in now." Nox said casually. "Don't worry. I'll finish this."

* * *

A/N: Wow, it took me a long time to update. Terribly sorry, but as usual, it's just been really busy. I'm in the middle of finals and essay-writing, and I'm about to be moving again. Anyway. I hope you all enjoyed this one. Thanks so much to all of you who have taken the time to review. I really appreciate all of your comments and support.


	58. Devastate (Part 1)

Warnings: This chapter contains violence, character death, and some swearing.

Chapter 58- Devastate (Part 1)

Why was it that every time they had a huge fight lately, there was lightning? The dark gray sky had seemed flat earlier, calm and almost solid, like a gray sheet hand been hung over the sky. Now it wasn't flat anymore. Where only an hour before, clouds had covered the entire sky, blocking out a view of the stars in a seemingly endless haze, now energy beams had burst holes in that canopy, causing the clouds to shift and clash. Bolts of white-hot lightning leapt across the sky followed closely by deafening crashes of thunder.

Goku hardly noticed the weather. His attention was focused entirely on the man before him. "Eh heh." He pulled himself shakily to his feet. "So you really want to fight, huh?" He dusted off his cracked armor a bit, but it was really no use. The purple dust was everywhere.

Nox stuck his hands on his hips. "Yes, that's the idea."

Goku tilted his head to the side. "Alright, but I don't really see the point, if—"

Nox's fist crashing into his face cut him off mid sentence. Goku was sent flying back, but surprisingly spryly for someone who had just gone head to head with the Emperor of the Tik, he flipped backwards onto his feet. The moment his toes touched the ground, his hair turned golden, and he sprung off again. A deafening crash of thunder seemed to shake the ground, but neither man paid it any attention. Nox didn't budge as Goku hurdled back toward him, only stepping aside at the last minute to avoid the twin Ki blasts that Goku fired at his face.

That Nox had managed to dodge them was slightly surprising, given that he was only a Super Saiyan. But Goku had only put a little power into those anyway. Predicting the way Nox would move, Goku appeared suddenly before him, ramming an elbow into his face.

The blow made Nox's head snap back, but it didn't appear to surprise him. Blood spurt out of his nose as he fell backwards, but he simply sent Goku a bloody grin, and following his momentum, rolled backwards. Like a strange animal, Nox ended his roll in a crouch. He looked positively lethal, with his knees bent low to the ground, and one hand splayed bracingly on the rocky soil. Something about him set Goku on edge—as if he were more dangerous than he was letting on.

Rather than charging, Goku stepped backwards, firing off another Ki blast. Nox rolled out of its trajectory, and, lifting off the ground, Goku fired again. The mysterious Saiyan was far faster than Goku would have expected, dodging every single blast with a simple roll. Goku's attacks were leaving deep craters in the ground and sending rocks and dust flying into the air, but Nox was avoiding both the blasts and the craters with ease.

"Argh!" Putting his two hands together, Goku fired off a larger blast. Nox was prepared, though. He launched himself off the ground, flipping easily over it.

"Oh no you don't!" Goku shouted, waving his hands, and bringing the blast back around. "We don't have time for this, Nox!"

Nox merely grinned again, and waiting until Goku's blast was within inches of him, shot into the air. Goku's hands moved again as if trying to keep Nox within a frame. Nox allowed the blast to chase him, swerving and spinning easily through the air as the blast nipped at his heels. It was as if he were enjoying himself. Rather suddenly though, he dived, swerved again, and then began heading directly toward Goku.

"So that's how it is." Goku mumbled as Nox hurdled toward him.

Nox's next move surprised even Goku, however. Goku had expected Nox to dodge. Instead, Nox made to fly over Goku's head. At the last moment, though, he grabbed Goku's shoulders and flipped over to land behind him. The blast careened harmlessly over both of their heads. Goku let it go.

As his blast demolished a large section of the nearby cliff side, Goku spun back toward his opponent.

The first thing he saw was a black boot swinging toward his face. "Ah!" Goku dodged, spun, and threw a punch toward Nox's stomach. Nox caught it in a surprisingly strong grasp before throwing a punch back at Goku. Without missing a beat, Goku caught his fist as well, and the two were suddenly locked in a shoving match.

As he strained against his surprisingly strong opponent, Goku cast a quick glance toward the rock that Hui was sitting on. "Look, Nox. I don't want to pry, but…are you really on our side?"

The man just smirked mysteriously, and twisting his arms sharply, sent Goku spinning off his feet. Not expecting the sudden move, Goku's shoulder hit the ground hard, before he rolled back to his feet, moving aside just in time to avoid having Nox's foot plow into his stomach.

The two suddenly disappeared, only to reappear high in the sky. It was an incredible sight to see. Two golden flames darted through the lightning, clashing, and sending off blinding flashes of light. It was like a dance.

* * *

Down below, three figures were watching the fight intensely.

"Incredible." Piccolo mumbled. His head was tilted upward, and his eyes were squinted in his effort to track the incredibly fast movements. It certainly was impressive too. For both of them. Goku had been on the ground several minutes before, and now he was up again, fighting despite the fact that many of his nerve endings were probably fried due to Hui's spell. And Vegeta…

Upon hearing his murmur, Gohan looked over to his mentor. "What is?" He asked.

Piccolo suddenly remembered with no small amount of frustration that he still wasn't allowed to fully explain. Still, as he watched Vegeta send Goku crashing into the ground, he was far too impressed to not comment. "Look at his fighting style. Have you ever seen anything like it?"

Gohan watched his father launch himself out of the crater he'd formed and meet Nox with a flurry of punches. Nox responded with a series of blocks, dodges, and return hits. Gohan had never seen anyone rely on their elbows and knees quite as much as Nox. Typically a fighter would prefer to keep at least some distance between himself and his opponent, but Nox seemed to prefer to remain too close to his opponent to allow him full maneuverability.

As he watched, Nox ducked under one of Goku's punches, and, moved in closer. Before Goku could react, Nox had grabbed hold of his wrist and bicep and, holding Goku's arm outstretched, brought his knee up under his elbow. The crack was not audible from the distance at which they stood, but Goku's pained scream was.

"Umm. No. It is pretty unique." Gohan cocked his head to the side. "And kind of random. I guess you'd expect that of someone who never had proper training though." Up in the air, Nox had released Goku's arm. Goku tried to float backwards, cradling his shattered elbow. But Nox closed in on him again with a brutal assault. "But I don't know what's incredible about it. It seems like everyone we ever fight has some weird ability. I mean, yeah I guess, he is impressively powerful, but he's only a Super Saiyan Two. Even injured, dad's keeping up with him."

Piccolo continued to watch the fight, knowing that Vegeta must be loving the fact that he was pulling one over on Goku. But that wasn't what was so impressive. He cast a sidelong glance at the demi-saiyan next to him. "Gohan, what if I told you that the fighting style that Nox is using now is one he created himself only in the past few months? That every single combination and special attack he's used up until now is one he has either learned or created within the past year. The sequences, his movements, his balance. They're all different from his normal fighting style." Piccolo asked. "Would that impress you?"

Gohan blinked at the fight, wondering how it would be possible to create an entire fighting style within a year. He scratched a gloved finger to his temple, smearing some of the purple dust there. "Well yes. I guess it would."

A loud scream alerted them to the fact that Goku was transforming into a Super Saiyan Three. "Enough!" Goku yelled at Nox. "I don't want to hurt you. Stop this fight! You don't want to go up against a Super Saiyan three."

Vegeta paid no heed to Goku's warning. Piccolo could practically see the grin on Vegeta's face, as he allowed a lightning-filled aura to surround him. The two Saiyans' power-charged auras seemed to be disturbing the atmosphere even more. Clouds were shifting faster, crashing, and shooting out charges of lightning every few seconds. The sound was deafening.

"But Piccolo, how would you know his normal fighting style?" Gohan's voice gained Piccolo's attention once again. The tone was suspicious. Good. The boy had taken far too long to figure this out.

Out of the corner of his eye, Piccolo saw Midori shift in agitation. The fear seemed to have largely fled the young woman, but she was still clearly anxious.

Piccolo couldn't respond. All he said was. "Just think about it, Gohan. Use your head." As Gohan turned his confused, concentrating gaze back to the fight, Piccolo followed his gaze, staring in awe at the two Saiyan rivals-turned-friends.

After a moment, Gohan spoke, keeping his eyes locked to the fight above. "Clearly you've met him before. Or you've researched him. But to know about his life before the past few months…That would be impossible, if Nox's story were actually true. You couldn't possibly know his normal fighting style if he's really been living isolated on that planet for the past forty years."

Piccolo didn't respond. He merely sent a significant glance back toward the cliff upon which Tarble was hiding, cocked an eyebrow at Gohan, and left him to form his own conclusions.

* * *

"What the hell is he doing?" Kuro Kon's neck was as thick as a bull's and at the moment, his hunched shoulders and bulging muscles and veins made it look even thicker. His meaty fingers were clenching into fists at his side before unclenching again. "That's Vegeta, isn't it?" He turned to regard the woman beside him.

The diminutive empress's seemingly blind eyes were fixed to the large screen. The screen itself was floating in the middle of her circular throne room. She didn't respond to her companion's first question, but she did clarify. "That is Vegeta."

"Well?" Kuro rounded on her. "I'm pretty sure we didn't send him there to fight against our allies. What is Midori doing? Get her on the line."

"I'm sure he has his reasons." Kurenai said calmly, gracefully choosing not to remind Kuro that taking on Vegeta and sending him after Hui had been her choice.

"Other than that he's never been loyal?" Kuro snorted. He hated Kurenai's office. It was so Spartan and dark, and the woman never had any chairs. She always seemed to produce the largest video screens though, so he'd put up with standing. For today. Next time, he was having his own sofa brought in. "He played us, Kurenai. Admit it."

"I have faith in him." She affirmed.

He waved his large hand toward the screen where Goku had just delivered a rib-crushing kick to Vegeta's side. "Look at him. He's helping Hui."

"If he wanted to help Hui, he would have—"

Kuro cut her off. "I wonder what Hui promised him. Our half of the universe maybe?"

"We do not own this half of the universe, Kuro." Kurenai finally rolled her eyes away from the screen to fix them on the police chief. "We simply see to it that it is protected and that its citizens are treated with the dignity they deserve. Do I need to explain the ways of the Krimzon to you again?" She let her eyes drift to his feet. Rather than the angry red she might have expected, they were glowing a nervous bluish green. Kuro Kon was afraid.

He was putting up a good front though. Kuro rolled his eyes just as the empress had a moment before. "No, don't start. I've heard enough of that for my lifetime." He nodded back to the screen. "You can explain what this is though."

"I have perfect faith in Vegeta." Kurenai said, but there was a slight hint of…something…in her voice that hinted that that wasn't true. "He died for our cause remember." She stiffened, and said with much more confidence. "And we have his mate and son."

"I didn't know we held hostages."

"We don't, but they're still here at our mercy. Vegeta will not step out of line as long as they are here."

Kuro raised and eyebrow and snorted before turning back toward the screen. "You should still call Midori." He huffed in dejection. "I don't recall seeing her activate the transmission blocker."

Kurnenai's cloudy eyes widened slightly, and immediately, a scouter was in her hand. "Thank you, Kuro." She said. "With all the excitement, we must have forgotten."

Kuro smirked and crossed his arms smugly. "The empire would crumble without me." He sniffed.

Kurenai glanced up from the scouter. Her thumb was hovering over the button, but she plastered on the most sincere expression she could manage. Lucky the room was so dark. "Yes, of course it would." She said flatly, before pushing the button.

* * *

"_Tarble!"_ Midori's voice shouting in his ear surprised him just enough to prevent him from blocking Goku's incoming kick. Vegeta heard more than felt his nose and cheekbone crack with the hit, and he careened backwards. A second later, he hit a wall of solid rock. The rock cracked around him until he was resting in his own Saiyan-built crater.

He stayed there stunned for a moment at the throbbing pain in his face, staring at the dark, lightning-filled sky. It wasn't until after a few moments that he moved again. As he pulled himself out of his person-shaped indent, he pushed the button on his scouter. "We switched scouters!" He snapped without any greeting.

Midori's surprised voice came back over the line. _"Wh…why?"_

"I didn't know if his had a video function."

"_Wh…of course it does! That comes standard! Ugh!"_ Then the line went dead. He looked back up to Goku. The man's right arm was hanging useless by his side, and his left was clutching his crushed elbow tenderly. Blood dripped from the other Saiyan's face, and his armor was so cracked that it was practically useless. Even from that distance, he could see Goku's heavy breathing.

He himself was drenched in sweat and dirt. He was also fairly certain that there was enough blood on him to fill a few buckets.

A senzu bean would fix them both right up shortly, but first, he had to make sure that both he and Kakarott took enough damage to get a significant power boost upon healing. He smirked.

It was great being Saiyan.

With that thought, he pushed himself out of the cliff-side and hurdled back toward Goku.

* * *

A low groan alerted Tarble to the fact that Krillin was waking up. The small Saiyan was sprawled on his stomach across the large stone, trying to remain completely unseen. The scouter over his left eye was still filming the battle. He pulled it off, and holding it out in the direction of the battle, turned his head to look at the two unconscious warriors behind him.

"Hey, you okay?" He asked in concern.

"Eh?" Krillin propped himself up on an elbow rubbed his head. He squinted as if even the dim, cloudy sky was too bright for his eyes. "Am I dead?"

"No." Tarble said somewhat distractedly, dividing his attention between the video he was filming and the disoriented man behind him.

"What happened?" Krillin asked.

"Hui." Tarble responded, turning back toward the fight, and putting the scouter back on his ear. Goku had just landed an incredible kick to Vegeta's face, and Tarble couldn't help but flinch as his brother was thrown several feet deep into the cliff side.

"Oh…yeah." Krillin turned to see Yamcha lying beside him. "And Yamcha?"

"Same as you."

"_Tarble!" _

"Ahhh!" Tarble jumped and the sudden voice in his ear before realizing who it belonged to. Man, he was too tense these days. "Oh…Midori?"

"_Yes. I need you to turn on the transmission blocker. Hurry up!"_

"Uhh…but I thought it was a last resort..."

"_Orders from the top. Do it now!" _

"But…what if the planet starts exploding? How will we get off?"

Her silence said it all.

"Oh…" He felt dread settling into his stomach. He had managed to hold the feeling at bay before, assured that his brother and the others would save the day and that everything would be alright. But seeing the others so easily creamed by Hui had given him doubts. He'd tried to hold those off as well, assuring himself that once Vegeta stepped in, everything would work out.

But this new development was too much for him. They were sealing off the exit. No one was getting off the planet until the fight was over.

"Right. I get it." Tarble slowly pulled the scouter off his ear and handed it to Krillin. Mumbling for him to film the fight, he turned to start searching through his pockets. He came out with a handful of capsules and sighed. "What is all this stuff? Okay, here's the fridge. That's our ship for if we actually survive. And this…no…Ah this one." He activated the capsule and, swallowing, as if that action alone was sealing his fate, tossed it to the ground.

A small, innocuous machine appeared from the smoke, hardly a foot high, and simple in design. It certainly didn't seem as though it would be capable of keeping the most powerful entities in the universe from teleporting, but he had been assured that it would.

As he knelt beside the newly decapsulized machine, he could feel Krillin's eyes staring back at him. The smaller man was trying to hold the camera steady while shaking Yamcha awake. Every few seconds, he would dart a concerned glance to Tarble.

Tarble tried to hide the terror in his face and the glisten in his eyes. The sinking feeling in his stomach was growing heavier and heavier every minute. Resolutely, he pressed the button. The machine whirred to life, and he stood up again.

He avoided Krillin's searching gaze as the reality that he was stuck there crashed into him once again. He'd never signed up for this. He'd never had a choice. He wasn't here because of his skill, or because anyone thought he might be able to help. He was here because of his face. He had Vegeta's face.

He could feel the ground rumbling beneath his feet, see the sky churning as the planet slowly fell apart. And he knew there was no escape. He raised a watery gaze to the two enormous powers clashing in the distance, and swallowed the lump in his throat. With deep, steady breaths, he fought back his tears. His last hope was quickly fading. He was laughably outmatched by these people. They had been fighting—surviving—for decades. Tarble was nothing. He was a rookie. Weak and pathetic.

A sacrifice.

His hands trembled. Just like Vegeta had been for their home planet. But Vegeta was a fighter, a survivor.

Tarble wasn't. His hands fisted onto his pants, but they wouldn't stop trembling. He was going to die on this planet.

He could feel it.

* * *

The Saiyans two landed on the ground. Goku's breathing was ragged, and one of his eyes was now swollen shut. Almost against his will, his long golden hair began to detract. He put his hands on his knees to steady himself and looked up at Vegeta. "You're really good." He commented. "I can't believe that you can keep up with me. It's incredible."

Vegeta, or Nox as Goku knew him, smirked, letting his hair return to its normal black. He didn't look much better. His nose was swollen and bloody, and what could be seen of his cheek below his eye-patch was turning a rather gruesome shade of purple.

Suddenly a beeping could be heard.

"Hold on." Vegeta held up a finger to Goku and pressed a button on his scouter. "Yeah…?" He spoke into the earpiece. Then, he nodded. "Yeah, I think we took enough damage…What?...Saiyan regenerative abilities…Yeah, the power boost…Tell Kuro to shove it. He'll know where…Gotcha. I'll take care of it."

He straightened and looked back to Goku. "Kakarott, go get a senzu bean."

Goku's wide eyes stared at him in confusion. "I…wait what?" Still hunched over, he blinked in surprise. "How do you know what a senzu bean is?"

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "That, and how would I have known your Saiyan name if you'd never told me?"

"Yeah that too." Goku finally stood up straight and scratched his head with his one working hand. He stayed rooted in place however. "Have we met before?"

"Nox!" Vegeta had to resist the urge to roll his eyes, both at his clueless ally, and at Hui. He pulled his scouter off his face, and turned to regard the befuddled and frustrated Hui.

"What are you doing now?!" Hui yelled, pulling himself to his feet. He had clearly been trying to use his break time to clean off his clothes, for Vegeta could see several places on his tunic where there was far less dust. Just then a gust of wind blew by, carrying a cloud of dust along with it. When the wind died down, Hui was standing, scowling, and covered in dust again. He wiped a hand miserably across his face, before looking back to Vegeta. "You're supposed to be killing those wretched Saiyans. Step to it! This planet's about to blow, and I, for one, am ready for a bath."

Something about Vegeta's one visible eye had changed just then, but Hui was too far away to see. Slowly, Vegeta raised a hand. A small ki ball grew on each of his fingers. He turned sideways and crouched down, bringing his arm across his chest and aiming the four glowing fingers at Goku.

"Ready to see something cool, Kakarott?"

Before Goku could respond, Vegeta flung his arm to the side as if he were throwing a discus. The four ki balls flew from his fingers, away from Goku. Before anyone had the time to blink, three of the blasts had disappeared in the distance. The fourth hit Hui's scouter, shattering it. Hui reeled back with a shriek of surprise, but Vegeta didn't waste a second. He flung out both hands again, sending yet more ki balls hurdling off to where three explosions could now be seen.

The battlefield went still. If not for the roll and crash of the thunder and the sound of boulders crumbling in the distance, it would have been positively silent. Hui was shocked to a silent stupor, seemingly uncomprehending of what had just happened. Goku too was confused, wondering why Nox would randomly fire shots into the distance and what was supposed to be "cool" about it.

The silence seemed to last forever. Goku stayed staring at Vegeta before sending a perplexed glance to Hui. After disgustedly pulling his hand from the side of his face and checking it for blood, Hui met Goku's gaze and the two shared a somewhat comrade-like shrug. The silence still hung heavily over the area.

A deep shout in the distance finally broke it. "YES!" On the side of the battlefield, Piccolo had taken to the air and began flying toward the two Saiyans. He landed midway between them. He glanced at Goku who had returned to staring warily at Nox. Piccolo then turned to Vegeta. "Welcome back."

Vegeta cocked an eyebrow, and then glanced toward Hui. The young man was still rubbing the side of his face, but he was now rising into the sky to see what Vegeta's other targets had been.

A curious Gohan soon landed beside Goku. He was soon followed by Krillin, and a rather pale Yamcha. Gohan's sharp eyes studied Vegeta—or Nox as he'd known him—and Vegeta could slowly see the haze of incomprehension lifting. It wasn't until Midori dropped down beside Vegeta, though, that Gohan's mouth dropped open, and his eyes widened in full realization. Vegeta simply sent him a smug smirk.

A sudden surge of power alerted them to the fact that Hui had finally realized what Vegeta had shot. "NOX!" Up in the sky, Hui's rage was quickly building. He dropped back to the ground, so hard that his feet sank an inch into the rock. Like so many black snakes, tendrils of power seemed to seep out of him and wrap around his body. "What is the meaning of this?! You just destroyed all of our pods! How the hell am I supposed to get off of this forsaken shit-hole of a planet now? Huh? And what if I'm injured! What were you thinking?!"

A slow smirk wound its way onto Vegeta's face, and he let out a chuckle. "You won't get off." He answered. "At least not of your own accord."

"What?!" Hui seemed shocked at the audacious reply, before his eyes darted to Midori. "You…I…" He seethed, unable to form a sentence. He took a few seconds to collect himself, and if it were possible, his expression grew even more enraged. "I see now! You were with them all along. I should have known better than to trust a Saiyan. You!" He looked to Midori again. "I swear, you have given me far too much trouble. You will die this day, just like your partner!"

Vegeta chuckled at that, and soon Piccolo's dark, rumbling laughter joined him.

"Stop it!" Hui yelled, sending his dark power lashing out again. "Stop laughing!" His power swirled faster now, sending dark lightning fizzling around him.

Suddenly, the beeping of a scouter could be heard again. Vegeta pressed the button on his earpiece. "Yeah?…No. Not yet."

Kurenai's reply could be heard clearly. "_Well what the hell are you doing?! Hurry it up!_"

Vegeta pulled the machine away from his ear with a scowl, and then flipped it off. "Ok then. Enough talk. Namek, you should give Kakarott and me some of those senzu beans. Save the rest for the moment."

"Right." Piccolo dug into his bag. Before tossing one bean to Goku and one to Vegeta.

"Stop ignoring me!" Hui yelled, sending a gust of power into them—the same wall of wind from earlier. Caught off guard by the suddenness of the attack, the small group braced themselves against the power, digging their feet into the ground to keep from being blown away.

It was Midori who transported this time, reappearing behind Hui and hitting him with an attack that left a bloody whip mark across his back. He squealed in pain, relinquishing his assault and stumbling forward.

"That technique is getting really annoying." Midori told him. "You're like the boss in one of those lame video games from ten years ago." Her comment was met with only blank stares. She stared back at them for a moment, before saying. "I refuse to believe that I am the only person here who knows about those games." She was only met with one or two shrugs. "Really?! Okay well anyway..." She turned back to Hui. "The point is, stop trying to blow your opponents away, and fight them like a man."

Vegeta and Goku both snorted in agreement and popped the senzu beans into their mouths. "You know what I think?" Vegeta asked, ungracefully chewing and talking at the same time. "I think you don't actually know how to fight." He swallowed the bean. "And that's why you keep throwing powerful attacks at us." He stuck his hands on his hips and cocked his head to the side. "Correct me if I'm wrong."

"I was beginning to think the same thing." Gohan said, coming to stand beside him. He fixed Hui with a solid stare. "You may be powerful, but the application of your technique is sh…" He glanced to Goku and amended. "really bad."

Hui's mouth dropped open in offense, but he couldn't seem to find anything to say.

The others were slowly starting to realize that what Gohan was saying was true.

Vegeta crossed his arms. "But by all means, keep throwing super-powered techniques at us. And then, when your energy is expended, it'll be easy to take you down."

Hui's cheeks turned slightly pink, and he glared at them. "My technique is the best!" He snapped.

"Not from where we're standing." Piccolo cut in.

"You might not know this, but I was genetically engineered to be the best fighter in the universe."

"Weren't we all." Vegeta drawled. A drop something wet landed on his face, and he glanced up toward the roiling sky. Another drop landed on his arm, followed closely by another. _Perfect. Rain._

"I trained under the greatest fighters in the universe." Hui laughed somewhat maniacally, and stumbled back a step, his spastic movements sending rocks skittering away. "There is no…way that you can beat me!" Heavy drops of rain were falling on the young emperor's face now, leaving white streaks on his dusty purple face.

"Then why are you so scared?" Piccolo asked.

"I'm not!" Hui clenched his hand into a fist and shook his head violently.

Vegeta smirked. "Prove it." He said. "You and me. One on one. In a real fight. Leave your tricks behind."

Hui straightened. The quickening rain was making his lank black hair fall into his face. "One on one with you?" He smirked, raising a hand to brush his damp locks out of his face. "Sure."

* * *

Trunks's cheek was leaning so heavily onto his fist that his face was going numb. His eyelids were drooping—a combination of the secret late-night video game session, and Ms. Catibi's boring lecture. Who cared about the diplomatic maneuverings that brought Yort and Oso into the Krimzon Empire anyway?

He finally moved, but only to duck his head to hide a yawn from the teacher. A glance around at the rest of the class showed that they were just as bored. Tuno was nodding off, Tetch was watching something on his hand-held computer, Han'nei and Darla were making brave efforts to pay attention, but their eyes were glazed over, and Lysibet had a gossip magazine hidden inside her textbook.

Trunks turned his eyes back to Ms. Catibi's slide show. Even the pictures were boring. He had no idea who these people were.

"MS. CATIBI!" Trunks jumped and nearly fell out of his chair as Tetch rocketed out of his seat with a shout.

Ms. Catibi turned in astonishment to her disruptive pupil. "This had better be an emergency young man." She said.

"They're fighting!" Tetch declared.

Ms. Catibi let her eyes rove over her classroom. No one stirred. Everyone was now awake, and had their eyes fixed curiously on Tetch. "Who is fighting young man?"

"Kurenai's Saiyans and Hui!"

"What?" Trunks jumped out of his seat as well, and without prompting, Tetch turned his handheld computer toward Trunks. Sure enough, on the screen, clear as day were his friends. Gohan, Goku, Piccolo…even Midori was there. "My dad's not there." He mumbled.

Tetch frowned. "Midori's there though. And someone's got to be filming it."

Trunks frowned. "Maybe." He mumbled, but he was unconvinced. _There's no way my dad would sit back and film the fight. He'd make Yamcha do it for sure. It must be someone else. Uncle Tarble maybe._

"What channel is that broadcast on young man?" Ms. Catibi asked.

"All of them." He answered.

Amidst a few giggles, Ms. Catibi turned to her computer and began typing. Within moments the screen had changed to a barren wasteland of purple rocks and a lightning storm. Several people were also visible on the screen.

"I hate to have you children see any violence, so if this becomes too much for you, feel free to go home. But know this, what we are watching right now is history. You will take notes. We are in class after all."

As one, the class groaned.

* * *

The fight had started without any pretense. Angered at being so belittled and insulted, and eager to prove his capabilities, Hui had fired a blast into the small crowd of fighters. The Z warriors scattered, with most of them moving back away from the enraged warlord.

Vegeta, however, sprang forward. His hair turning golden, he charged up a blast and throwing it straight at Hui.

Hui swatted it away. "You'll have to do better—" Vegeta's follow up spin kick cracked Hui's nose, and launched the young man some distance away. Hui hit the ground hard and gracelessly. Vegeta didn't give him a moment's reprieve. As Hui scrambled to his feet, Vegeta was already upon him, sending perfectly-aimed kicks and punches at every open target area.

Hui struggled to keep up, working to block all of the hits. Quite a few of them met their marks.

All around them, rain was falling, turning the dust-covered, rocky landscape into a mess of mud and loose gravel. A large bolt of lighting struck the top of a mountain somewhere in the distance, sending large boulders showering down.

Hui stumbled back from Vegeta's assault, finally gathering a small burst of energy and blowing Vegeta back just a step. That maneuver didn't hold Vegeta off for long. Hui's attack had barely stopped driving him backward before Vegeta was charging forward again. It did provide enough time for Hui to rethink his strategy though.

He managed to dodge Vegeta's first punch, but the second landed. Hui's body was suddenly surrounded by a shower of sparks. As Hui flew backward from the force of the hit, Vegeta was thrown in the opposite direction by the force of the charge.

Surprisingly, Hui was quick to pull himself back to his feet. There was no more whining, no more bellyaching. The reality of the situation seemed to have finally sank in. Hui was alone on that planet, and no one was coming to help him.

Hui charged up a blast, and threw it at Vegeta. Vegeta just swerved around it, and continued flying toward Hui. Hui waited until Vegeta was close, before conjuring a sword out of thin air. Even before the sword was fully present, he was swinging it at Vegeta.

Vegeta dodged again, planting a hand on the ground before flipping over. Rising to his feet again, he held out both hands in front of him. Somewhat slower than in Hui's case, a sword appeared in Vegeta's hands as well.

"What?!" Despite the fact that he had a sword as well, Hui stumbled back a step. "When did you learn to do that?"

Vegeta didn't answer. He merely charged at Hui, letting the sword drag across the ground for the first few steps before bringing it up over his head. Hui raised his own sword in defense, and the two blades met in a clash of steel. The pair both spun away before attacking again. Again their blades crashed together. Hui pulled his back and swung again, Vegeta parried. Hui continued attacking, stabbing and slashing in rapid succession. Vegeta blocked them all, but his arms were burning from the effort. Hui might not be the most agile swordsman, but his hits were incredibly heavy.

He blocked three more hits, before one of them finally got through. Vegeta felt a searing burn across his chest as the blade sliced easily through his armor. Luckily, the cut was shallow. Had it gone much deeper, it could have been lethal.

Vegeta spun backward again, before launching an assault on Hui.

Slowly, as if without even noticing it, the two rose into the sky, slashing and parrying, spinning and dodging. Lightning danced around them as if it were just another part of their battle.

Vegeta's hair and shoulders were soaked now. The rain had plastered his bangs to his forehead, but at least it had washed most of the dust off of him. His eyes never left Hui. With every thrust and parry, every spin and block, he was keeping Hui's every motion in his sight. The young man was slowly getting the hang of his weapon. That was definitely dangerous.

A super powered wizard was one thing, but a super powered wizard who was actually skilled in the art of war was quite another.

Vegeta increased his assault, raising his power-level to Super Saiyan 2 and charging back at Hui. After a rapid succession of slashes, one of them finally got through, leaving a deep gash across Hui's chest.

Hui gasped at the pain. It was a pain unlike any that he'd ever felt. He'd rarely been on the receiving end of abuse, and he'd certainly never had a cut quite so big.

Hui panicked, and just as he'd done a half dozen times before, he sent out a burst of energy, that blew Vegeta back.

Vegeta pulled his sword in front of himself to shield himself from the wind and any future attack. However, after only a moment, the wind died down again.

Floating, rain-soaked, in the air, Vegeta blinked at the sudden silence. Slowly, he lowered his swords and looked around. Hui was gone.

* * *

It was odd how the orange afternoon sunlight was enough light to read by, but it was. She would have never thought it before. Two large pots were bubbling on the stovetop, and a few dishes were already in the oven. They would be ready by the time the boys got home. On the counter in covered dishes, were already prepared food. She's made a bit more than usual, as Bulma was eating more now as well.

The ingredients here were different, but she'd found a cookbook on her first shopping spree. She had to say that the flavors here were exotic, but delicious. She would have to bring some home with her to Earth.

A beeping caused her to look up from her book. She was embarrassed to admit it, but the bodice-rippers on Iro were gripping. She'd already finished three. If only Goku could be so romantic.

Bookmarking her page, she reached for the odd space-phone on the table and answered. "Hello?"

"Chichi! Turn on the TV." It was Bulma's voice.

Chichi rose from her chair slowly, and with a strange nervousness in her stomach began slowly making her way into the living area. "Why? Is everything alright?"

"I'm on the train now." Bulma said. "I'll be at your place in a few minutes."

"You don't mean…" Chichi reached her hand out toward the TV but hesitated before pressing the button.

"They've let everyone go home early. I managed to catch the first train. Ugh! There are people everywhere. Have you turned the TV on?"

Chichi licked her lips nervously. "What channel?"

"Every channel! Just turn it on, Chichi!" Bulma snapped.

Her finger hit the button and the TV came to life. Her fears were immediately realized. "Oh, Kami no!"

"What?!" Bulma snapped, before apologizing lowly to someone who must have been near her. Then, in a much quieter voice, she asked. "What's happened?"

"They're fighting him! They're fighting that monster! I just know it! Oh my poor Gohan!"

"Gohan?!" Bulma gasped. "What about Gohan? Is he…"

"Oh why did he have to grow up so much like his father?!" Chichi continued wailing, running a hand halfway through her hair before gripping it in a fist. "Just look at him! Covered in filth and soaked to the bone!"

"I can't see anything, Chichi" Bulma reminded her with no small amount of frustration. "What's happening?" Chichi didn't seem to hear Bulma, so caught up was she in her own despair. "Ugh! Never mind. I'm here anyway. I'll be at your place in just a minute." The sound of her brushing past people and murmuring apologies would have been audible to anyone else. Chichi, however, hardly heard anything. The horrible gray sky, the sight of her son standing on the purple rocky soil, with his armor cracked and his clothing torn had her eyes riveted to the screen. "No! Hold the elevator! I can fit! Wait!…thank you." Bulma's voice was still coming over the phone, but Chichi didn't hear it.

She did, however, hear, several minutes later, the loud banging on her door. If the noise didn't shock her out of her stupor, the screeching certainly did. "Chichi! Open this door!" Chichi jumped at the sound, and pulling her gaze away from the TV hurried toward the door. She had no idea how her moment of peace had been shattered so easily. She even felt like a disaster now. A sheen of sweat had formed on her forehead, and somehow small locks of hair had escaped her bun to hang wildly around her face.

Her desperate expression met Bulma's for a moment, but the blue-haired woman whisked by her to stand in front of the TV. Her wide, blue eyes searched the screen for a moment before she spoke. Whoever was filming was apparently scanning the sky in search of something. One lone figure floated in the sky, apparently searching as well. The rest of the Z gang were standing on the ground below with their eyes fixed to the sky. "He's not there." She let her eyes scan the screen one more time. "I don't see Vegeta. He's not there." Her voice was not quite relieved.

Chichi appeared not to care about that statement for a moment, before something clicked in her brain. "Well where the hell is he?" She snapped. "Doesn't he know that my boys need help?"

"I don't know, Chichi. He wouldn't miss something like this for the world." She bit her lip for a moment. "I don't understand it. Kurenai said he was there." She frowned and began digging into her purse before pulling out a cell phone. "Maybe he'll show up. Either way, we should call Earth. I'm sure everyone would want to know what's happening."

* * *

Floating high in the sky, shrouded by dark energy-filled clouds, Hui's breathing was panicked. They had been right. Fenn, Nox, they had all been right. Hui was super-powerful yes, but these men…they were savages. How did they learn to fight so well? Hui had had all of the best trainers. He was the emperor of half the universe! There is no way these men should be more skilled fighters than he was!

But then why was he breathing so hard? Why had Nox's assault terrified him so? There was no logical explanation for it.

Hui spun around in the sky. There had to be a way off of this planet. His teleportation wasn't working. Kurenai's fighters must have blocked it somehow. Nox had destroyed all of the pods as well. There was really no escape.

Perhaps if he hid amongst the rocks long enough, they might just leave. It was unlikely, but it was his only chance. That or…

It just didn't make sense! He was so much more powerful. But there were so many of them. And they…

"No." He straightened himself. "There's no way they can beat me." He forced away all of his fear. "I'm the emperor of the Tauran Empire. Such a thing would be impossible." He began floating down out of the clouds. "I'll just have to fight them one on one."

As the clouds parted beneath him, he could see the battlefield below. Nox was still floating in the sky, scanning the area with his eyes. Kurenai's fighters on the ground were doing the same.

Then, rather suddenly Hui's eyes locked onto something, down in the rocks below. "What?!" It was a figure he recognized. One he thought he'd gotten rid of. "Leave my tricks behind?" He repeated Nox's words from earlier. "One does not become Emperor of the entire universe by playing fair." And then he dropped from the sky.

* * *

Tarble felt the entity appear behind him. It wasn't a Ki sense that was telling him that there was someone there. Rather it was the feeling of an evil presence being far too close. It made the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

He remained frozen in place for a moment, before he finally braved himself up enough to look. Slowly, he turned his head, hardly budging from his sprawled-out position on top of the rock, as if slow movements might protect him somehow.

There, hovering only two feet behind him, was Hui. The young man's blood-covered, blank face made Tarble's blood curdle in his veins. Forgetting the scouter on his face, he flattened himself back against the rock.

"Help." His voice was no more than a whisper. Where was everyone? Why hadn't they noticed that Hui was here?

"You. I thought I killed you already." Hui's voice was like ice. "I've had enough of you."

Tarble formed a Ki ball in his hand. It was small, but at least it was something. However, before he could manage to do anything else, he felt a searing pain rip through his chest. For the second time that day, the overwhelming taste of blood entered his mouth. His terror-filled gaze met that of the young emperor.

To his horror, he could see fresh blood splattered onto Hui's wet, filthy clothes. It was his own blood.

Tarble felt tears welling up in his eyes once more. "Help." He whispered again. Why was no one coming? Couldn't they sense Hui's energy? Where were they?

Tarble couldn't bring himself to look down to see what had been done to him, but he knew that it wasn't good. He couldn't feel the bottom half of his body.

His eyes stayed locked on Hui's. Those evil, selfish eyes. "Why?" They were filled with so much hatred all directed at him. No. Not at him. At Vegeta. "I…I'm not…" But it was too late for explanations now. Tarble's body was suddenly feeling very light.

Slowly, his pain was fading away. His surroundings faded too. Gone were the clashes of thunder and bolts of lighting. Even Hui faded away. He felt no pain anymore; no fear or betrayal either. His eyes stayed locked onto Hui's, but before long, his vision faded out as well.

Tarble's head fell back against the rock. Trails of blood ran from his mouth and nose to drip down his chin and armor. His glazed-over eyes stared unseeingly at the stormy sky above as rain pelted down on his body. Ever so slowly, a lonely tear streaked down his face.

And then the rain washed it away.

* * *

A/N: To be continued. Not to just leave off in the middle of nowhere or anything, but this chapter needed to be cut in half, and this seemed like a good place to do it.

Oh man. It's been forever since I updated. My life had been such a mess. Within the past few weeks, I've turned in all of my final papers, taken my final exams, flew back to America, and started an internship. I've been meaning to get around to writing, but I've just been so drained all the time that I couldn't find any creative juices at all.

I do hope you enjoyed this though. Thank you to all of you who have stuck with me and given me all of your support so far. I really appreciate it. Thanks also to all of you who left reviews. I always appreciate your input and advice. Let me know what you thought of this one.


	59. Devastate (Part 2)

Warning: This chapter contains some swearing.

Chapter 59—Devastate (Part 2)

"Tarble, move!" Kurenai's cries were useless. The damage was already done, and she knew it. From the sight of Hui's eyes gazing ruthlessly into the scouter's camera, the whispered calls for help, and the trembling, pain-filled breaths, she knew exactly what had happened. It was already too late.

"Is this still airing! Are we airing this live?!" Kuro demanded beside her, his large hand clenched into a fist by his face. "Have this cut off!"

"No. No, we can't leave the population in the dark. They have as much right to see this as we do." Kurenai took a shaky breath and brought a hand to her ear. A small twinge of guilt fluttered in her stomach at the young Saiyan's death. She remembered the first time she saw him. Fresh-faced, innocent and confused about why the Empress of the Krimzon Empire would want to see him. She remembered vividly her disappointment when she'd discovered that her agreement with the elders of Tarble's adopted home planet had not gotten her the service of the Saiyan she'd wanted.

But there had been no point in going back on the agreement. Kurenai had gotten a Saiyan soldier in exchange for protecting the planet. However, she knew instantly when she'd first seen him, looking like a skinny, nervous child that she hadn't found what she'd been looking for. The elders of the planet had assured her that he was a powerful warrior, a Saiyan Prince. She'd figured that Vegeta had simply taken a different name in order to hide himself.

She'd only later come to realize her mistake. When the small Saiyan had first been escorted into her office, he'd been shaking. The floor around his feet had been a sickly blue color, and a quick skim of his thoughts revealed a crippling and long-suffered terror that he would again receive retribution for his brother's actions.

He'd been quick to inform her that he wasn't _that_ Saiyan prince. Who knew that King Vegeta had had two sons?

At first, she'd been angry at the deception. It had only taken her moments to realize, however, that compared to the tiny, psychic race native to the planet he'd adopted, almost anyone would qualify as "powerful." She couldn't really hold that against them.

She had felt pity for the poor creature standing timidly in the middle of her throne room. The elders of his planet had told her of two powerful rogue warriors who had hunted him down. Although he was much weaker than they were, he and his wife had apparently prepared to sacrifice themselves and lured them off of the planet. Kurenai recalled briefly wondering how such a weak Saiyan had managed to defeat two creatures who the elders had claimed to be as powerful as Frieza. But then she had dismissed the curiosity. If they considered Tarble powerful, those "rogue warriors" could have been simple bandits.

As she'd looked down at the trembling Saiyan, she'd decided that the story must have been exaggerated.

She had then asked him if he knew where his brother was. The floor had gone positively purple then, and she worried that he might wet himself. His wide terrified eyes had darted around the room, and he'd shaken his head in the negative. The floor gave no indication of a change in his emotions, and so at the time, she hadn't even considered that he might be lying.

She remembered what she'd said to him then. Every word of it. _"Don't worry. From now on you are one of my own. I will not harm you. And I will not let anyone take retribution against you for your brother's deeds. You have my word."_

His eyes had met hers then, still afraid, but slightly less so than before. _"Thank you."_ He'd said. _"May I go home?"_

And she'd allowed him to leave.

It was strange how she was just realizing that she'd broken her promise to him. The weight of her guilt forced her eyes closed, and she let out a sigh of regret. She ignored the sound of Kuro growling and cursing beside her.

Then ensuring that her voice was cold and detached, she pressed the button on her scouter. "Midori. Hui got to Tarble."

* * *

_"Midori. Hui got to Tarble."_ Midori's hand shot to her ear, and she spun around to where she'd left the small Saiyan. Pushing wet strands of hair out of her face, she tried to see through the rain. She could just make out the dark silhouette on the cliff above.

"Tarble!" She yelled, with more worry in her voice than she would have thought there would be. "He's got Tarble!"

The men beside her spun around, their eyes instantly locking onto the figure on the cliff. "Oh no!" Assessing the situation instantly, Goku rocketed off toward him. Along the way, a golden aura surrounded him, making him seem like just another bolt of lightning in the storm. The other Earth fighters shared glances, and then took off after him.

In the sky, Vegeta had just noticed as well and was flying toward the cliff.

Midori trailed behind, dreading what she'd find. Kurenai had said, after all that Hui had "got to" Tarble. The statement didn't bode well.

Goku and Vegeta reached the cliff at exactly the same moment. The impact of their landings left cracks in the rock, but the sound of it could hardly be heard over the tempest.

Apparently surprised at their sudden arrival, Hui spun toward them. But a moment later, a slow smirk formed on his face. "Look who I found." He said, stepping back so that the two could see his handiwork. Neither Saiyan moved as their eyes settled onto the bloody mess that had been one of the last of their race.

Tarble's eyes were still staring blankly at the sky, but both Saiyans knew instantly that he was gone. The hole in his chest was so large that it had nearly cleaved him in two. There was no way he could have survived it.

Several gasps behind them alerted them to the fact that the rest of the Krimzon-allied fighters had landed as well, but they hung back behind the two pure-blooded Saiyans. No one stirred for a long moment. All around them, the storm raged on, pouring rain onto them and soaking their hair and uniforms.

Goku was first to speak. "Why would you do that?!" He yelled, tearing his eyes from Tarble to lock them onto Hui. The fierce wind whipped his hair and loose pants and send streaks of water sliding sideways over his shiny chest armor. "He was no threat to you!"

"No threat?" Hui repeated waving a hand toward Tarble's body. "Vegeta? Kurenai sent him to kill me."

"He wasn't…" Goku glanced back toward the others before continuing. "He wasn't even on the battlefield."

Vegeta finally moved then, stepping away from Goku's side to head toward his younger brother. "He wasn't even Vegeta." He said. The ground around his Tarble was dark red, but the blood was mixing with the rainwater, diluting, and running away in rivulets like so many small streams. The curious eyes of the Z fighters who were not clued in on "Nox's" true identity followed him.

"Of course he was Vegeta." Hui snorted. "Look at him."

Vegeta ignored him, and merely knelt down beside his brother to remove the scouter from his face. Not caring that the scouter was still recording, he dropped it on the ground. Tarble's face looked so sad. As he raised his hand to Tarble's cold face, he heard Midori confirm to Hui. "He wasn't Vegeta."

Vegeta's hand covered Tarble's eyes, gently pressing his eyelids closed. "I'll bring you back. I promise." He mumbled to the corpse in Saiyago. It was the closest he could come to an apology. "I didn't mean for this to happen."

Behind him, Hui was suddenly enraged. "You're lying!" He snapped at Midori, and then began to explain—more to himself than to the others—that the man he'd killed had to have been Vegeta.

Unperturbed by Hui's sudden anger, Vegeta picked the scouter up off the ground and slowly stood up. Had his clothes been any color other than black, the red stains of Tarble's blood would have been clearly visible on the knees of his pants.

Vegeta paid no mind to the things that Hui was screaming at the other warriors. He could hardly hear it over the wind and thunder anyway. He almost didn't notice when Gohan appeared beside him, silently offering the support that he apparently thought Vegeta needed.

Vegeta merely raised a hand, ignoring the young demi-Saiyan, the enraged emperor, all of them. For the first time ever, he gave his full attention to his younger brother. He realized that he had never really talked to him. He knew nothing about him. He didn't even know the name of his adopted home planet. It was funny how he always realized how shitty of a person he was when it was too late to do anything about it.

As he raised his hand, palm forward, he swore to himself: he would have Tarble wished back. And then he would get to know his only brother—a bit…at least ask him what his hobby was. He clearly didn't train.

A glowing orb appeared in his hand, and he released it. A moment later, Tarble's body was dust.

Gohan laid a hand on Vegeta's shoulder, but Vegeta turned quickly, knocking it off. He suddenly remembered the scouter in his hand, and tossed it to Gohan. "Give this to Krillin or Yamcha. Tell them to film everything that happens."

Gohan nodded. He clearly wanted to say something, but he wisely opted against doing so. "Okay." Turning, he strode away.

"If that wasn't Vegeta, then where is he?" Hui demanded.

If anyone responded, Vegeta couldn't hear it over the storm. Slowly, Vegeta focused his gaze on Hui. Hui was looking frantically around at all the others. Suddenly, though, he began to laugh.

"I knew it!" He said. "Kurenai is a crafty old witch. She almost had me, but the game is up. I knew it was too far-fetched for Vegeta to come back from the dead. I killed Vegeta months ago. There's no way that he could come back to life. Kurenai knew that I would have defeated her soon, so she made this new 'Vegeta' lookalike." He grinned, flicking his wet hair out of his face. "I must congratulate her after I kill you all. It really was an impressive trick. Too bad it didn't get her anywhere."

"You're wrong." Vegeta hardly noticed that he'd spoke, but Hui's eyes snapped to him.

"And you." Hui turned, taking a few steps toward Vegeta. Vegeta held his ground. "You have balls infiltrating my army like you did, Nox. Kurenai has been trying to get men into my ranks for years now. I've always sent their heads back to her." He smiled as if such a statement should have frightened Vegeta. "I almost feel bad for killing you." Hui said. "Kurenai must consider you to be one of her masterpieces."

It was hardly noticeable at first, but a slow smirk made its way onto Vegeta's face. He held Hui's gaze steadily. "I'm not _one of_ her masterpieces. I am_ the_ masterpiece." The smirk turned into a feral grin. "So you should be more afraid."

Hui chuckled and turned his gaze to Midori. His smile disappeared, however, when he saw Midori's expression. The green man, and that infuriating young Saiyan were smirking cockily as well. "You're bluffing." He said, but his voice wasn't nearly as confident as he tried to make it sound.

Vegeta's grin only widened. "Try me."

Hui took a step back, eyeing the others warily, before turning his gaze back to Vegeta. Hui was trying not to let it show, but something about the man he knew as "Nox" was suddenly making him nervous. It was strange. He looked exactly the same as before—the same hair, eye-patch, scar, and build. But there was something different in his demeanor, in his expression. He knew that Nox was a traitor—a man sent by Kurenai to spy on him. But a small voice in his head was telling him that that wasn't the whole story.

But…but that didn't matter, Hui figured. Whatever Kurenai threw at him, it didn't make a difference. Hui was the most powerful being in the universe—he had an empire to prove it. Hui decided then to call Nox's bluff. He held his hands out before him, calling on his magic to produce one of his more powerful magical attacks. The man he knew as "Nox" only watched him with a calm smirk.

Hui scowled, and, without warning, he launched the attack at the smirking Saiyan with such force that he should have been dead in an instant.

Should have been.

It was then that the strangest thing happened. Even as Hui continued putting power into the attack, he could see that the attack was being…cut in half. It was forking off into a "V" shape and completely missing the Saiyan in front of him.

"What?" He whispered and added more force. Such a thing had never happened before. That attack was one of his best. It was entirely impossible that someone deflect it, much less cut it in half. Especially someone with as low a power level as Nox's. A Super Saiyan was impressive, yes. But it was nothing compared to Hui.

Hui finally relinquished the attack, watching as the two halves of his blast careened off into the distance before exploding in the mountains. Hui merely stared at the explosions for a moment before turning his gaze back to Nox. He blinked. Once, twice, then again.

"Where the hell did you get that?" The words were out of his mouth before he realized he was talking. But it just didn't make sense. He'd seen Nox's sword trick…but a scythe? As much as he didn't want to believe it, Nox had somehow produced a large scythe and was pointing it threateningly at Hui. It was a deadly image, and one that could have made a weaker man wet himself. The wild appearance of the Saiyan before him, covered in blood and mud and dripping water, with his single eye gleaming dangerously was an image that Hui would never forget.

In fact it was an image that the universe would never forget, for Yamcha was filming the whole thing.

Still, Hui wasn't sure what to make of it. He'd never really been afraid of an opponent before, but there was a certain twisting in his stomach that he didn't recognize. Was that what fear felt like?

Hui'd allowed that Nox had a little magical ability—it didn't take much to conjure a sword. But to conjure different weapons at will—and one strong enough to cut that attack in half. He had clearly underestimated him. The question was, by how much?

A smirk grew on Nox's face. Hui didn't like that look one bit. He narrowed his eyes.

"You were wondering where Vegeta was." Nox said. Still pointing the scythe threateningly toward Hui, he drew on his own magic and let it ripple around him. Like water, his disguise began to fall away, starting from the top, and then moving downwards. The haphazard hairstyle that Hui had come to associate with Nox suddenly stood straight up and a prominent widow's peak was revealed. Even through the rain, Hui could see that Nox's skin had turned a few shades lighter, and the large scar on his face disappeared.

Hui took a step back in nervous confusion as Nox's body seemed to transform, but a moment later it was over. Hui stared in disbelief at the sight before him. The Saiyan was still holding the scythe outstretched in threat, but it was an entirely different Saiyan than before. The only thing that remained was the Tik armor and eye patch he had worn. And then, the man reached up and tore the eye patch away.

There was no mistaking it. "No!" Hui stumbled backwards, his eyes straying momentarily from the familiar face to land on the rock where he'd thought he'd just killed the man standing before him. "No! It can't be! I killed you twice already! How many of you are there?" He stumbled backwards a bit more, sending his panicked gaze to the Krimzon fighters nearby. Some of them seemed just as surprised as he was.

"There is and always has been, only one Prince, Vegeta." Vegeta answered.

Hui's stomach churned so violently just then that he nearly vomited. He just barely was able to squeak out. "Impossible. Are…are you immortal?"

The man just smirked. "Maybe."

* * *

The sound of cheers erupting throughout the school was drowned out by the cheering in his classroom. Indeed throughout all of the Krimzon empire, towns, cities, and villages were erupting into cheers and shouts of excitement.

Within Ms. Catibi's classroom, paper and pens were flying through the air, as the children jumped from their desks and danced around in excitement. Trunks had somehow, without even realizing it, climbed on top of his desk, and was staring with clenched fists and a huge grin at the screen. Tetch evaded Lysibet's excited hug and climbed onto his own desk beside him.

Trunks smirked at him before turning back to the screen. He had been dreading this fight for so long, that he'd nearly been sick over it. But now, seeing his dad standing there with a super-cool scythe and looking to be in perfect control, Trunks couldn't quite remember why he'd been worried. His father had, after all, somehow infiltrated Hui's ship and broken Gohan and the others out only the day before.

They had all stayed up late waiting for news, and it had finally come two hours after his official bedtime—a quick call from Kurenai to say that they had escaped Hui's ship in Veet pods. Trunks had naturally assumed that his father had been with them. He'd been so excited by the whole ordeal that when his mother shooed him off to bed, he had tossed and turned for over an hour. He'd ended up getting up again and playing video games until the wee hours of the morning to work off his pent-up energy. When he'd finally gotten tired, he fell asleep to dreams about his super-cool secret agent dad.

If his own certainty that his dad was awesome hadn't been enough, now the feeling of euphoria in the classroom was carrying away all his concerns. At that moment, Trunks was just as certain as everyone else that his dad would come out of this one on top.

As Hui's horrified face became visible on the screen, Trunks couldn't help but smirk. A voice that he recognized to be Yamcha's came over the speakers, barely audible over the pounding of the rain in the background, and said. "You knew about that Piccolo? Why didn't you tell us?"

Trunks thought it strange that even Goku had been surprised that "Nox" had been Vegeta in disguise. Of course, Trunks hadn't recognized him when he'd first seen him on the screen, but he was certain that if he'd really been there, he would have.

A low mumble marked Piccolo's reply, but it was inaudible in the classroom.

Yamcha had apparently heard it though. "Huh. Makes sense." Trunks heard him sigh, and then switching tones, say with a nervous laugh. "Man, he's got Hui terrified."

Trunks agreed with that assessment. His earlier nervousness at his father going up against Hui was washed away in his confidence and excitement. He couldn't have known it, but his own smirk matched his father's just then.

The sound of his classmates cheering was so deafening that Trunks didn't even hear the classroom door slam open. He was so absorbed in the image on the screen that he didn't notice Goten's approach until his younger friend had collided with him, knocking him off the desk and onto a group of excited girls. Ms. Catibi's yell to calm down carried over the cheers, but Trunks largely ignored it. Blushing, he extracted himself from the pile of girls and focused on his friend.

A grin that wide could only be found on the face of a Son. Goten's eyes positively sparkled. Trunks couldn't help but grin with him. Their dads were together, and there was nothing that the two of them couldn't do. They had this in the bag.

* * *

Across the city, a startled blue-haired woman wasn't nearly so confident. "Oh Kami, he's there! He…he was…" While her nervousness had kept her pacing before, now she stumbled a step back and dropped onto the sofa.

Beside her, Chichi sent her a worried look, but she was far too caught up with concern for her own family to say anything comforting.

Sitting on the black leather sofa, Bulma realized that she really craved a cigarette. She'd technically "stopped" smoking after the Buu ordeal—Vegeta hated the smell, and Bulma was determined that they should both turn over a new leaf. However, she would sneak one or two sometimes when something was really working on her mind. That was out of the question now. She would never get away with smoking with the baby even if she'd wanted to—not with Chichi underfoot.

She couldn't say that she hadn't expected this. Kurenai's short call the night before had consisted of two parts. The first was to tell her that her five friends had escaped—and Kurenai must have known that it hadn't been lost on Bulma that Vegeta hadn't been counted in the tally. The second part was to tell her to stay home from work the following day and to try not to stress too much. Bulma had completely ignored the second order. She was already stressed. Sitting cooped up in her house all day wouldn't help anything.

She knew what was happening. While Goten, Trunks and Chichi had been celebrating the miraculous escape, Bulma knew that that wasn't the end of it. The five might have been off the ship, but Hui wasn't going to just let them walk away. He would follow them, and when he caught up to them, the fight that she had been dreading for months would commence.

Bulma could only wait and hope that the boys reached Tarble and Midori and got the bracelets before Hui caught up to them. At the time, she hadn't known how long she would be waiting in limbo for that fight to commence. Kurenai's message had implied that it would be soon.

She'd hardly gotten any sleep the night before, but when morning came, she knew that she couldn't just sit around her house waiting for something to happen. She had made sure that Trunks was ready for school, they had both eaten breakfast, and then they had both left their apartment—Trunks heading for school, and herself to the lab to vent some of her stress on whatever unsuspecting technological malfunctions happened to cross her path.

She couldn't have known that before the day was over, the entire lab would be permitted to go home, and that she'd be rushing back to the Septagon to watch the fight on TV.

* * *

"It's Vegeta!" Puar yelled out. A ripple of energy went through the pajama-clad group in the Kame house living room. Outside, waves gently lapped at the sand, and stars glimmered brightly in the clear night sky. It was almost 4am.

18 had long stopped pretending to be cool about what was happening, and was now doing her best to hold still. For the most part, she hadn't said a word since they had discovered that the fight against Hui was currently underway. She had only spoken up twice—once to tell Oolong to get down in front, and a second time to ensure that no one awoke Marron with their exclamations over Hui's attack on whoever was holding the camera.

18 stopped her pacing at the shout and looked closer at the tv screen. She shouldn't have drunk that cup of coffee. Puar apparently had a habit of burning off her nervous energy in the kitchen, and that meant that the gang in the Kame house had been supplied with a steady supply of coffee, tea, and small snacks.

"No way!" Videl exclaimed. Her hair was still messy from sleeping and from her rushed flight to the Kame house, and she had clearly not bothered to get properly dressed before she flew over—something which was entertaining Master Roshi to no end. Her short white pajama shorts were showing much more thigh than she usually would have shown, and had it been under any other situation, 18 would have been just as amused as Roshi that the little tomboy's pajamas had pink kittens on them.

Speaking of Roshi…18 usually kept the old man in check, but right now, if he was determined take advantage of the fact that Videl wasn't wearing a bra, 18 didn't really care. 18 hadn't taken the time to put one on either, but Roshi knew from experience that he had another thing coming if he pointed that out.

18 turned her attention back to the tv screen, where Vegeta was now talking. Hui appeared to be too afraid to attack. He was clearly trying to put on a brave front, but apparently being surrounded by Krimzon and Saiyan soldiers was making him nervous. 18 thought it made sense. It had been made pretty clear during Vegeta's short trip to Earth that everyone—including Hui—thought that Vegeta would be the one to kill Hui. Accordign to Krillin, even the Kais had gotten involved.

For Hui, for the subject of his nightmares to suddenly materialize before him, informing him that he had been within his ranks for weeks, biding his time…it must have brought him to a whole new level of hysteria.

18's suspicions were seemingly confirmed a moment later. "You…! You can't…!" On the screen, Hui was stuttering incoherently, holding a hand out in threat.

The heavy rain on whatever planet they were on was making it hard to hear, but fortunately, Vegeta's voice was loud enough to be heard over the rain.

"It's over for you," Vegeta said. "We've set you up. I brought you here remember? You handed your elites to me, and I killed them. You built me a bracelet so that the Meiyochi wouldn't affect me, and I sent the blueprints to Kurneai. You underestimated me, and you assumed that you would easily bend me to your will. You were wrong. I've rendered your greatest weapons useless, I broke this lot out of your holding cells and helped them to escape your ship, and then Fenn and I both tricked you into coming here. You are here now, because Kurenai and I wanted you to be here. Do you think we'd bring you here if we didn't have a way of defeating you?"

"He's been there the whole time." Videl said in awe before frowning. "Then, why did he take so long to step in?"

"He probably had his reasons." Turtle answered wisely.

"Like being a jerk." Oolong suggested in a mumble.

18 ignored their conversation. It wasn't often that she found herself admiring Vegeta, but if what he'd said was true, then she'd have to reluctantly take her hat off to him. Krillin had apparently found some sort of respect—even friendship, he'd said—for the arrogant man, and he'd urged 18 to give him a chance as well. She supposed that for Krillin's sake, she would allow this one moment of admiration to linger before squashing it down again.

"You're bluffing!" On the screen, Hui was shaking his head frantically, sending water flying off his limp, wet hair. "I…I can't be beaten."

Master Roshi tore his eyes away from Videl for just long enough to put in. "For once he was being wise. Only a fool rushes blindly into a battle if he has the option of first seeing what his opponent can do. Patience is a virtue." Master Roshi then trailed off into an illustrative story of his younger days in which he had spied on the sparring practices of a gang of bandits for several days before ultimately defeating them.

18 wished that the others would quit their bickering. She also wished that whoever was holding the camera—Yamcha, she assumed—would turn it toward the others. She really wanted to be sure that Krillin at least had all his limbs in tact. The camera stayed glued to Vegeta and Hui, however. "I assure you that you can be beaten." Vegeta said with his usual bravado. "And you will be."

"I…I forced you to obey me. I made you bow to me!" Hui screamed.

Vegeta cocked his head. "So did Frieza."

Hui's eyes widened even more, and for a moment, it seemed as if he might cry. Then, he seemed to spot something in the sky, and like water, his fear appeared to wash away. "Ah. Well, it seems that you've forgotten to neutralize one of my greatest weapons." He smirked. "Your efforts were admirable. Really…nice try. But, I'm still going to win."

In the warm, dry Kame house, Master Roshi finally finished his story.

"If only I'd been one of your students." Oolong quipped as the tale finally ended, rolling his eyes.

"You should have been." Roshi sniffed. "I could have whipped you into shape."

"Could you shut up?!" 18 snapped, making the two men fall into a timid silence. She brought their eyes back to the screen where whoever was filming was no longer looking at Vegeta and Hui, but at something in the sky. "Something's happening."

* * *

Three streaks of light cut through the cacophonous cloud cover and were now hurdling toward the ground.

Krillin tore his stunned eyes off of Vegeta wondering if he should feel relieved that his ally was there or deceived that he was kept out of the loop for so long. Judging from the other Z fighters' expressions, Goku and Yamcha were the only others who hadn't known. And both of them seemed to be leaning toward the deception side. There was no time to worry about Vegeta's motives for keeping them in the dark now. They clearly had other problems. "Reinforcements?" Krillin asked.

"Not ours." Midori said, narrowing her eyes to try to make out the features of the pods. It was an impossible task. "It shouldn't be a problem though. No one in Hui's army is near our power level…not now that Fenn's gone."

But Hui was smirking now. "Hah, joke's on you. You've forgotten one of my best weapons. And like you keep reminding me, 'power isn't everything.'" He looked directly at Vegeta. "So much for all your talk."

The Z fighters sent each other curious glances, wondering what Hui might have up his sleeve. It was then that Vegeta remembered. "Oh shit!" All eyes turned toward him, and Hui's smirk grew. Vegeta ignored them all, letting his gaze turn toward the distant area where the pods had disappeared. "Xiee."

He lowered his scythe, letting it disappear, and spun away from Hui. Hui was apparently determined not to fight if he could avoid it, and so Vegeta was fairly certain that he wouldn't provoke another attack. Sending Hui one more warning glance in case he got any ideas, he moved closer to the others. As soon as he was fairly certain that he was out of Hui's earshot, he locked his eyes onto Krillin and Yamcha. "When the Xiee come here, go get rid of their pods. We don't want Hui running away in one of them."

"Can't you just…" Gohan mimed the technique that Vegeta used earlier to blow up the pods, flicking water from the ends of his fingertips as he did so.

"I could if I had some idea of where they were landing." He said. The pods had disappeared beyond the horizon and in the tempest not even a streak in the sky or a dust cloud marked their passage.

Krillin and Yamcha seemed to realize this as well, for Yamcha swallowed whatever complaint he was about to voice. "Right." Krillin and Yamcha nodded at each other, looking both relieved to be free of the next fight and bummed that they were being sidelined again.

"Vegeta." Goku stepped forward then, with a telltale furrow in his brow. Whatever he might have said then was doomed to remain unsaid. To Vegeta's immense frustration, he felt his scouter vibrating in his pocket. Holding up a finger for Goku to wait, he ripped out the scouter in annoyance, and snapped. "What?!"

Kurenai's voice came back calmly_. "Don't send the camera away. I want to know exactly what's happening. And so does the rest of the universe. This is being broadcast."_

"You're joking." He deadpanned, sending a wary glance to the scouter on Yamcha's eye. Goku seemed to forget what he wanted to say, and he leaned closer to try to hear Kurenai.

_"No joke. Wave to your mate and son. They're no doubt watching this."_

Vegeta rolled his eyes, and turned away from the camera. "Fine. We'll reconfigure. You realize, of course, that you're keeping us one-man-down."

_"Let your weakest fighter do it then."_

"Whatever." He snapped. "I'll figure it out." And then he snapped the scouter shut and dropped it back into his pocket.

He glanced toward the horizon, but there was no sign of the Xiee. A quick check on Hui confirmed that he had conjured an umbrella and was sitting calmly on the blood-covered rock where Tarble had met his fate. Vegeta narrowed his eyes in annoyance, but didn't say anything about it. It would be a risk to engage Hui now when these creatures were due to arrive at any moment. And Hui was apparently content to let his soldiers do the fighting for him. They couldn't with all certainty say that he would not attack them while they were fighting the Xiee, but Vegeta knew that once the Xiee arrived, their effect would be so devastating that they would be severely handicapped anyway. It was best not to be fighting Hui when that handicap took effect.

Vegeta decided to use the time for a little housekeeping. He looked back to Krillin and Yamcha, snatched the scouter from Yamcha's face, and pointed it at a random point in the sky. Before Yamcha could complain at the treatment, Vegeta began talking. "Kurenai and the rest of the universe are watching everything that happens, and so one of you has to stay here and film the fights. The other will get rid of the ships."

Krillin and Yamcha shared a glance, before Yamcha hurriedly said. "I've got the ships!"

Krillin frowned. "Egh…okay. I'll film."

Vegeta just shrugged and tossed him the scouter.

"Is that them?" Gohan asked, pointing to a spot in the distance where three white creatures were floating forward. Every few seconds they seemed to flicker, suddenly appearing much closer than before.

"Oh man." Yamcha mumbled. "Creepy. I'm kinda glad I'm on pod duty now. Bye guys." He took off then, wisely not heading directly toward where the pods had landed. Vegeta watched him for a moment, before briefly glancing toward Hui to see if he suspected anything. Hui merely smirked at him and mouthed "deserter?"

Vegeta rolled his eyes and turned back to watch the Xiee's approach.

"That's probably the creepiest thing I've ever seen." Krillin said quietly. "I'll be over here filming. You guys have fun with these things."

"What exactly are they?" Piccolo said. "They don't seem that powerful."

"They're called Xiee. They tap into your greatest fears and make you live them. The effect is so paralyzing that they often incapacitate their victims through plain fear. It is said that a simple touch can kill a man." He looked back at them. "Focus on their smell. Nothing that you see or feel will be real, but they can't change their smell."

They all nodded. They were so focused on the rapidly approaching Xiee that none of them noticed that Hui had risen and started backing away from them.

"I think it would be best if we stayed in pairs." Midori said, and there was no mistaking the fear in her voice. She might have put on a brave face in front of Hui, but this was one step too far for her. If her childhood had been anything like his, the Xiee had been the creatures of her nightmares—and perhaps her father's generals had even threatened to feed her to the Xiee when she misbehaved. At least that's what his own father's generals had done—but perhaps his childhood hadn't been "normal."

He glanced over to Midori. Her face was nearly sheet white, and she was already sweating. She would be useless against the Xiee. "That's probably a good idea." He confirmed.

The words were hardly out of his mouth, when the ground began shifting. Midori grabbed his arm with a shriek as a wall of rock rose out of the ground and rocketed into the sky. He and Midori stumbled back away from it as if the wall itself might hurt them. The wall grew and grew until it reached the clouds above, and then it disappeared endlessly into them.

Midori's gasp let him know that the wall wasn't their only problem. He looked around, and that was when he realized it. They were alone. They had been separated from all the others. "Shit." He had no time to think about the others though, for suddenly Midori shrieked.

Her fingernails dug into his arm, and she stumbled backward into the wall. Her wide eyes were fixed on something only a few feet away. From the cold sweat running down his back, his pounding heart, and the familiar smell, he knew without looking, exactly what it was.

Midori shrieked again and pressed herself closer to the wall. She was babbling something in a language that Vegeta didn't know. Part of him wanted to do the same. An irrational fear was taking over him, causing his chest to tighten and his heart to pound. The strangest part was, he couldn't even place what it was he was afraid of.

He'd dealt with these things before. He'd taken out six after all. A single one was hardly a problem. He closed his eyes and let a Ki ball form in his hand. A strange force was urging him to look, to face his fear. He didn't know if the force came from himself or if it was a part of the Xiee's magic though. He'd already seen what they could do—images of Frieza, his father, Bulma and Trunks…He had no desire to live it again.

He took a deep breath and the smell of rot came over him. It almost made him gag, but he focused on it and kept his eyes stubbornly shut.

Midori's fingernails were drawing blood now, but he ignored the stinging pain. Slowly, he raised his hand, aiming the blast in the direction Midori had been looking. His head suddenly went light, and for a moment, all he could hear was a ringing in his ears. Something was telling him that he couldn't shoot without looking—that if he didn't look, he might hit someone he knew.

He took a deep breath again, forced the thought away and fired. A familiar scream met his ears, and his eyes flew open, focusing instantly on a familiar blue-haired woman. His aim had been perfect—straight through the chest.

He never thought to question how Bulma would have gotten there. His only thought was to fix what he had done. Bulma fell back, and ripping his arm from Midori's grip, he raced forward to catch her. A blind panic had gripped him, and all he could think about was finding a way to save her. Maybe a senzu bean, but who had them? Did Midori heal people?

In his panic, he hardly noticed that her clothes were changing, turning white and becoming ragged and tattered. It wasn't until he was nearly upon her that he finally realized that it wasn't her at all. What had been Bulma had turned into a rotting, skeletal corpse-looking creature in white rags.

He took a step back and tried to calm his ragged breathing. Realizing that his hands were shaking, he clenched them into fists.

He took a deep breath, and then suddenly remembering that Midori had been with him, he turned back to her. She was sitting on the ground with her knees pulled up to her chest and her face buried in her arms. The wall had disappeared.

He sighed and moved closer to her. A small part of him wanted to call her a weakling and tell her to toughen up, but he couldn't forget that his first encounter with Xiee had ended with him sitting almost exactly like that—and with a puddle of his own vomit beside him no less.

"Midori." He dropped a hand to her shoulder and shook her. "Get up, it's over."

She jerked away, but he was having none of it. He grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet. "Get up! We don't have time for this." She raised her eyes to his own. He couldn't tell with all the rain, but he was fairly certain that she was crying.

"That was horrible." She whispered, and her voice was still choked with tears.

He just nodded. "Yeah, but we don't have time. The other two Xiee are still somewhere around here and…" He paused suddenly and spun around. "Fuck!"

He wouldn't have thought it possible, but Midori's eyes widened even more in alarm at his sudden change in demeanor. "What?"

"Where is Hui?" He demanded, scanning the area.

She spun around, apparently looking for the young emperor. "I…I don't see him."

But Vegeta had already locked on to Hui's Ki signature. "He's heading for the pods. Shit!"

"We have to stop him!" Midori said. He nodded and made to take off before stopping himself. "Wait. I have to find Kakarott." He took a deep breath and mumbled. "I...possibly...can't defeat Hui without him. He's just too much. If the Xiee get Kakarott, we're screwed."

Midori was nearly shaking in her panic. "If Hui gets off this planet, we're screwed!" She yelled.

"Then you stop him."

She recoiled in horror. "Me? Alone?"

"We're wasting a lot of time, Midori. Just destroy the ships and keep him on this planet. I'll get the others and meet you as soon as I can."

She nodded slowly, but the look in her eyes let him know that she thought he was sending her to her death. He had no time to worry about her. With one more glance and a silent hope that she'd survive the task he'd set for her, he turned and took to the air. Kakarott had better not have gotten himself killed yet.

* * *

A/N: Wow, it's been forever since I last updated. I really wanted to get this up earlier, but I just never could seem to find the time to fix it up to my liking. Terribly sorry about the wait, but I do hope you enjoyed it. Thank you all so much for all of your support—and especially patience with me while I'm finishing my masters. (I'm actually on the home-stretch now. I've just got to finish my thesis—which takes a ton of time—and then I'm done!)

Do let me know what you think. I really love hearing all of your comments and tips!


	60. Devastate (Part 3)

**Warning: This chapter contains swearing, graphic violence, and character death.**

Chapter 60—Devastate (Part 3)

Yamcha could honestly say that he was glad to have pulled the short straw this time. What was happening back on the battlefield, he had no idea. But he could certainly feel some eerie vibes, even from so many miles away.

Yamcha blasted the control panel for the fourth pod and hopped out again. It could have almost been peaceful had it not been for the turbulent weather. He could have sworn that he had seen lightning strike a mountain and cleave it in two only several minutes before. He didn't recall that crevice being there when they landed anyway.

He didn't bother closing the pod's hatch. The pod was useless now. A little rain wouldn't hurt it.

Turning toward the fifth and final pod, a dark shape caught his eye. He nearly dismissed it as a trick of the light, but then something started glowing. "Huh?" He turned just in time to see the blast coming toward him.

He threw himself to the side, his elbow hitting the gravelly earth first before the rest of his body crashed down. He knew instantly from the sudden searing pain in his shoulder that he hadn't managed to dodge the shot entirely. But a hole in the shoulder wasn't a fatal injury.

As Yamcha's eyes finally landed on the person who had shot him, however, he wished it had been.

"Fuck."

The pale emperor was floating several feet away and glaring at him. "What do you think you're doing, Saiyan?" Hui asked, although the situation was evident enough. "You'd better hope for your sake that these aren't all broken."

Yamcha wished he could have come back with a witty retort, but all he could manage to do was let his mouth fall open slightly.

Hui dropped to the ground, sending purplish mud splashing onto his boots. He surveyed the pods for a moment before letting his eyes fall back on Yamcha. "Well, Saiyan? Do you want to live or not?"

"I…what kind of question is _that_?" The words came out before Yamcha could really think about them.

Hui's eyebrows drew down threateningly. His dark, lank hair was sticking to the sides of his pale face, and his jaw was clenched. Yamcha couldn't decide if that made him look more or less like a petulant child.

"Do not try to mock me, Saiyan." Hui hissed." I can kill you in less than a second. Now tell me which of these pods still works."

"N…" Yamcha's voice quivered for a moment, before he steeled himself and squared his shoulders. "No. I won't. And in any case, I'm not a Saiyan. You've been fooled at every turn."

Hui had turned to study the pods once more, but his head whipped back toward Yamcha. "What? What do you mean you're not Saiyan?"

"Heh…heh." Maybe, Yamcha thought, if he could stall Hui for long enough, he might actually survive. Someone was bound to be searching for Hui after all. "I'm an Earthling."

Hui let out a feral growl and spun away. "The _fucking_ Earthlings again! I swear, the minute I get off this planet, I am torching that mud ball. Or maybe I'll even purge it myself so that I can savor its destruction even more."

As Hui entertained his thoughts of destruction, Yamcha let his eyes drift to the last working spacepod. Its door lay open. Yamcha had activated the doors of all the pods as soon as he'd touched down to save himself the time of having to wait for each pod to slowly disengage the locks and drop the doors.

The control panel was in plain sight. If only he could blast it without Hui noticing. If only they'd sent Piccolo to do this. He could have broken it with a thought. Yamcha had thought that particular technique was un-learnable, but apparently either Trunks or Goten had used it during their little escapades on the Krimzon ship all those weeks ago. If a child could do it…

In his concentration, Yamcha didn't notice that Hui had stopped talking.

"Oh, so that one still works, does it?"

Yamcha jumped in surprise and looked back to Hui only to see him smirking.

"Are you sure you're not Saiyan?" Hui asked. His expression was deadly calm now, and a slightly raised eyebrow belied his triumphant amusement. "You're certainly stupid enough to be one."

"I…" A sudden pain in his abdomen cut him off. The blast had come without warning. Yamcha didn't even recall seeing Hui move. And yet the infuriating emperor was smirking cruelly.

As Yamcha's knees went limp, he dropped his gaze to his stomach. Through a hole the size of a baseball, he could briefly see the dark, churning sky. And then his innards shifted, collapsing down and spilling out.

His eyes widened in shocked horror, but there was nothing he could do. His hands were not even large enough to cover the hole in front, much less the exit wound. He hit the ground hard, but he hardly noticed. He was choking on his own blood.

He had failed. He had been given the simplest task, and he had failed even that.

Hui had apparently tired of watching his victim suffer, and was walking toward the pod. Hui was going to get away. He was going to go back into space, to the safety of his fortress, and all of this will have been for nothing. All of their months of searching and hard work. All of the deaths, and blood, sweat, and tears. All for naught because Yamcha had failed to disable a stupid pod in time.

It was infuriating—absolutely maddening, but there was absolutely nothing he could do about it. His limbs were too heavy to move, and he couldn't even feel his legs.

Tears of frustration rose to his eyes as he watched Hui climb into the pod. But he would never shed those tears. Hui glanced back over his shoulder for a moment, and then with a flick of his wrist, sent a small energy beam straight between Yamcha's eyes.

* * *

Goku turned, eyeing with confusion, the familiar sight of his home on Mount Paz. A strange feeling was coming over him. It was a certain eeriness. It brought chills down his spine. "Krillin? Krillin, where'd you go?" He thought he briefly heard Krillin's voice coming from somewhere far away, but when he turned to look, he didn't see anything. Just a light rustling in the treetops to mark the passage of a gentle breeze. He blinked and his brows furrowed for a moment. He wondered why he'd expected Krillin to be there anyway.

The door to the small house opened suddenly, the familiar squeak drawing his eyes away from the nearby trees and toward his home again.

"Oh, hey Goten." Goku blinked, and he suddenly got a strange feeling that Goten shouldn't be there. The strange feeling got stronger now. Goku was unfamiliar with this feeling. It was accompanied by a strange tightening in his chest and sweaty palms. His heart was pounding faster now too.

There was something off about the Goten, he noticed. His eyes were red and puffy, his face was pale, and something smelled terrible. Goten glared at Goku, before turning and yelling into the house. "Mom, he's home." The tone was not one of joy. It was foreboding, the kind of tone that suggested that Goku coming home was an event that Goten would rather never happen.

Goten disappeared into the house. Goku tried to follow him, but a moment later, Chichi appeared in the doorway, her face streaked with tears.

"Chichi, what's—"

"I hope you're happy now." Chichi's voice was low and angry. It was a tone he'd never heard her use. Angry was one thing, but this…this was different somehow.

"Huh?" Dread was curling in his stomach. It was a dark, almost painful feeling. His back was breaking out in a cold sweat. He knew that something was seriously wrong. "What—"

Chichi didn't let him finish. "I don't want to ever see you again." She said. "I want you out of this house, and I want you to stay away from Goten. This is all your fault!" She reached out a finger as if to poke his chest, but an irrational fear of touching her swept through Goku, and he stumbled away.

"_What_ is?" His tone was growing desperate. "_What's_ my fault?"

She choked out a sob, before screeching again. "It's all your fault, Goku!"

"_What's_ my fault, Chichi?" He cried in despair. His stomach was curling into knots now, and as suspicion began creeping up on him, his chest tightened. "What happened?"

"I'll tell you what's happened." She hissed from between clenched teeth. "For years, you've been dragging Gohan and Goten through horrific battles, and then running off when they need a father to guide them. What did you _think_ would happen?"

"Chichi, I—" She cut him off.

"No! This is your fault. The pressure was too much! He was just a child. He's not even fully Saiyan. He never liked fighting. He wanted to spend time with you! It was the only way he could hold your attention, Goku. You just never seemed to care!"

Goku could feel his heart pounding in his chest, and for some reason his eyes were seeming more moist than usual. "Chichi, what's happened?" He demanded. He finally placed the odd feeling now. It was fear. More than fear, even. Terror. A terror had grabbed hold of him and wasn't letting go. "Please. Please tell me."

She moved to the side and let him enter, nodding toward the staircase. Slowly, he stepped over the threshold and looked up the stairs.

"In Gohan's room." Chichi prompted.

He took a step forward into the dark house. It smelled rotten. Like rotting meat. An odd feeling washed over him and caused his heart rate to speed up even more.

Goku hardly remembered moving, but rather suddenly he was standing at Gohan's door. Chichi was nowhere in sight, but he could hear the sound of her and Goten both sobbing downstairs. He glanced toward the staircase, wondering when he had walked upstairs, but brushed the thought away. His fear was driving him forward, and he knew that he had to find out what was wrong. Slowly, he reached out to the doorknob and pushed the door open.

The sight that greeted him nearly made him vomit.

Sprawled across the habitually neat room was the corpse of his oldest son. The pallid face hardly resembled the boy he knew, and his eyes—devoid of all light—were open and staring at the ceiling. His wrists had clearly been slit. Red still covered Gohan's fingers, and Goku could see that he'd written a dying message in his own blood.

Goku wasn't the best reader, but somehow, he knew what the message would say even before his eyes had muddled their way past the first few words. _"I'm sorry, dad. I just couldn't do it. I couldn't keep up with you." _The words themselves seemed to dance through his mind in Gohan's voice. He'd never heard Gohan's voice sound so sad. But then he hadn't been around much, had he? And ChiChi had said…

"No! I…" Goku felt the first tear fall down his cheek as he choked out the words. His heart was thudding in his chest and an odd whisper reached his ears. _No dragonballs. They won't work on this. It can't be fixed…can't be fixed. He's gone forever…forever. Forever an empty chair at the table. Forever an empty bedroom…a hole in their hearts…an emptiness…emptiness…You will grow old. He won't… _

Goku choked out a sob. His sweaty hands clenched into frustrated fists at his side "Gohan, why didn't you say anything?" But he already knew the answer. It was like Chichi said. Goku hadn't been around for Gohan during his toughest moments. He'd put his son through hell and then had left him to pick up the pieces on his own.

Goku's chest was so tight that he was literally gasping for breath as he stumbled toward Gohan's body. "No…" The choked whisper was filled with regret and shame. "I'm sorry!" He dropped to his knees beside his son and stared at his nearly-peaceful face. He was pale, but he almost appeared to be asleep. "Please don't be dead!" Goku cried. Goku almost reached out to touch him, but a sudden irrational fear of his Gohan's cold corpse shot through him, and he drew his hand back.

He wondered why he was so frightened. He had touched dead bodies before. Why the irrational terror at touching his son's?

A small noise made Goku's heart leap. As if hearing his thoughts, Gohan's eyes suddenly fluttered open.

"Gohan!" Despite the lingering uneasiness in his stomach, a bright grin lit up Goku's face, and he stared at his son in relief.

"Dad!" Gohan, voice was weak, but Goku could see that he was getting stronger by the second. His face was regaining some color, and Goku could even feel his Ki coming back ever-so-slowly. "Dad, I'm sorry. I'd meant to—"

Goku cut him off. "No Gohan. I'm the one who's sorry. I never knew how much pressure I put on you. I should have never left you alone. I really should have been there. I've been a terrible father. Can you forgive me?" He opened his arms to pull his son into a hug.

Gohan smiled slightly. His pale face looked somewhat ghostly in the sunlight streaming through the window. It somehow made Goku feel that touching him…hugging him…was urgent.

Gohan weakly reached up toward the embrace.

They were only millimeters from touching when Goku was suddenly thrown backwards. Seemingly out of nowhere, a booted foot had appeared, flying over Gohan and driving straight into Goku's face. Goku skidded backward across the floor, briefly wondering when the floor had become so rocky. A movement across the room caught his eye.

"Vegeta?" Goku blinked in confusion at the translucent image of Vegeta in a strange, dirty, gray and black uniform, swatting at something that Goku couldn't see. Goku had a brief image of a translucent Krillin, red-eyed, dressed in red and black, and kneeling mournfully on the other side of Gohan. The ghost-like Krillin was sent flying backwards with the force of the hit. Goku couldn't quite figure out why he'd be hallucinating Krillin too, but a moment later, Krillin had disappeared.

The ghost-like Vegeta remained however, and looked between the Goku and Gohan for a moment, before his eyes settled fixedly on Gohan. Then in a small voice, a voice that sounded oddly like two voices—Gohan's and a little girl's—Gohan said. "Dad, help! He's going to kill me."

Something about Vegeta's look then made Goku believe that that was a real possibility, and Goku moved to push himself off the floor.

But he was too late. In a split second, Vegeta raised a finger, formed a small Ki ball, and sent a Ki beam straight through Gohan's forehead.

* * *

"What's going on?" "What's wrong with the screen?" "It's all fuzzy." The classroom had been full of murmurs and complaints as the screen had suddenly gone wacky. One minute, all the Z fighters had been standing together. The next, everything shook and blurred, and suddenly, all they could see were clips of rocks and a horrifying white robed creature interspersed with static.

The school bell was ringing, but everyone ignored it. They had all lost track of the time, and in any case Ms. Catibi would never have let anyone leave until every single paper, pencil and personal computer was picked off the floor.

It had become evident to Goten and Trunks after a few minutes of watching that Krillin was filming and that he was hallucinating.

Why else would he be screaming that Marron was dead?

As their classmates had mumbled and questioned who "Marron" was, Trunks and Goten had shared nervous looks. Although they never got a good image of it, that white creature looked dangerous. They had stopped jumping up and down on their desks, but were now standing still, tense and waiting for…for something.

For some reason, Krillin seemed to think that the creature was someone else—everyone else but a creepy white-robed corpse man.

Once or twice, they saw an image of Goku, wandering blindly through the background. He reacted to the white-robed man the same as Krillin did, even talking to it as if it were Chichi and Goten.

And then, the strangest thing had happened. Krillin had wandered around for a moment before returning to the white-robed man. The man was lying on the ground now, and strangely, Goku was kneeling beside him. He looked terrified. He was crying.

Trunks and Goten had shared fearful looks then. "Trunks, what's happening? What happened to my dad? He's never been like this. I've never seen my dad scared of anything."

Trunks had no idea how to respond. The screen had gone fuzzy, and only clips and odd phrases could be heard. It was clear though, that Goku was crying over Gohan's death—just as Krillin was crying over Marron's

"What's he talking about?" Goten asked Trunks. Tears were welling up in his eyes. "Why is he saying that Gohan's dead?"

"I…" Trunks sent a slightly pitying look to Goten before speaking. "I don't know. I…I think he thinks that thing is Gohan. They're hallucinating."

Goten frowned, but before he could respond, on screen everything suddenly erupted into chaos. Out of nowhere, a fourth person had appeared, driving a boot into Goku's face hard enough to throw him backwards across the rocky ground. A moment later, Krillin was sent crashing in the other direction.

The classroom erupted into gasps and excited whispers.

It took a moment for Krillin to pull himself off the ground, but when he finally turned around, a cheer swept through the room.

"It's my dad!" Trunks's shout was drowned among all the other shouts of excitement.

Vegeta was a little worse for wear, but he was still standing tall and strong in the middle of the screen. He looked around at the other people around him before his eyes settled on the white-clad creature with a look of recognition. Then, before anyone could react, he fired a Ki blast straight between its eyes.

Even though the class had no idea what the creature had been, they erupted into cheers anyway, apparently certain that killing it had been a good thing to do.

* * *

Back on that desolate planet, Goku was in shock, uncomprehending that someone he considered one of his best friends had just murdered his son in cold blood—the same son who had just miraculously returned from the dead. "NOOOOO!" Goku's cry was echoed by another as he sprang off the floor and threw himself at Vegeta. Rage at Vegeta's actions and his own failure to stop him caused him to transform into Super Saiyan 3 without realizing it.

Time seemed to slow for a moment. Vegeta's eyes slowly turned from Gohan's bloody white corpse to fix in surprise on Goku—and strangely on something behind him. Vegeta moved to raise an arm in defense, but Goku's fist reached him before he was able to. Vegeta flew backward with the force of the hit, but Goku's other hand fisted onto his armor and held him in place.

Time returned to normal as seemingly out of nowhere, Krillin appeared, bypassing Goku and sending another punch straight toward Vegeta's face. Vegeta blocked it and managed to send Krillin flying backward in the same motion.

"It's me!" Vegeta shouted. His hair flashed golden, and he blocked the next punch Goku sent at his face. "Fuck! It's really me, you imbeciles!" In Goku's panicked mind, he didn't register the fist flying at his face until it was too late. The punch caught Goku square in the nose, causing him to release his grip on Vegeta's shirt and to fly back across the room—or what used to be a room.

Goku suddenly realized that he was no longer in Gohan's bedroom. "Huh? What?" The landscape that now surrounded him was an oddly-familiar rocky purple. Dark gray clouds rolled and churned in the sky, and rain pounded into the ground around them.

Beside him, Krillin sat up and blinked in surprise as if suddenly realizing that he wasn't where he thought he was.

"Marron?" Krillin asked in confusion, looking toward where Gohan's body had lain.

The situation slowly came back to Goku, and almost nervously, he followed Krillin's eyes to the prone white-clad creature on the ground. The gnarled face, tattered clothing and boney hands were certainly not Gohan.

"Whoever you both thought that was, it was just an illusion. That's a Xiee." A deep voice brought both Goku's and Krillin's eyes shooting toward a familiar face.

Looking at his fellow Saiyan, Goku felt a confused sense of shame. How had he been taken in so easily? Goten and Chichi's odd behavior, the strange time lapses, the lack of logic in anything that had just happened—it had all been just like a dream. A very vivid dream, but still…how could he have believed for a moment that it was real?

And also…had Vegeta just saved his life? Beside him, Krillin was looking to be a mixture of embarrassed and relieved, and Goku briefly wondered what he had seen.

He looked back to Vegeta. "Vegeta. I…"

Blood was dripping from Vegeta's nose and mouth, but the man seemed not to notice it. "Get up, clown. Your son is fighting one of those things as well. You'd better get to him before it does."

Goku's spine stiffened, and the now-familiar feeling of fear came over him again. This time though, he knew it was real.

He glanced momentarily to Krillin, and then nodding, climbed to his feet. The overwhelming need to keep his son safe drove away his shame and confusion. He could still feel Gohan's Ki, close to Piccolo's, but some considerable distance away. The fact that he could still feel him was a relief however.

He paused for a moment and glanced toward his fellow Saiyan. "Thanks, Vegeta." He said, and then shot off into the sky.

* * *

As Goku jetted off into the sky, the classroom was again filled with excited chatter. The word "Xiee" was being thrown around with horror and wonder. Goten and Trunks couldn't say that they had ever heard of a "Xiee" but from what they could pick up, it was apparently a legend. A horrible nightmare-like legend.

That hardly mattered now though. They would ask more about it later. The battle was still on.

Just after Goku took to the sky, Vegeta shot off as well. Krillin was left standing alone amongst the rocks and rubble. The screen turned back to look at the dead Xiee, and Krillin shivered loud enough for the scouter's microphone to register it.

Krillin whipped back around and looked between the two rapidly shrinking dots. "Wait!" After apparently pausing for a moment in consideration, Krillin took off after Vegeta.

Trunks turned to grin excitedly at Goten, only to find that the boy was frowning. Trunks suddenly remembered hearing his dad say that Gohan was fighting one of those Xiee things too. He bit his lip for a moment. If Goku had been helpless when faced with one of them, it was hard to see Gohan doing much better. And how could Goku be expected to help against the Xiee anyway if the first one had reduced him to a blubbering mess.

Trunks hated to think it, but there may have been a flaw in Vegeta's plan. Still, he had to have faith. Because at the end of the day, what else was there?

He turned to Goten. "It'll be fine. Gohan's one of the toughest guys we know. And he's got that mystic ability. He's probably already killed that other Xiee."

Goten nodded somewhat absently. It was clear that he didn't put much stock in Trunks's words. Or perhaps it was something else. Trunks couldn't be sure.

There was nothing more he could say though. Trunks just frowned and turned back to the screen. It would be fine. He just knew it.

* * *

Gohan couldn't remember how he had gotten here. It seemed like he shouldn't be here…that he should be someplace else, but he couldn't remember where.

Or maybe that was just wishful thinking. Certainly anyplace would be better than this. Gohan's stomach was twisting into knots. His heart was pounding, and a cold sweat was dripping down between his shoulders. Warm, salty tears were streaming down his cheeks.

He just couldn't understand it. It wasn't supposed to be this way. He was certain of it. They had trained so hard. For so long. For three whole years. He had become a Super Saiyan. Higher than a Super Saiyan even. But it was all for nothing.

The peaceful blue sky seemed to mock him as it stared down at the bloodied, cratered landscape below. They were all dead. His dad's sacrifice had been for nothing. Gohan's heart clenched even tighter as a wave of dread washed over him again. There was no one left now but him.

That monster had reappeared, somehow stronger than ever. And he had slaughtered everyone. One by one. Mirai Trunks, Krillin, Vegeta, Yamcha, even Piccolo. They were nothing more than disgusting mounds of meat and bone and splattered blood.

"You didn't think you could defeat me, did you, boy?"

Gohan brought his gaze back to the creature before him. To those cruel purple eyes that would be forever etched into his memory.

"You won't get away with this." Gohan said, forcing himself to sound tough despite his terror. He tried to pull himself to his feet, but his body felt like lead. He just had no energy left. It was strange. He couldn't even remember fighting, but now he was completely drained.

Cell reached out a hand as if to caress Gohan's face. A blind terror shot through Gohan at the movement, and he somehow found the strength to throw himself backward. He landed hard on his backside and scrambled back a few more feet. It was bizarre, but even the mere idea of touching this monster sent a terror through him.

"And what will you do?" Cell asked. "Kill me?" He chuckled. That dark, evil rumble that would grace Gohan's nightmares for years. "I'd like to see you try. Perhaps you'll be more entertaining than the others. I would have thought that the famous _Go-ku _would have at least posed a challenge, but well," He chuckled. "Now there's not even enough dust left of him to make me sneeze."

"Don't you dare!" His voice trembled despite his efforts to steel himself. "Don't you dare insult my father!" He was trying to call on his power. On his anger. That usually did the trick. But he just couldn't seem to get over his fear of this creature. He was all alone. All alone with Perfect Cell. And he felt like a child. A child who was scared and helpless and needed someone to save him. How he wished that someone would come to help him.

"Gohan!" His stomach churned so hard just then that he thought he might vomit.

"No!" He whispered to whatever deity might hear him. He kept is eyes locked on Cell, however, hoping that he had not heard the voice. In a tiny voice, he whispered too quiet for Cell to hear. "No, I take it back."

"Gohan!" The familiar voice called again, and Gohan knew from Cell's smirk that he had heard it too.

"Well well, what have we here?" Cell mused.

"You get away from my baby, you big, ugly…grasshopper!"

Gohan tried again to move, but he couldn't budge. Despite himself he felt himself choke out a sob, and hot tears streamed afresh down his face. "No!" The sound was a mixture between a sob and a groan. "No, not her…"

But then she came into his line of vision. With her hair twisted up tight, and wearing that old purple dress. She was running full-tilt toward Cell. "Get away from him!"

Gohan could only watch helplessly as she charged at Cell. The terror was taking over him now, even making his vision blur in and out. Far from relieving him, his mother's presence had only added to his dread. Cell would certainly not spare her.

Chichi lunged at Cell, producing a frying pan from nowhere. Cell merely smirked at Gohan, and blasting the frying pan to bits, grabbed hold of Chichi by the hair. Chichi screamed in surprise as she was jerked to a halt.

"Please." Gohan pleaded through his tears. "Please don't hurt her. She…she had nothing to do with it. I…I'll do anything."

"Oh if your father could see you now, what would he say? How ashamed would he be to see his son groveling at the feet of the man who killed him?"

Chichi screamed as he twisted her hair.

"But…you say you'll do anything, just so I won't hurt her…"

Gohan nodded eagerly. "Yes."

If possible, Cell's grin got even crueler. He pulled Chichi in front of him and held her there. "Kill her."

Bile rose to his mouth. Gohan's heart was pounding so fast, he thought it might burst from his chest. He'd never felt a terror like this. It took hold of his whole body, freezing him in place. He wanted to fight it. He wanted to save her and destroy Cell, but he couldn't.

Some small part of him told him that his fear was irrational. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a small voice was telling him that Cell wasn't so tough. That he'd fought tougher. But that couldn't be possible. Cell had killed everyone, hadn't he? The remains of their bloodied corpses were lying just a few feet away.

"You know…" Cell's voice drew Gohan's attention away from his friends' bodies and back to the green monster holding his mother by the hair. "I see some potential in you. There's a dark side to you. I can see it in your eyes. You'll kill your mother in a heartbeat to save your own skin."

"No!" Gohan managed to shout. "No! I would never—"

"Don't take offense." Cell said. "I like that about you. It shows character."

Some part of Gohan believed him, and that just frightened him more.

"I think I'll make you my apprentice." Cell said. "We can conquer this universe together. Go on now." He gave Chichi another shake. "Your first task. Let's get on with it. You want to do it. I can tell."

"Gohan…" His mother's pleading voice was hardly more than a whisper. Gohan lowered his eyes to hers and was horrified to see the look she was directing at him. Tears streamed down her face, and she was gazing at him as if she had never seen him before. "Gohan…I thought I knew you…" She sobbed. "I thought I'd raised a good boy. I can't believe you'd do this."

"No! Mom, he's lying. I…I won't! I can't…"

"To think your father gave his life to save you. And you repay him by letting everyone he ever loved die."

"Mom! No! I…" Suddenly, he found that his energy was returning. It was a slow trickle, but it was enough to allow him to push himself to his feet. His knees were still weak, and his chest was still clenched in terror, but he stood. "I did my best."

She studied him for a moment, before a tearful smile made its way onto her face and a fresh bout of tears streamed down her cheeks. "Gohan…" Her next words were unspoken, but silently mouthed. "Save me."

"Mom…" Gohan took a step forward. His stomach churned at the triumphant grin on Cell's face. Or maybe it was the smell. Either way, his body shook and quivered with every step.

Slowly, he raised a hand toward his mother. His hand was shaking, but a Ki ball formed nonetheless. He knew that he had only one chance at this. It was a slim chance, but he had to take it. He had to at least _try_ to save his mother.

He was only inches away now. The fear was nearly overwhelming, but he was determined. For his father. For his friends. For his mother. He had to try. He took a deep breath, and shut his eyes for a moment.

His next movements happened in a split second—evidence of years of training under some of the best martial artists in the universe. Before Cell could even blink, Gohan had shifted his weight and fired the blast, not at Chichi, but straight into Cell's face.

Just as Gohan had hoped, Cell's grip on his mother loosened. Gohan's adrenaline momentarily trumped his fear, and lunging forward, he grabbed his mother's arm…

And froze.

A gentle breeze stirred some of the pale dust around his feet and ruffled his hair and clothes. It was wrong.

It was wrong. It was so wrong.

He felt his body seize up with a terror unlike any he had ever felt, but he couldn't understand why. What had he been doing? Why was he here?

Slowly, as his breath caught in his throat, his eyes turned toward Chichi. She was shifting, morphing. A wide, sickening grin had appeared on her face, revealing a row of crooked black teeth. Her eyes had disappeared, leaving nothing more than empty sockets in their place.

Gohan vaguely felt something warm and wet tricking down his leg, but that was the least of his worries. His heart was pounding so fast now that it made his chest hurt. He couldn't breathe.

The face he was staring into was no longer his mother's. He couldn't see it clearly, through his blurring vision, but he knew. The wispy white outlines of the person before him were strange…yet oddly familiar.

Suddenly, the reality came crashing back to him, hitting him with the force of one of his father's best punches. The war, space, Kurenai, their hunt for Hui, the rocky planet…the Xiee.

The Xiee…The tattered white creatures that could turn a nightmare into reality. The creatures that could kill with a touch.

An excruciating pain erupted in his chest. His heart seemed to lurch…no…to explode. Blood suddenly filled his mouth, but he could hardly taste it. His ears were ringing, his vision dimming, his limbs seeming to become weightless. He could hardly feel anything anymore. The pain in his chest was fading away…as were his surroundings.

The white-clad creature brushed Gohan's hand off of its arm and turned away. Gohan was left to fall limply forward as the last of his life quickly faded away.

He couldn't feel the ground, the mud, the rain. He could hardly hear the purple sky. He thought he heard someone calling his name. But that must have been a trick of the wind.

Through his dimming vision, Gohan could see the swish of a long, white, tattered robe as the creature turned to find its net victim.

Then a whisper carried back to him. Or perhaps it was his own inner voice talking. _"You should have killed her."_

As his vision finally faded to black, he couldn't help but agree.

* * *

Midori's heart sank at the sight that greeted her. A red spot marred the desolate purple landscape, and as she drew nearer, it became clear that what she was seeing was a large puddle of blood. It had mixed with the rain and mud and was running in small rivulets down the slopes in the uneven ground. In the middle of the macabre puddle was a person—or what was left of one. Midori recognized it as one of the Earthlings—she couldn't remember his name. He had been disemboweled. He was clearly dead.

Midori wrinkled her nose at the sight, but she could not dwell on it.

Still five pods sat nearby, all open. That meant that she wasn't too late.

"Where…?" And then she saw him. Hui was sitting in one of the pods, fiddling with the control panel. "No!" Drawing on energy she didn't know she had, she sped up, formed a Ki blast in her hand, and fired it.

She knew that the blast had met its mark a moment later when Hui's enraged scream carried all the way over to her despite the rumbling thunder and the hard patter of the rain.

She hadn't been aiming for him. She'd shot the control panel. A much easier target. But that still left her with the problem of the Emperor.

Hui clambered out of the pod, slipping on the thick layer of mud, and holding the edge of the pod for support. She could practically see him quaking as he turned his eyes up to her. She stopped mid-air, hesitant to come any closer to the enraged Emperor.

"I am _sick_ of this!" Hui screeched, curling his hands into fists and stamping his foot. "I am sick of _you_! I am sick of this rain! I am sick of this planet. And I am sick of all these damned Earthlings and Saiyans popping out of the woodwork! I swear, the minute I get off this planet, I am destroying _everything_! I don't even want to take over the Krimzon Empire anymore. I will just destroy it completely. Every. Single. Planet. Do you hear me, Midori? I know you do. Say goodbye to your precious empress, and your family and everyone else you hold dear, because I am going to burn them to death!"

Midori merely floated in the sky, trying to cast glances back to where Vegeta might be while still keeping an eye on Hui. The task was proving difficult, especially given the darkness caused by the cloud cover and the haze of rain. She knew he wouldn't be long. He had destroyed the other Xiee in a matter of moments. Surely, he would kill the other one just as quickly. Hopefully.

At least Hui was taken up in another one of his rants and didn't appear to want to fight just yet.

"I will do you a favor though." Hui continued, wringing some water out of his shirt before trying to smooth it back down. "I will let you live. You can become my concubine—"

Her head whipped fully toward him and she let out an unintentional huff of disgust.

"Fine, Empress, whatever." He amended, waving a careless hand. "All you have to do is fix this pod for me…and program it to take me back to my ship."

She blinked before calling back in a voice loud enough to be heard over the rain. "You want the ship fixed? I have no idea how to do that." She nodded toward Yamcha. "_He_ was the mechanic."

Hui let out a growl and spun around. Midori could hear him muttering to himself in disgust, but she couldn't make out what he was saying.

It made her nervous. A shiver ran down her spine, perhaps from a mixture of her fear and the chill of the air. "But programming a ship doesn't take a mechanic." Midori said after a moment. "Anyone can punch in coordinates. Am I to assume that _you _can't?"

"I'm an emperor, not a ship captain!" Hui huffed. "Why would I know how to do that?"

"It's common knowledge." Midori said, casting a quick glance over her shoulder again. _Vegeta,_ _where are you?_ He was nowhere to be seen. She entertained the brief hope that he was lingering among the cliffs somewhere waiting for the perfect chance to jump in. But she could still feel his Ki back at the battlefield. She turned back to Hui and continued. "Do you mean that you actually had time to escape this planet, but that you couldn't because you don't know how to program a spacepod?"

"Forget it!" Hui said. "You can't be my empress. You won't even be my concubine. I don't want any contact with you. You will be a harem girl for the lowest, hairiest, and slimiest of my soldiers."

She wasn't sure how to respond to that. She took a closer look at him. And as wet and bedraggled as he was at the moment, he wasn't very intimidating. Or maybe all of her fear quota had been used up by the Xiee.

Hui was standing in the mud, skinny and soaked to the bone, purple mud caked onto his clothes, and hair sticking to his face. "Well?!" He shouted up to her. "Are you going to fix my pod or not." There was a certain danger in his voice that reminded her of just why the universe feared this man.

Still, there was no way she was doing what he wanted. She had been sent to this planet to eliminate this boy. Regardless of what may happen to her during her effort to do that, she had to do her best. It was her duty. The empire had put its trust in her. And so, steeling herself for his reaction, she said. "Of course not."

Even from a distance, she could see his eyes darken, but other than that, Hui didn't react.

Midori raised an eyebrow, and slipped a hand into one of the bags on her belt. She hoped that the rain hadn't interfered with the properties of her herbs and powders. She was somewhat relieved to feel the familiar coarse grain of this particular powder.

Her relief evaporated when Hui suddenly vanished.

"Wh…" Midori was no rookie fighter. She was often underestimated because she was a woman, but she had sharp eyes. She had rarely encountered a person who could move faster than she could see. "But…he couldn't have teleported." She mumbled to herself.

"No, of course not." The whisper, coming from just behind her, sent shivers down her spine, and she spun around.

Hui was floating only inches from her. His head was tilted down allowing his lank hair to shadow his face. His eyes though, were glued to her, dark and menacing—and, she thought, somewhat insane.

"I'm not playing with you, Midori." Hui hissed, moving closer still. Their bodies were touching, and she felt his cold hands grip her elbows. The heat radiating from his body reminded her of just how cold she had been. Midori's fingers tightened on her powder.

Hui leaned close to her ear. "You cannot defeat me, Midori. Join me. Together we will rule this universe. You'll have everything you could ever want."

He didn't move when he'd finished speaking. She could still feel his warm breath on her ear. Midori closed her eyes for a moment. Where was Vegeta? She could not fight Hui by herself.

But, damn it all, she would have to try, wouldn't she. She made up her mind.

In a split second, she brought her knee up, driving it straight between Hui's legs. It was a cheap shot, she knew, but Hui didn't exactly play fair either.

Hui gasped in pain and released her. Midori didn't waste the time to revel in the look of agony on his face. Whispering a spell, she brought her hand around, flicking the powder straight into Hui's eyes.

This time, Hui screamed, bringing his hands up to try to wipe the powder away. It was impossible. The powder had latched onto his face and eyes, burning everything it touched. Hui's screams continued, slowly intermingling with frustrated, gut-wrenching sobs.

It almost made herself feel sorry for him. Almost.

He had shown no mercy for any of his victims, and she knew that when her turn came, he would show her no mercy either.

Her gut turned in fear. Actually, there was no point in waiting here for him to recover. She had already stopped Hui from getting off the planet. Midori turned back toward the battlefield she'd left, and took off.

She'd only gotten a few meters when she felt herself being grabbed and pulled back. She gasped in surprise and looked back to the hand on her bicep. The sight of the burned, bloodied eyes glaring at her made her recoil in disgust and horror.

"Where do you think you're going?" Hui growled through clenched teeth. His whole body was shaking in anger and pain, but as his grip on her arm tightened, she knew that he was still just as powerful as ever. His glare was so angry that it was nearly manic. He clenched a hand onto her jaw and pulled her face closer. "You're going to pay for that."

* * *

A/N: That took forever to get out! I know. Terribly sorry. The good news is, I finished my thesis! That was the reason, of course, that I hadn't been able to update in so long. I hardly had any time for anything fun. Hopefully, now that my thesis is done, I'll have a bit more time.

Also, a few of you requested that I write some one-shot side pieces to this story—when the story finishes of course. I think that's a brilliant idea, so if anyone has any particular part of he story that they'd really like to see more fleshed out, do let me know, and I'll see what I can do.

Anyway, I really hoped you enjoyed that. Thanks so much to all of you who left me reviews, and gave me encouragement. I really appreciate all of your patience and continued enthusiasm for this piece. As usual, let drop me a review to let me know what you thought of this one.


	61. Devastate (Part 4)

**Warning:** This chapter contains violence, swearing, and possible character death (not going to give anything away here).

Chapter 61- Devastate (Part 4)

Midori hit the ground hard and kept sliding, forming a long rut as her momentum drug her through the muddy soil. The mud was full of rocks that scraped at her skin as she slid. It stung, but it was nothing to the sharp pain in her newly-cracked nose.

As soon as she regained enough control, she rolled out of the crater. And just in time too. A ball of fire appeared right where her head had been.

She knew it was no ordinary fire either. It was the magical type. The kind that would burn straight through skin and bone no matter how much water it was doused with. Her breaths came in short gasps now. Crouched low to the ground, she looked over her shoulder to where Hui was floating in the dark sky. Instinctively, she searched the sky behind him, looking for a shape, a movement, anything to let her know that help was on the way. She saw nothing hopeful.

_Vegeta, where are you?_

She turned her attention back to Hui after a second, cognizant that she couldn't let him out of her sight for long. He looked like a dark omen, shrouded by blackness and framed by storm clouds and lightning. The wind whipped at his wet tunic making him look almost as ghostly as the Xiee. She could see that his hands were moving, and so quickly turning to face him, she began forming her own counterspell.

Her long hair had come out of its tight bun and was now hanging in a long, messy braid down her back. Strands of wet hair had escaped the braid and clung to her face, but her hands were too busy to brush them away.

The attack came suddenly, but she was ready.

It was a dark red blast that hurdled toward her. The blast itself was larger than she was, but she could feel that it was not fully composed of Ki. There was something about the blast that awoke her instinct—that told her she shouldn't come in contact with it.

Midori threw her counter-spell. It hit the blast and deflected it, but not enough. The blast continued to hurdle toward her, only slightly off course. Midori gasped, and lunged aside, hitting the ground hard again and sending mud splattering everywhere.

She rolled over and regained her feet, breathing heavily. She couldn't keep throwing ordinary spells at him, she knew. He was wearing her down. She needed something more powerful. Mustering the remnants of her energy, she summoned another spell and threw it at Hui.

Hui raised his arm to block it. It was a stupid move, since he couldn't possibly know what the spell she'd just thrown at him was. It was one of Kurenai's own creations. A technique that caused so much damage to the opponent that it couldn't possibly be defined as "clean" fighting. For obvious reasons, Kurenai had chosen to keep this particular technique hidden from the public. Not even Kuro Kon knew about it.

The spell hit Hui. That was all it took. As quickly as the lightning lacing the sky, the spell flared out upon contact, curling around his arm and flashing before disappearing.

"Haha." Hui laughed. "Your spell was a dud."

Midori couldn't help but smirk. "Was it?" With a movement hardly visible in the dimness, she flicked her fingers toward him.

"Huh…wh…" Hui's voice progressively got more panicked, and he stared in terror down at his arm. "What did you do to me?!" A note of pain was clear in his voice.

Frantically, he tore at the sleeve of his shirt, rolling it, pushing it upward, and then finally tearing it off altogether.

The sight was enough to make Midori sick, but Hui was downright terrified. The skin on his arm was rippling, as though small insects were crawling underneath it. He was making panicked gasping sounds as he apparently debated between clutching the wound or being afraid to touch it. His decision was precipitated by his arm suddenly beginning to bubble. It was as if it were boiling. Hui's healthy hand slapped over his arm, gripping it as if to either hold it together or fight off the pain...probably both.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?!" Hui's shriek left her ears ringing, but Midori hardly noticed. She was fascinated by the sight before her. Hui's arm was…melting. And the damaged area was slowly growing, crawling up his arm. Soon it would reach his shoulder, then his torso…and his heart. It would be a very slow, very painful death.

Midori stumbled a step back as Hui collapsed to the ground, still clutching his arm and screaming. That spell had taken up almost all of her energy. Suddenly exhausted, she had to fight the urge to sit down.

In that moment, it never occurred to her that she had his life in the palm of her hands—that she might have finished him right there. In that moment, she thought that she already had.

If she had known what would happen a moment later, she would have certainly acted. But as she could not possibly know, all she did was look on in fascination.

She was wholly surprised when she was suddenly thrown back by a surge of power. Whereas Hui had only moments ago been doubled over, forehead nearly touching the ground, now he was upright, back arched, and screaming. A sphere of power engulfed him and she saw the telltale greenish light of a healing spell.

A fear began to creep over her—not an artificial terror like the Xiee produced, but a real fear. The greenish light grew brighter and brighter, as Hui pumped more power into it.

It was impossible. He couldn't break the spell. Kurenai herself had made it. But Midori still had doubts. "No. He…he can't…" After a moment's pause, she raised her hand and fired at the sphere surrounding Hui. She knew it was a pointless venture. She had so little energy left, and it had taken Goku in his Super Saiyan 3 form to punch through the same sphere earlier.

"No." Her voice trembled, and she felt a sense of fear and self-loathing come over her. "I…I had him. I'd…won…" She whispered, raising her eyes to the sky as if expecting some sort of divine justice.

But there would be no deus ex machina now. Up in the realm of the Kais, the Supreme Kai watched regretfully, King Kai bit his nails in his nervousness, and King Yemma, ignoring the long line of souls before him, gripped the sides of his TV so hard he nearly pulled it off the wall. None of them would intervene.

"No!" Midori's plea was filled with tears as the light grew so bright that it forced her to shield her eyes. "Please! Please, don't let it work!"

And then the sphere surrounding Hui exploded outwards. Midori was again thrown off her feet by the force of the wind. Again, she hit the ground, sliding along her own muddy trench before finally regaining enough control to stop her trajectory. She turned her fearful eyes back toward the source of the power squinting against the brightness of the explosion.

Slowly, the light faded, and the pounding rain quickly knocked whatever dust had been stirred up back into the mud. Her heart sped up, and she hoped against hope that the explosion had been a side effect of the spell she had cast. In retrospect, it seemed stupid to have put all of her power into one attack. It had seemed like a good idea at the time—a spell that had the potential to kill on contact. It took a huge amount of power, but it only took one touch to kill no matter where it hit. Even if the spell had grazed Hui's little finger, it would have eventually killed him. Hui would have never suspected it.

It seemed like a flawless plan. But it had never been tested on a sentient being—much less a powerful wizard like Hui.

Her heart sank as the wind finally died down. Hui was still standing, breathing heavily, with his hair plastered to his face. His dark eyes were fixed menacingly on her.

Midori couldn't help but be horror struck. That had been the best she had. If Hui could throw even that spell off, there was no hope for her. She dared a glance to his arm. Although the lightning only provided brief flashes of light, she could see that his arm was no longer writhing. The curse was no longer traveling up his arm, devouring flesh like fire. His entire arm was dark, scarred, mutilated. But he had somehow managed to stop the spell in its tracks.

She felt an immeasurable pointlessness well up within her, and with it the desire to surrender. She just couldn't beat him. She shut her eyes tightly against the tears that had suddenly welled up, but that too was a pointless gesture. The tears were leaking freely down her face, mixing with the rainwater and leaving a salty taste in her mouth.

She was broken and weak. Defeated. She should never have come here. She should never have chosen this path. Sure she'd been powerful, talented, and intelligent. She'd always been at the top of her classes—all except math—but she'd never expected to go this far. Her parents had pushed her to excel. It had taken years of training, schooling, and apprenticeships for her to work her way through the ranks, but all the while, she had never been sure that this was what she'd wanted. Had she ever wanted power? Fame? Glory?

No. She suddenly realized. She never had.

She enjoyed being Kurenai's aide, but she did not like what came with it. She'd always hated the media being in her personal life, hated not being able to walk outside without being recognized, and hated that this wretched war was somehow her responsibility. Her duty.

She just wanted to go home. She just wanted to be with Chet, to see her parents again, to have children and grow old.

She didn't want to die here.

Unfortunately, she didn't have a choice.

A sudden noise drew her out of her thoughts, and her eyes snapped open just in time to see a bright light hurdling toward her.

She was too exhausted to dodge.

It was like fire. Fire that burned from the inside out. The pain was excruciating. She tried to summon her own magic to fight it, but she couldn't focus enough.

When Hui finally let, up, Midori realized that she was lying on the ground, her face half sunk into the mud. Her body still shuddered from the remnants of the pain, and she found that she was too drained to even push herself off the ground.

All she could do was stare across the landscape in the distance, blinking away the raindrops and tears in her eyes. She was tired, resigned…exhausted. She had only been fighting Hui for a few minutes, but it felt like a lifetime.

_Is this how I'm to die, then?_

* * *

Piccolo had never been so unnerved in all his life. He had suddenly woken up in a tiny gray, circular room. The room was just tall enough for him to stand up fully, and just large enough for him to take one step in every direction. There were no decorations, no windows, and no discernable doors. The room smelled terrible.

What was worse, his Ki was gone. An irrational fear was taking hold of him—or rather, over part of him. Part of him was terrified. Piccolo realized that there were parts of him that were more confused than anything. What was there to be afraid of? He wasn't stuck in this room, certainly. Why would he be stuck in there?

He had been before…part of him had been stuck somewhere small with no doors or windows. Aside from choppy memories—as if memories from a previous life—he couldn't recall the experience. However, the terror remained.

He balled a hand into a fist and let it fly at the wall as hard as he could. It was an impressive punch, but it had no effect. Not even a dent.

The feeling of fear intensified, and with it, his confusion. How had he gotten here? Why did he have no memory before a few moments ago? Since when was he afraid of small, enclosed spaces?

He could feel himself starting to sweat. He had to get out of here. He could envision himself rotting away in this room. Despite all of his training, all of his power, without water, he would still die.

Slowly, he lowered himself to sit cross-legged on the floor. His knees nearly touched the walls on both sides, and he swallowed nervously. The room hadn't seemed this narrow a minute ago. It hadn't seemed this hot either.

He could feel his heart rate speeding up, but he closed his eyes and forced himself to concentrate.

There was something he was missing. None of this was rational. None of it made any sense. He had to have gotten in to this room from some sort of opening, and given that there was no opening visible, there must be a trick going on. Or even an illusion.

That sparked something in his brain, a small whisper of a memory. He latched onto it. _Nothing that you see or feel will be real, but…_

But what, Piccolo wondered. And what wasn't real?

He thought about the words again. _Nothing that you see or feel will be real, but…_

He nearly growled. What was the end of that sentence? And who had said it? What was it in reference to? Why did he feel as though simply knowing that would get him out of this room?

The feeling of the walls on his knees almost made him lose his train of thought. When he'd sat down, he hadn't been touching the wall. Now he was, but he hadn't moved.

The room was getting smaller. His heart rate was growing faster, and an irrational terror was taking over him.

At least he thought it was irrational.

There was something not right about this, and he knew that something in his memory would help him.

He didn't meditate for hours every day for nothing. Closing his eyes, he blocked out his senses. With a little effort, he could no longer hear the silence, no longer had a mental image of the small gray room. He no longer felt those walls on his knees. Better yet, he could no longer smell that awful smell.

The smell.

That was it.

_Nothing that you see or feel will be real, but they can't change their smell. _

Who was "they"?

Piccolo couldn't help but feel that he was in danger. He may have been able to block out everything else, but that irrational terror was still there, gripping his chest and making it hard to breathe.

He knew that he couldn't stay in this place. Something was coming for him. To kill him. Somehow.

He wasn't sure what yet, but he knew somehow that once he figured it out, he would be able to get out of this room.

* * *

ChiChi could not keep still. She'd made a pot of coffee. Then some tea. Then she'd washed the cups, and then the teapot. Now, she'd pulled every vegetable out of the refrigerator and was mincing them by hand. She was clearly conflicted on whether she wanted to face the tv or turn her back to it. She'd settled on turning to the side, settling her gaze determinedly on her vegetables and only occasionally glancing up toward the tv to see the fight.

Bulma wished she would just sit down. All of Chichi's movement was just making her more nervous. As it was, Bulma's fingernails were cutting into the dark leather of the Sons' sofa.

For all of her intelligence, Bulma couldn't quite figure out what was going on. First, Goku and Krillin were wandering around aimlessly, wailing while a creepy white creature glided around in their midst. The next minute, Vegeta appeared, apparently attacking everyone in the area before killing the white creature. A moment later, Everyone was flying off in different directions.

"Chichi, just sit down. Please!" Bulma pleaded in exasperation. "You're making me even more nervous."

Chichi let out a growl of exasperation, and dropped her knife to the counter. "Oh Bulma, I just can't handle this stuff anymore! I'm too old for this. It was bad enough that Goku goes off to fight, but then to take Gohan along with him..."

Bulma frowned in sympathy. It was pointless to remind her that Gohan was an adult and one of the strongest men in the universe. As she herself learned during the Buu ordeal, a mother would always worry when her child was in danger—no matter how inhumanly strong that child happened to be.

On the tv screen all they could see was rain and lightning. Krillin was apparently following Vegeta, but he had lagged behind.

All she could say was. "Everything will turn out alright, Chichi. We always have the dragonballs."

Chichi came over and sank onto the sofa as if exhausted. "Yes, but then a year later, we'll be doing this all over again."

Bulma couldn't help but frown. It was true that they rarely did get a break. But honestly, how many more impossibly powerful bad guys could there be out there? They had to run out of them eventually.

"Yeah, but who could be stronger than Hui?"

A moment after she said it, both women straightened nervously, and simultaneously rapped their knuckles on the wooden edges of the table.

"Heh. Heh." Bulma couldn't help but feel a bit silly. Looking over at Chichi, she saw that the other woman also looked a tad sheepish—and a bit less stressed.

Bulma actually smiled a bit. "We have to think positively, Chichi. Just think, after today, this will all be over. The boys will come home, and we can celebrate."

Suddenly, a bright light emanated from the tv. Both women's heads whipped toward the tv, where a large explosion was visible in the middle of the screen. The light was blinding, even coming through the television, and they could see Krillin's hand raised before the camera as if to shield his eyes from the light.

Even Bulma's cheer and optimism dropped away. Both women glanced nervously toward each other for a moment before looking worriedly back to the screen, hoping against hope that no one they knew had been caught in that blast.

* * *

"Gohan?" Goku could recognize the feeling of the Xiee's power now. It was that irrational feeling of terror. His surroundings were shifting and changing as he flew. The turbulent sky was becoming clear and blue, and the muddy, purple landscape was turning lush and green. He swallowed in nervousness, wondering what terror he would see this time, and if he'd be able to fight it off. "Gohan!" He called. He scanned the ground for Gohan, but he couldn't see him.

His heart was beating faster now. Gohan's Ki had disappeared. Goku hoped that that was a trick of the Xiee's power, because otherwise…

Goku suddenly spotted something—a ripple in the landscape. He blinked at it. The greens and blues of Earth were bleeding into the dark grays and purples of whatever planet they were on. And in the midst of it, there was something black and green.

He squinted his eyes at the figure. "Piccolo?"

Through his fear he felt another emotion come over him. Relief.

Goku dove down toward him. "Piccolo! Is it really you?"

It was strange. All around him, things were shifting, morphing. Mangled trees and molten rock sprung up from the ground right before him, disappearing into the sky a moment later. Undeterred, Goku swerved around the obstacles. Through his pounding heart and the familiar feeling of terror, he recognized that this was the Xiee playing tricks. That must really be Piccolo. Why else would the Xiee be trying to keep him away?

He weaved around the pillars of stone and trees, following the ripple in the air that marked where his friend was sitting.

"Piccolo!" Goku yelled again, as he finally got closer.

Piccolo's head shot up and he looked around.

The bubble of normalcy around Piccolo suddenly flickered and began to fade in with the rest of the Xiee's image. His face slowly came to resemble Goten's—only bloodied and pale.

"No, Piccolo!" Goku finally touched down on the ground and ran closer to grab his friend's arms. It was painful to see Goten looking so terrible, but Goku knew that it was an illusion. He had to keep reminding himself: it's not Goten. It's Piccolo. And Piccolo can fight this. He _was _fighting this…somehow.

Piccolo's eyes were staring straight through Goku as if he expected something that he couldn't see. He appeared not to even feel Goku's hand on his arm.

"Piccolo, whatever you're doing, don't stop!" Piccolo continued to stare straight through him.

Goku could feel the terror taking over him. "Piccolo, please! Concentrate! It's the Xiee!"

He wasn't sure that Piccolo could hear him. But somehow, Goku's message seemed to get through. A light appeared in Piccolo's eyes, and staring straight through Goku, he mouthed the word "Xiee…"

A moment later, Piccolo stopped staring _through_ Goku and started staring _at_ him. "Son Goku." He whispered. "Is it really you?"

Goku nodded. "Yes…yes, it's me. Piccolo, how are you fighting the Xiee's illusion?"

"I wasn't." Piccolo answered simply. "I was trying to figure out what was going on."

"But…the illusion wasn't…I mean…it was like a bubble and you were in it, and…"

"Hmm..." Piccolo pushed himself to his feet, somehow seeming to grasp at least a bit of what Goku meant. "Interesting." He wondered if the Xiee's power hadn't fully worked on him. Were his powers of meditation really that strong? Or maybe…maybe it was because he was actually three people sharing a body—three people with different fears. It was a good guess, but he kept his suspicions to himself.

The presence of Goku next to him—Goku's hand on his arm—it was grounding him, he realized. It allowed him to focus on the present—on the reality of what was happening rather than on what illusions the Xiee were creating.

"Mmhm…" Goku nodded distractedly before looking around at the morphing landscape. He kept his hand gripped on Piccolo's arm. Whatever mental powers Piccolo had—and Goku assumed they must be many since part of him had been the Kami of Earth for centuries—they were protecting them somewhat from the Xiee's power. A lingering fear remained, but it was more manageable now. "Have you seen Gohan?"

Piccolo shook his head. "Not since we were separated."

"I…" Goku swallowed. "I felt him nearby, but…I don't feel him anymore."

Piccolo nodded. He just realized that he couldn't feel anything either. "Don't worry yet. It may be the illusion."

"Yeah." Goku wasn't sure that the fear in his heart was artificial now. Some part of him was filled with dread—as if it already knew that Gohan was gone.

"We need to kill the Xiee." Piccolo said, breaking Goku from his thoughts.

"Yeah. I don't see it though. The last time, it looked like Gohan. It can disguise itself."

"That is a problem." Piccolo said. "But I think I have a solution."

"Oh?"

"We'll do exactly what Hui did earlier. Shoot out a burst of energy so strong that the Xiee is momentarily disarmed. When we see it, we kill it."

Goku thought for a moment. "That's not a bad idea. On three then?"

Piccolo nodded, and turned his back to Goku. Taking the cue, Goku pressed his back up against Piccolo's, making sure to maintain physical contact. He spread his hands out in front of him.

"One…" Piccolo began to count. "two…Three!"

"Hah!" Simultaneously, both men let their auras expand outward, watching as the scenery around them began to ripple. Suddenly, the illusion disappeared, and with it, the majority of their terror.

"We hit it!" Goku exclaimed. "Great idea, Piccolo." Slight ripples in the landscape let them know that they hadn't completely killed the Xiee.

"Don't celebrate yet, Son." Piccolo admonished. "It's not dead yet. We need to find it and kill it."

"Right." Following Piccolo's lead, Goku took to the air, letting his eyes rove over the dark, muddy landscape below. The illusions were slowly growing stronger. Wherever the Xiee was, it was regaining its strength.

Goku suddenly saw a shape on the ground. "Aha!" He dove toward it, landing with a splash in the sloshy mud. The creature had again taken Gohan's shape.

Goku had to remind himself that this was just the Xiee. It looked so real. Gohan's eyes were staring forward, wide, horrified, and empty. The Krimzon uniform he was dressed in was cracked and bloody, and blood was leaking from his mouth.

"I found it!" Goku said, staring down at Gohan's body. He formed a ki blast in his hand. "I found the Xiee!"

"No, _I_ found it!" Piccolo's voice carried over the wind.

"Huh?" In surprise, Goku turned, spotting through the pouring rain the sight of Piccolo next to a slumped white-ish shape. Piccolo fired a blast at it, and the creature flopped back onto the ground. Instantly the landscape stopped shifting.

The terror remained, however.

"If…that's the Xiee…then who…" He looked back to the bloody corpse at his feet, and slowly a real horror took over him. "No."

* * *

A shadow fell over her, but she didn't bother to look at it. She might have been a coward, but as her death neared, she couldn't bring herself to look it in the eye.

"You're pathetic." Hui's voice rang in her ears. "You've always been pathetic. You and Kurenai, and the whole Krimzon 'empire'!" A sharp pain flared in her stomach and she suddenly felt herself rolling with the force of Hui's kick.

"I said you could be my queen!" He shouted, kicking her again. His head jerked around as he shouted, sending strands of wet, lank hair flying around. "And you burned MY FUCKING FACE OFF!"

Midori couldn't help but let out a pitiful laugh.

"You're laughing?" His voice was astonished. "I'm about to kill you, and you're laughing?"

Midori didn't know what she was doing. It was a laugh, a sob, a noise of desperation and hopelessness and exhaustion.

Hui growled and brought his foot back again. Lying on the ground, with blood coming from her face, and her whole body throbbing in pain, Midori could only brace herself for the kick.

But it never came.

She heard the sound of flesh hitting flesh, a scream of pain and a crash somewhere in the distance. Just like that, suddenly, Hui was gone.

"You look like shit." The familiar voice could have come from an angel in that moment. It brought new tears to her eyes, and she slowly turned her head to look and the person who had suddenly appeared beside her.

"V…" She was almost surprised at how weak she was. Could she really not speak?

Through her blurred vision, the darkness, and the rain, she could just make out his frown. "Just hang on. Someone else is coming. I'm going to take care of Hui now." And then he too was gone.

She could see him, like a shooting star, rocketing through the sky before meeting Hui with a crash. Vegeta sent a fist straight into Hui's face, making Hui's head snap backward.

Hui responded with a spell. Vegeta flew backward this time, hitting the ground before rolling to his feet and springing back toward Hui.

She could hear Hui screaming something, but she couldn't make out the words from this distance. Vegeta leapt over another spell—fortunately, for she recognized it to be lethal—and took to the sky.

Hui followed him a moment later. They met with a crash of thunder and a flash of light. Vegeta's perfectly-executed punches and kicks were met with sloppy parries, but powerful spells. Vegeta dodged most of the spells, and occasionally blocking one.

For a moment, they were perfectly matched: powerful Ki, honed combat skills and mediocre magic against a master sorcerer with poorly-aimed punches.

Vegeta was suddenly thrown to the ground by a huge burst of power. Even from the distance at which she lay, she could feel the wind, see the droplets of rain suddenly change direction and begin flying sideways.

A moment after hitting the ground, Vegeta was flying up again, driving his knee into Hui's face.

"Holy crap." Another voice nearby surprised her, and she slowly, painfully turned her head. It was the other Earthling. The small one. He was standing right above her. She didn't know how she hadn't heard his approach. He was staring up at the two warriors exchanging rapid attacks above. "They're really going at it. You know, sometimes I'm glad I'm not a Saiyan. It's a much more dangerous career."

He dropped his eyes to her as if expecting her to laugh at his joke. She didn't, and he chuckled nervously.

"Heh. Well, anyway." He suddenly stiffened and began looking around. "Where's Yamcha? Wasn't he here?"

During her battle with Hui she had lost track of the location of the other Earthling's corpse. She knew that this Earthling understood, though, from the look of saddened realization that crossed his face just then.

"Oh." He nodded and dropped his hand to a small bag on his belt. "I see."

She could hear Hui's enraged cry, but before she could look over, the small man had crouched beside her. "Here, eat this. It will heal you."

What he held in his hand was a small bean.

* * *

"Kami, Krillin!" Bulma yelled, gripping the sides of the tv. If she knew that he couldn't hear her, she didn't let on to it. "Hold the camera still!"

Behind her, Chichi was trying to peer around the other woman. "Where is Gohan? And Goku?"

"I haven't seen them yet," Bulma said in frustration. "But if Krillin would stop swinging the camera all around, maybe we might."

"Well maybe if you'd get out from in front of the tv, I could see too." Chichi huffed.

Bulma snapped an agitated gaze to the other woman before making a visible effort to restrain herself. Chichi's own glare just then had matched her own, and Bulma was suddenly reminded of Chichi's days as a martial artist.

She backed stiffly away from the tv and moved back to the sofa. Sitting irritably beside the other woman, she crossed her arms and legs with a huff.

Despite her outward irritation, though, inside she was a wreck. She rarely got to watch Vegeta fight, and the idea that he might not survive this was making her sick to her stomach. She positively could not watch him get hacked to bits again. Seeing it the first time was enough.

The sudden urge to vomit overwhelmed her, and before she knew it, she was rushing to the bathroom.

* * *

A powerful fist plowed into Hui's stomach, making the young emperor hunch over in pain. A moment later a spin kick landed on the side of his head, sending him flying.

Vegeta just wasn't letting up. Hui suddenly remembered why he was so afraid of him. Not that he was really afraid, of course. But…why the rest of the universe was so afraid of him. The man was vicious. Every hit was followed by three others, like a choreographed dance that left Hui eating mud.

Fighting Vegeta hand to hand was just not an option. He was losing. Hui, the Emperor of half the universe, was losing to a washed up prince of a dead race, Kurenai's dog, and Frieza's old whipping boy. It was disgusting.

Finding himself face-down in the mud once more, Hui tensed in anticipation for another hit. It didn't come. He rolled over, glancing toward the golden Saiyan floating above him.

Vegeta seemed momentarily distracted. He was currently staring back toward where Hui had left the Xiee.

That moment of distraction would cost him. Conjuring a powerful spell, Hui hurled it at Vegeta.

Vegeta whipped his head around just before the spell reached him. A clear look of surprise was evident on his face. It was perhaps that surprise that led to his mistake—really the worst mistake a person can make when an unknown magical attack was approaching him. He blocked it.

As Midori's spell had done earlier, the spell latched onto him. Fortunately it did not begin to melt him from the inside out. What it did do, however, was make him unable to breathe.

Hui smirked, as he saw the frustrating Saiyan bring his hands to his chest, clenching at his armor—his Tauran armor, the traitor—as if that might help him to breathe. He floated up to get eye level with him, relishing the look of suffering and horror on his nemesis's face.

Vegeta was slowly dropping to the ground. His face was growing pale, his eyes clouding over, and his lips were turning blue. Hui sank with him, reveling at the sight of the powerful Saiyan helpless at his whim.

Hui didn't even notice the giant power rushing toward him, nor did he notice the golden light in the distance.

Therefore, he was wholly surprised when something large and golden appeared, plowing headfirst into him with the force of a comet.

* * *

"Dude!" Trunks yelled in excitement. He was again jumping up and down on top of his desk. "Your dad just headbutted the crap out of Hui!" The rest of the classroom was again a bustle of noise and excitement.

"That was awesome!" Tetch agreed with a wide grin on his face.

Goten, too, was grinning. "Go dad!" He yelled, pumping his fist in the air. "Get 'em!"

On the screen, a Super-Saiyan 3 Goku was floating with the angriest expression either Trunks or Goten had ever seen on his fade.

The expression made Trunks grow a bit more sober. "Dude," Trunks said to Goten. "Your dad looks pissed."

"Yeah." Goten cocked his head to the side, and lowered his arm. "But who wouldn't be angry at Hui?"

"Yeah, no kidding." Trunks nodded.

Suddenly, the image on the screen blurred and swam before refocusing on something on the ground. Midori, ragged filthy was kneeling over someone on the ground.

"Is that your dad?" Tetch asked.

"Y…" Trunks furrowed his eyebrows. "Yeah. What happened? He was fine a minute ago."

The classroom went silent, as everyone listened to the voices on screen.

"Is he…" Krillin's voice came clearly over the speakers.

"He's fine." Midori said. "I've broken the spell. It'll just take a minute for his breathing to return to normal."

"Umm…spell?" The screen shifted as if Krillin had taken a step back.

"The one Hui just cast. It was crushing his lungs."

"Oh."

Suddenly, Vegeta bolted upright, gasping for breath. His hand grabbed his chest and his eyes, wider than normal, looked around in panic.

"You're fine." Midori told him. "I broke the spell."

Apparently satisfied that all was fine on the ground, Krillin turned the camera back to the sky. Goku had somehow put Hui in a strangle hold, and was saying something to the young emperor. Whatever he was saying, it had Hui terrified.

"What did he say?" Krillin's voice resounded again.

"The Xiee killed Gohan." A familiar voice supplied the answer.

The screen jumped as Krillin stiffened in surprise. "Piccolo. Wait what? Gohan? Oh no…"

Almost hesitantly, Trunks turned his gaze to his best friend. Goten wasn't moving. His face had gone pale, and his wide, innocent eyes had grown watery.

"Goten…" Trunks tried. "Kid…" He took a step closer, and whispered in his ear. "Remember the dragonballs. It will all be alright. You'll see."

Goten shakily nodded, although Trunks couldn't be sure he believed it. Trunks had to admit that things did look pretty dark. If they lost this fight, the first thing Hui would do would be to destroy the Earth, and the dragonballs along with it.

There was another set of dragonballs somewhere…but Trunks had no idea where.

* * *

"Chichi!" Bulma knew it would happen before it happened. When Chichi did not begin to scream, she knew she had fainted.

"Chichi!" Bulma called again, patting Chichi's face. "…honey…" Grabbing Chichi's legs, she maneuvered her to lie down on the sofa, and then seeing that she was still out cold, rose to go find a cold towel to put on her forehead.

Making her way back into the living room a moment later, she heard Vegeta's voice. It made her pause in her tracks.

"He can't beat Hui." Vegeta was saying. "He outclasses Hui no doubt in terms of skill, but he has no defense against the magic."

"Yeah…" Krillin's voice came back. "But…"

"We need to fuse." Vegeta's cut him off. "It's our only option."

"You're probably right." Piccolo said. "Midori, you and I can hold Hui off."

"Uhh…" Bulma could hear the fear and uncertainty in the single syllable Midori uttered. Her heart went out to the woman as she put the wet towel on Chichi's forehead.

"At least one of us gets to be oblivious to this for a while." Bulma mumbled to her unconscious friend. "Don't worry, Chichi. When you wake up, this will all be over. We'll find the dragonballs and wish back Gohan and the others. You'll see. Everything will be fine."

"The fusion technique only takes a few seconds to perform." Piccolo's voice came again.

"Right." Vegeta said. "But, _you_ keep that camera pointed elsewhere. I swear to all the Kais that I will not do it if—"

"Oh, get serious, Vegeta!" Piccolo's voice was angry. "At a moment like this are you really worried about your image?" Bulma couldn't help but agree with the sentiment.

"Of course."

"Right." Krillin actually chuckled. "I'll turn my back. Promise."

"Good." Vegeta's voice seemed content with that answer. "Midori, give me those." What Midori was supposed to give him, Bulma had no idea, but a moment later, Vegeta rocketed off away from them and toward the two fighters.

* * *

"Kakarrot." Vegeta suddenly appeared before Goku. "Put him down."

"Not now, Vegeta." Goku said. There was a dangerous tone in his voice, but Vegeta wasn't afraid.

"Kakarott, you can't sit here and hold him forever. You can't defeat him with a stranglehold, and the minute you let him go, he's going to turn that spell in his hand on you. Before you even think of self-destructing, let me just remind you of how that does not work.

"Vegeta…" Goku's voice was slightly less dangerous and slightly more annoyed than before.

"Kakarott, you and I both know that Gohan will not stay dead. So do as I say and put him down."

Goku narrowed his eyes. "But the spell…"

"I didn't say to let him go." Vegeta pointed to the ground. "Down."

Goku blinked at Vegeta as if trying to read his mind. Vegeta let down his mental barrier for just a moment…just long enough for Goku to catch a glimpse of his idea.

Finally, a mischievous grin formed on his face. "Ohh."

In a split second, Goku moved, bringing his arms around and throwing Hui full force downward. Simultaneously, Goku and Vegeta threw twin ki blasts down toward the falling Emperor.

They waited until Hui had hit the ground before looking back to each other.

"So…" Goku started. "Fusion?"

Vegeta nodded.

"Remember to point your fingers."

Vegeta growled but motioned for Goku to follow him away.

* * *

Hui landed with a crash and a shower of mud right before them. Slowly, he reached out of the crater he'd just created and pulled himself up. He turned his gaze toward the sky to glare at the pair of Saiyans. But they were gone.

"Huh?"

Movement behind him drew his attention and he whipped his head around.

Standing behind him threateningly were the green man and a fully healed Midori.

"Your fight is with us now." The green man said. His arms were crossed menacingly, and he was glaring down at Hui.

"Tch. Really?" Hui said, dragging himself to his feet. Before mumbling to himself. "Suddenly _everyone _thinks they can defeat me. Really, what the heck is going on?"

"I already know what she can do. I'm assuming she's responsible for the state of your face, and your left arm being completely useless." Piccolo said. "But you have no idea what _I_ can do"

That got Hui's attention, and he took a step back. A look of fear appeared on his face. Piccolo grinned, baring his long white fangs.

"But you're going to find out."

* * *

"Man, Piccolo's got him terrified." Videl said. Her eyes were red and puffy now, but she had perked up a bit after being reminded of the dragonballs.

"No kidding. This has to be the biggest bluff I've ever seen." Oolong piped in.

On the screen, Piccolo and Midori were tag teaming against Hui. Piccolo had started with an all-out frontal assault, using his superior martial arts skills to try to combat Hui's superior strength. The assault didn't last long, before Hui threw him off with a magical attack. Midori came in next, throwing damaging spells at Hui. One of them caught his shoulder, causing Hui to emit a high-pitched scream before blasting her away with a powerful spell.

"Speaking of bluffs." Videl continued, sniffing a bit. "Does Vegeta even know how to do a fusion?"

"He's done it once from what I hear." Master Roshi said.

Everyone in the room jumped as one of Hui's attacks hit Piccolo, eliciting a pained scream from the Namek.

"So much for his bluff." Oolong said.

Piccolo and Midori were both only down for moments before springing back at Hui. Being double-teamed in such a way was clearly making Hui nervous, and so it came as no surprise that after Piccolo landed another hit, Hui returned to his earlier tactic of knocking everyone away with a giant burst of energy.

As they had been during their first encounter with Hui, the Z fighters were thrown to the ground by the force of the wind. Krillin only barely managed to keep the camera focused on Hui, but they could occasionally see his fingers gripping into the rocky mud for some kind of purchase. Hui kept on with the attack, looking around manically as if searching for an escape.

He wouldn't find one.

Hui himself was thrown to the ground a moment later, and a golden fighter appeared standing in his place. He was tall, as well muscled as Goku and Vegeta, with a shock of red hair on top of his head. He was wearing the odd, tell-tale outfit of a fusion creature.

"Whoah." Krillin's awed utterance was echoed by everyone else in the room.

"Who is _that?"_ Puar asked.

"That's...the fusion." Master Roshi supplied.

On the screen Hui pulled himself off the ground once more to see who had knocked him down. When he saw that it was no one he recognized. He growled in exasperation. "And who are _you_?"

"You can call me Gogeta." The red-haired warrior smirked down at Hui. "It's just as well that you know, since I'm going to be the one taking you down."

"And what makes you think you can do that?"

Gogeta smirked and his hair turned golden, growing longer and longer until it was hanging long down his back. "Just watch."

Hui didn't even have time to respond before Gogeta was upon him, driving a punch into his stomach. He followed it with a roundhouse kick to the face.

In the Kame house living room, the group of friends burst into cheers. Gogeta was throwing Hui around like a rag doll. He wasn't even allowing him enough time to put together a spell.

"He's awesome!" Puar squealed.

Everyone else could only agree.

* * *

Gogeta sent Hui flying high into the sky with a kick, and then disappearing, phased in just before Hui and hit him with a blast that sent him straight back into the ground.

Hui lay still in the crater that he had created from his fall.

Gogeta touched down beside the crater. "I do believe we've tired you out." He said. "Or more likely, you've tired yourself out. It seems like a reasonable conjecture considering that one of your favorite techniques has been to expel your energy in the form of wind. And despite what you might have thought so far, although you have lots of energy, your energy supply is not infinite."

Hui growled and shakily pulled himself to his feet.

Across the universe, on planets in both the Krimzon empire and Tik empire people were in awe at how weak the Tik emperor suddenly looked. People everywhere, from planet Oso, to Luva, to Mantisi, to Iro, to Earth were glued to their television sets to watch the fight. And seeing Hui sway upon regaining his feet brought a surge of hope to all of them.

"You've lost, Hui." Gogeta said.

"No, really." Hui raised his good hand and brushed his hair out of his face. "Who are you, and how did you get here?"

"I am Gogeta." The man said again. "I am both Goku and Vegeta. A fusion."

"And Goku is…?"

"The Saiyan that just had you by the throat." Gogeta supplied.

If possible, Hui's face grew even paler just then. "Hm."

Gogeta smirked. "I really wish I could savor this victory, but unfortunately, we're on a time limit." He lunged at Hui.

Hui stumbled backward, throwing a spell toward Gogeta.

Out of nowhere, a scythe appeared in Gogeta's hand, slicing through the spell. Gogeta continued on his forward trajectory, bringing the scythe down on the startled emperor and ripping through the shoulder above his useable hand.

Hui howled in pain, throwing off another spell widely off course, and beginning his wind maneuver again. It was a useless effort.

Gogeta sliced through the first spell before letting the scythe disappear back into thin air. He drove his knee straight into Hui's face, almost relishing the feel of his bones cracking beneath the force. Hui fell to the side, hitting the ground, and turned to scramble away.

Gogeta couldn't be sure, but the young emperor could have been crying.

Gogeta could feel that the fusion would be wearing off soon. He couldn't believe that it had been thirty minutes already. He had lost track of the time. He needed to finish this now.

Striding up behind Hui, Gogeta grabbed the back of his tunic and pulled him around. Putting a huge amount of force into his fist, he plowed it into Hui's face.

There was a sickening crunch, but finally, Hui slumped. He was out cold.

Not a moment later, the fusion wore off, and Goku and Vegeta were sent stumbling apart. Hui's unconscious body flopped down onto the ground between them.

* * *

A/N: I hope you enjoyed that. I always feel like fight scenes are the thing I struggle most with as a writer, so I try to intersperse them with clips from spectators.

Thanks so much to all of you who reviewed the last chapter. I appreciate all of your support and your suggestions. As always, let me know what you thought!


	62. The Ultimatum

Chapter 62- The Ultimatum

"I…I can't believe it." Kurenai's seemingly-blind eyes were wide as she stared at the screen. Beside her, Kuro's rapid, heavy breathing was the only sign that he hadn't fainted from shock. Hui was down for the count. It was almost beyond belief. For years, she had been locked in constant conflict with that boy. She would take a planet, and he would take two. Her forces would defeat his in a battle, and his forces would screen a planet to cull more troops. It had been draining, and at times, infuriating. She felt as if the war had aged her. It had certainly changed her. It had changed everyone.

She had watched as her people turned more cynical, less trusting, and more escapist. She had watched as children grew more violent, angry as their parents were torn away to fight and their home planets suffered under the strain of war. She had watched as those same children grew into young adults and went to fight as well.

It had seemed that there was no end—or if there were an end, it would not end the way she wanted.

And then Vegeta had called her. The call had come out of the blue. At the time, she'd had no way to know just how significant that call would be.

But then he had been brought to Iro. He had been hissed at, hated, and feared. He'd been forced to serve an empire he had no connection to against his will. But somehow, slowly, gradually, and without even noticing it, he had changed the empire. Kurenai had hardly noticed it, either, but now she saw. He had brought hope to a war-weary people. He'd given her hope as well.

"He's down." Kuro's whispered words pulled her from her thoughts. "They actually…how did…a fusion? Did they even know how to fuse? Did you know?"

Kurenai shook herself out of her stupor, and without taking her eyes from the screen said. "Yes…yes, he mentioned it before." She narrowed her eyes at the screen. Hui was down—unconscious, but not yet dead. _What is he waiting on?_

* * *

Pop's pub was silent. Pop wasn't even sure that everyone was still breathing. It was a far cry from the pub's usual boisterous atmosphere. The dark room, filled with dim-but-colorful lights and worn pictures from other places and other times was tenser than it had ever been. Pop had even turned the music off.

When the fight had begun to be broadcast, the entire city had stopped—almost as if frozen in time. People rushed home from work to watch. Shoppers ran into shops with televisions, or simply paused on the street to watch the fight through shop windows. In Pop's everyone had remained in their seats, occasionally ordering more drinks and food. Every seat was full, and there were even people standing along the walls. The door to the pub stood open—an oddity in itself—and the doorway was clogged with people who had run in off the street to watch the fight. Every eye was glued to the TV. There was little conversation, but there had been plenty of cheers and shouts of excitement.

Now, there wasn't even a sound. Pop himself was leaning over the counter, as if being closer to the television might somehow change the outcome. A damp towel was clutched tightly in his hands, and every few seconds, he gave it a nervous twist. Behind him, his waitress was clutching her serving tray to her chest with white fingers. The scene that gripped them so was one that nearly everyone in the pub had dreamed of for years.

Pop knew that most of them had been uprooted because of the war. They were diplomats, soldiers, job-seekers...Many of them had lost friends and family to the war. One ex-soldier had lost a leg. Another had lost her home planet.

But the image of the unconscious young emperor—with blood coming from his nose and mouth and mixing with the mud and the rain—gave them a tentative hope. It was now a real possibility that the war that had caused so much upheaval was near an end. Much of what Pop's patrons had lost was irretrievable—fathers, daughters, wives—but at least…at least they would be able to move on.

"Come on." Pop hissed, and despite being hardly more than a whisper, his voice carried over the whole room. The normally boisterous but gentle man had an oddly desperate look in his eye. His voice got slightly louder. "Come on! Finish him!"

The call was echoed by others in the room, growing louder and louder until Pop thought he could hear it repeated even out on the street. "Finish him! Finish him!"

But on the screen, no one was moving. Hui was still alive. Pop's hand gripped the towel tighter and he shook it in the air. "What are you waiting for?"

* * *

High above the pub and the chants in the streets, a certain blue-haired woman was immobile. The piece of paper that she had been using to fan her unconscious friend was still held lightly between her fingers, but if Bulma even remembered that the other woman was there was doubtful. Krillin's heavy, excited breathing rang through the speakers as he slowly approached the fallen emperor and pair of Saiyans. It was clear that Hui was not dead, but neither Goku nor Vegeta were moving to finish him.

"Come on, Vegeta." She whispered, her wide-blue eyes fixed unmoving on the TV. "You've come this far, don't stop now. Kill him!"

On the screen, she heard Piccolo's voice, deep and slightly annoyed. "Well are either of you going to finish him, or should I?"

She saw Goku, standing over Hui's prone from glance over to Vegeta. "He's right. As bad as I feel about killing him while he's down, we really can't afford for him to get back up. I don't know about you, but I'm drained." He nodded down to Hui before looking back to Vegeta. "Do you want to do the honors?"

"Why? So you can turn your back and not feel guilty?" Vegeta asked wiping at his eye where rain and blood from a deep gash on his forehead were dripping.

"Don't you dare start arguing right now." Piccolo snapped. "It really isn't the time."

"Exactly." Bulma agreed, despite knowing that no one on the screen could hear her. Her fingers gripped onto her pants. "I swear to all the Kais, Vegeta, that if you let that man get back up, what I do to you is going to make Hui look friendly."

A low groan beside her alerted Bulma to the fact that Chichi was coming to. She glanced away from the TV for just a moment. "Chichi?" She called, suddenly remembering the makeshift fan in her hand and continuing with her fanning. "Come on, hon', the fight's over."

"What?!" Chichi bolted upright, as if that statement was what she'd been waiting for. "What? What's happening?"

Bulma nodded to the TV, but Chichi was already watching. "We won?" Chichi asked, before cracking a watery smile. "Oh, they won…oh my poor Gohan! If only—"

"Chichi hush!" Bulma snapped, causing the woman to quiet instantly. "Something's happening."

Vegeta had moved toward Hui, and pulling two large rings from his belt, squatted down beside him.

"You can't possibly think that's going to work." Bulma heard Midori's voice come from somewhere off-screen. "He's way too powerful."

"It worked on me." Vegeta said.

Chichi's question of "What's he doing?" drowned out Midori's response.

"I…I don't know." Bulma said. "Those rings…they're…familiar."

Apparently Krillin was curious as well, for he leaned forward to see what was happening. What Vegeta did with the rings, though, he couldn't see. Their curiosity evaporated a moment later, however, when Vegeta' shook Hui. "Wake up."

* * *

"What?!" Chichi's and Bulma's shouts of horror were echoed throughout Pop's pub, in Kurenai's throne room, Trunks and Goten's school, in the Kame house, and even up in Otherworld, where King Yemma nearly pulled his TV from the wall, King Kai's face turned sheet white, and the two Supreme Kais had jumped away from their crystal ball in shock.

"What is he thinking?!" Old Kai shouted, crawling back over to his crystal ball and picking it up. "That ignorant, arrogant…I can't believe it! After all this, he wants to wake him up? He's insane. I knew this was a bad idea! I told you he couldn't be trusted. But did you listen to me? No!"

"I'm sure…" Kibito Kai started. "I'm sure there's an explanation…and anyway, if Hui were to be killed right now, what would we do with him? He's slated to keep his body when he passes over. He'll destroy Otherworld."

"Huh? Why are you suddenly bringing this up now?! This war has been going on for years, and you didn't think to mention that before?!"

"I thought you knew!"

"No!" Old Kai pulled the ball closer to his face and shouted into it. "Don't kill him! Keep him there with you! Sacrifices must be made for the fate of all of existence!"

"He can't hear you, elder." Kibito Kai reminded him. "And in any case, mortals have no obligation to deal with such things once they pass over to our realm. As Kais, we should be able to handle it."

"Well, _can_ we?"

"Uh…no."

"Well who the heck decided that he would keep his body?" Old Kai's nasally voice was even more shrill than usual.

"It's just how it works. People who do great things are allowed to keep their bodies when they move to the next realm. There's no real specification that they have to have done _good_ things."

"The fabric of existence may be destroyed because of a technicality? We should get that fixed."

"Yeah…" Kibito Kai cocked his head. "I guess so."

"In any case, something needs to be done. They absolutely cannot kill Hui."

"Um…But that was the whole point of sending Vegeta back."

"They_ cannot_ kill Hui!" Old Kai shouted. "Go to that planet and tell them that they can't do it."

Kibito Kai stumbled back in surprise. "But this is being broadcast throughout the universe!"

"What, are you camera shy now?"

"No! It's just that…there are rules."

"I don't care. This is more important."

Kibito Kai took another step back. He couldn't go to the planet. There were rules about mixing with mortals, and although he, as Supreme Kai could probably rewrite them, they had to be there for a reason. Old Kai was right though. He had to do something.

"Okay…" He nodded thoughtfully. "I'll…I'll see what I can do." With that, he disappeared.

* * *

"What do you think you're doing!" Piccolo hissed between his teeth.

"I'm waking him up, Namek." Vegeta called over his shoulder. "What's it look like?"

"Are you insane?!" He paused as a sudden feeling of déjà vu came over him. "Why do I feel like I've done this before?"

"Vegeta, I don't think this is a good idea." Midori said. She came forward a step, but, then glancing down at Hui, apparently decided to keep her distance. "Those collars have never been tested on someone that powerful. They may not work."

"They'll work." There was no more time to debate, because at that moment, Hui woke up.

Vegeta rolled him over and sat him up. Vegeta then, turned his gaze momentarily to Goku, and the two seemed to have a silent conversation. Goku's expression became confused and suspicious, but after a moment, he nodded cautiously.

Seemingly satisfied, Vegeta turned back to Hui. Despite being awake, Hui was not moving much. He was clearly weak and disoriented. Whether or not the Ki and magic collars were working, he was too weak to fight back. Vegeta kept his hand fisted on the front of Hui's tunic to keep him upright. He was fully aware that the eyes of everyone around him—hell, probably of everyone in the universe—were glued to him.

To the confusion of everyone around him—and to everyone watching the proceedings all around the universe—rather than an angry diatribe, Vegeta began speaking calmly. "The Meiyochi, the Myomoshu, and the microchips that control your subjects are all powered by a green stone that runs on your energy."

"Whah…?" Hui's eyes rolled around before finally settling on Vegeta. Squinting, he focused on him. "How could you…?"

"I spent months fighting against your forces, and weeks in the hub of your empire. Don't think that I didn't use that time to figure out how you controlled everything. Now there is a green stone powering all of these machines, and the stone is run on your power. How do you do it?"

Hui's half-lidded eyes widened slightly. "What? How…" He wiggled a bit and suddenly seemed to realize that there was something seriously wrong. "Where is my power? How…what's happened?!" He raised a hand to tug at the collar. "What did you do?!"

Vegeta grabbed his hand and jerked it away from the collars. "Pay attention! How is your power fed into those stones?" He raised a glowing hand. The light caught on the falling raindrops and cast shadows on his face. In the dimness, it made his eyes glow eerily. "Let me remind you that your life is entirely in my hands right now." Vegeta said in a dangerously low voice. "I will give you ten seconds. Ten seconds to tell me how it works, or I will start killing you. Very. Slowly. And rest assured that I will make _my_ execution all those months ago look fun in comparison." He paused a moment to let that sink in to the clearly-befuddled emperor's brain. Then he began to count. "One…"

"Okay, okay!" Hui might have still been dazed, but he knew enough to know that he was in great danger. "If I give it to you, will you let me live?"

"Of course."

"Now wait a minute!" Midori said. "Vegeta, that's not your decision to make. You can't just let him walk away."

Vegeta ignored her. "You really don't have much choice. I'm figuring that whatever you use to control it is a spell or that it's a machine somewhere on your person. I could always just kill you and search through your pockets for it."

Hui's eyes widened at the very real promise of death. "Fine, fine. Just don't kill me. Anything you want! Really!" With wide terrified eyes and shallow hitching breaths, he raised a shaking hand and plunged it down the neckline of his tunic. A moment later, his hand reemerged with a glowing green pendant.

"A necklace?" Vegeta's eyebrows furrowed. A necklace was certainly not what he'd been expecting. Slowly, he brought a hand up to the pendant and felt it. It was the same power he'd felt from the stone on the Meiyochi all those months ago on Earth. "So that's how it's done." He concluded in a whisper. A decidedly hungry look came over his face just then, and giving Hui a smirk, he pulled the necklace up over his head.

As soon as the necklace lost contact with Hui, the stone ceased glowing. Instead of green, it became a clear, white.

Vegeta stared thoughtfully at it. "Interesting." He could feel the stone searching for energy, and pulling off his glove, touched his bare hand to it. The stone flashed blue as soon as he made contact, and he pulled his hand away. A devious smirk made its way onto his face.

A squishy footstep let him know that Midori had come a step closer. "How did you know that he was controlling it all?"

He stood up, but kept his back to her. "I just told you. Every piece of technology that was used to control people or their power was powered by a green stone. The green stone was clearly infused with Hui's energy."

"Oh." Midori took another step forward. "Interesting. Here, I'll take that."

Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "No, I don't think you will." Turning, he sent her a devilish smirk. Then in one swift movement, he pulled the necklace down over his own head. He touched his hand to the stone just long enough for her to see it glow blue, and then tucked it into his armor.

"What…what are you doing?" Midori asked. A hint of doubt was creeping into her voice, and he could see that his action had made her uneasy.

Vegeta's smirk grew. "Taking over the Tik Empire. What else?" Midori's eyes widened in clear shock. He even imagined that there might have been a hint of betrayal in her gaze—but that may have just been a shadow.

Midori was not the only one surprised by the move.

"Are you crazy?" Piccolo shouted, while Krillin mumbled an "Uh oh."

Vegeta did not want opposition at that moment. Raising a glowing hand out toward Piccolo, he fixed him with a threatening look. "Stay back, Namek."

Piccolo lowered himself into a fighting stance. "I can't believe this!" Piccolo said. "You go through all of this, and in the end you still succumb to your own greed?"

Midori took a cautious step closer to Piccolo. "You…can't do this." She said with a quiver in her voice. As inconspicuously as possible, she lowered her hand into a bag on her belt. "I'm sorry but…I won't let you."

"Yes you will." Vegeta turned his head toward Goku. "Kakarott." He prompted.

While Vegeta's actions may have been a surprise, Goku's were an outright shock to everyone who knew him. With a solemn glance to the others gathered at the scene, Goku nodded. A moment later, he was behind Midori, locking her into a stranglehold. "I'm sorry about this, Miss Midori," He said lowly. "But we owe him this."

"What?!" In shock, she locked her wide eyes onto Vegeta. "I can't believe you're doing this. We all trusted you!" She shook her head rapidly, sending drops of water flying from loose strands of hair. "_I_ trusted you. Does that mean nothing?"

While Krillin stayed curiously silent, Piccolo joined the argument. "Goku!" Piccolo shouted. "What's gotten into you? This is unlike you."

"Just wait, Piccolo." Goku said in a calming tone. Fixing Piccolo with a gaze that was undoubtedly sincere, he added. "Trust us."

Piccolo sent a glance between Goku and Vegeta, and then down to Hui, who was trying his best to disappear into the mud hole he was sitting in. Then, with a growl of annoyance, Piccolo backed down.

Vegeta nodded to him, as if silently thanking him for his grudging trust, before turning to Krillin. "Is that thing on?"

"Uh…" Krillin jumped at being addressed so suddenly. He raised a hand to the scouter over his eye as if he'd forgotten he was wearing it. "Yeah." He concluded after a moment.

"Good." Vegeta glanced down to Hui and sent him a smirk. "I should probably thank you for this." He said before turning back to Krillin. "No doubt this is being broadcast all over the universe. I have a few announcements for all of our listeners.

"To everyone in the Tauran Intergalactic Kingdom," He began with a strong, calm voice. "You are now _mine_. You've probably already felt the difference in the chips in your brains. As your new ruler, you are to follow my every command. I will be keeping my good friend, the former Emperor Hui, here with me until I am sure I have your allegiance."

He ignored Piccolo's warning glare and Midori's pleas. He knew that all around the universe, people were probably hanging on his every word in terror. He didn't care. That wasn't important. "Here is your first order. Pick up your weapons and defend the Tauran border. I want all fighter squadrons activated, and all ships deployed and moving toward the border. The Krimzon will undoubtedly use this upheaval to try to push into our territory. I do not want a single Krimzon soldier to cross into Tauran territory. Do not initiate battle, but do not hesitate to respond in kind to any assaults."

It was strange, but somehow, Vegeta could feel that his orders were being obeyed. The stone around his neck was draining—running on energy that was well nigh expended—but it allowed him to sense things. It was as if he were _feeling_ half of the universe. Every action, every thought of every Tik subject was somehow communicated to him through the pendant. No wonder Hui was like he was. The power was so tempting. It was intoxicating.

* * *

In the living room of the Son apartment, Bulma was horrified. There was no other word for the emotion she was feeling. Horror. "No…" She whispered. "Not again. Oh, Kami, please don't let him have turned back." She felt tears welling into her eyes. "How could he do this?"

"Him?!" Chichi gasped. The towel that Bulma had placed on her forehead was now clenched between her teeth and her hands gripped it in fists at both ends. Removing it for a moment, Chichi wailed. "I'm not surprised that Vegeta would do this, but for Goku to go along with it…" Her eyes, too, were wet with tears, and no sooner were the words out of her mouth than she burst into sobs.

Bulma never gave a thought to comforting her. Everything was shattering around her. Moments ago, she had been ecstatic. The war was nearly over. Vegeta had survived. He would be coming back to Iro, and even if they had to stay here for the rest of their lives, at least their family would be together. At least there would be no more war to fight. She could have gotten used to it.

But this…this was horrifying. Vegeta was naming himself emperor of the very empire they had been fighting for months. She'd thought he'd gotten past his quest for power. She'd thought he'd finally learned to appreciate their family and love and all of the little things. To suddenly realized that that wasn't the case…it hurt her.

Bulma bit her lip to try to fight off the tears. "That jerk!" She whispered. "Why is he doing this?" She would get her answer in just a moment.

* * *

"I can't say I didn't see this coming." Oolong's cynical voice cut through the stunned silence.

"You did not, you big liar!" Puar squeaked in response.

"I…" Videl's red-rimmed eyes were wide. "I don't understand what's going on."

"Vegeta just declared himself emperor of the Tik." Oolong said. "In case you're still confused, the Tik are the same people that have been trying to destroy Earth for the past year or so."

"But…but why would he…he can't be serious!" Videl said.

"Of course he is." Oolong snapped.

"No!" She insisted. "It must be a joke."

"Vegeta has absolutely _no_ sense of humor." Oolong deadpanned. "Trust me."

"But—"

He cut her off. "Maybe you were never told this story, but Vegeta originally came to Earth to find the dragonballs so that he could wish himself emperor of some other empire."

"That wasn't why!" Puar squeaked. "He wanted eternal life."

"So that he could be emperor!" Oolong argued.

"Shut. Up!" 18's voice carried over the room. "If you'd just quiet down and listen, we might all get a better idea of what's going on."

On the screen, Vegeta was speaking again. "My next message is for Kurenai. I know you're watching this so listen carefully."

"What's Goku doing?" Puar asked. "Why doesn't he stop him?"

"Goku's got that chick in a headlock. He's apparently in on it too."

"That, in itself is clue enough that all is not what it seems." Master Roshi piped in. "I can promise you that Goku has never had any desire to control an empire."

There were low murmurs nods of agreement throughout the room. Now, more curious than worried, one-by-one they all turned back to the TV.

"I now have the Tauran Empire, its soldiers, and all of its resources under my command." Vegeta said. "I also have Hui here, collared and helpless. This can go one of two ways, Kurenai." As every person in both this dimension and the next were glued with wide eyes to their television screens and crystal balls, Vegeta continued. "In one scenario, I take Hui back to his fortress and I pick up this war where we left off. Hui's brain will be chipped, and _I _will use _him_ as my greatest weapon. Just imagine, Kurenai. My brain and our combined strength. As you can see, Kakarott is coming along as well." Goku released Midori long enough to give a little wave to the camera.

"But there is another scenario," Vegeta continued, his dark, serious eyes boring into the camera and holding the universe hostage with their intensity. "One that I think will be better for everyone involved. When I came to Iro months ago, my trial was open-ended. I was allowed limited freedom and subjected to your orders until Hui was brought down. After Hui was deposed, my case was to be re-evaluated, and I was to be re-sentenced. I'm sure you recall this. In the second scenario, you give me complete exoneration. I will no longer be forced to serve in your military or in _any_ capacity within your empire. I will serve no prison sentence, and will not be on-call to handle your problems. I will owe you no more favors. _Ever."_

Behind Vegeta, those in the Kame house could see the expressions on Goku and Midori's faces change. A coy smirk worked its way onto Goku's face, while Midori's hostile expression turned astonished, then sympathetic, and then, finally, hopeful.

She said something quiet to Goku, and a moment later, he let her go. She took a single step away from him, but remained standing silently beside him, clearly—if somewhat nervously—lending her support to Vegeta.

It was quite a sight. With lightning flashing and dark clouds rolling in the distance, rain soaking him, and a long streak of blood streaming down the side of his face, Vegeta cut quite an intimidating figure. The two powerful figures flanking him, and the powerless emperor at his feet merely added a touch of drama to the image.

Vegeta's eyes continued to bore into the screen, as he said. "The choice is yours, Kurenai." He grabbed hold of Hui's tunic again and held him close. "We'll wait here until you decide."

Vegeta made a cutting motion with his hand and the screen suddenly changed to static.

* * *

Across the universe in a dim circular throne room, the woman known as Kurenai couldn't decide whether to be impressed or enraged. Clearly, her comrade, Kuro, had decided on his own emotion. She could practically see the blood boiling beneath his skin. His jaw was clenched, and the sound of his teeth grinding together was audible even from the distance at which she stood.

Kurenai, however, couldn't help but feel as though she should have anticipated this. Sure, she was angry. Furious even. He could have come to her and asked her to rethink the sentence. There had been no need to do this over intergalactic television. It was just embarrassing.

Kurenai frowned. She knew the truth though. If he had managed to put aside his pride long enough to bring up the topic of his re-sentencing, she would have certainly tried to keep him on some kind of agreement with her army—most likely released but on-call, one of the very options he had rejected. He had played her—and very well too. He'd waited until he had all the cards in his hand until he made his move.

And she had been blind.

She closed her eyes. Much of her anger was at herself for not having seen it sooner. As if he would have just handed Hui over to her and expected nothing in return. Her naiveté almost made her laugh. But she was far past the point of laughing.

"Calm down, Kuro." She said. "You never even liked him. What do you care if I release him from my army?"

"You can't possibly be thinking of giving in to these outrageous demands!" He said, stunned. "The man's a criminal. He can't just demand to be allowed to walk free because he demands it. This action in itself is criminal. He is threatening to wage war against this empire."

"I heard his speech myself, Kuro. You don't have to explain it to me. The fact is, he just pretty much won our war for us. I promised him that his case would be reevaluated once Hui was dethroned. You may not have noticed this, but not only has he subdued Hui…he has brought the entire Tauran Empire under control. This is saving us months—if not years—of fighting and untold thousands of lives to ensure that the Tauran Empire does not fragment or reconsolidate under another ruler." She paused, glancing to the blank screen before her before turning her gaze to Kuro. "Do you understand that? Before now, we were looking at years more of wars to deconstruct the Tauran Empire. Vegeta is offering to hand it over to us all in one piece if we simply set him free."

Some of his anger evaporated as he realized the truth of her words. "So you're going to do it." He concluded.

"Well no, Kuro." She said, shaking her head lightly. Her white curls bounced with the movement. "You know that I don't have the authority to do that. I have to ask the Supreme Judges. It is they who were charged with re-evaluating his deeds resentencing him."

Kuro frowned, as he watched Kurenai raise a hand to her scouter. "Usually, I would have Midori do this, but as she is not here, I have some phone calls to make."

* * *

"Do you really think it will work?" Goku asked Vegeta as soon as Krillin had pulled the scouter from his face. The shorter man also looked toward his newfound friend with an expression of uncertainty. "Because honestly, I don't think Chichi's going to be okay with me taking over an empire with you."

"There is _no_ possible way that that will work." Piccolo said, crossly. "And you could have let me in on it."

Vegeta just shrugged. "I think it might work. And if not, I'm the emperor now. Who cares?"

"I think that's a bluff." Midori said. "But it doesn't matter because in any case, Kurenai was already planning on pushing to grant you partial freedom after all this. She did want you on-call, but I don't think that's a big deal anymore. There's really no one left to cause trouble anymore since I'm assuming you killed Fenn too."

That last statement actually caused Vegeta to blanch, and despite himself, he let out a cough.

Midori's face dropped, and Hui jerked at his feet.

"If you didn't kill Fenn, where the hell is he?" Hui shouted. "Why isn't he here helping me?"

"Yes." Midori added. "Where is he?"

Vegeta shrugged. "Probably on his way to Trinuto."

"You let him _go_?!" "He _left_ me here?!" Midori and Hui shrieked at the same time.

Vegeta rolled his eyes. "You know what would be more productive than this?" He mused with some annoyance. "Figuring out how we're going to get off this planet. I'm assuming someone brought a ship to escape in."

Midori froze. "Tarble had the ship." She said as though she had completely forgotten.

"Tarble had the ship?" He repeated, and then brought up two fingers to pinch the bridge of his nose. The realization seemed to dawn on everyone else at the same moment.

"What?" Hui asked, clueless. He stared up at all the serious face. "Who's Tarble? What's going on? Are we stuck here?" Hui gasped. "Are we going to die here?"

Vegeta reached down and smacked the back of his head. "Shut up!" He snapped before looking back to Midori. "Where's the transmission blocker? We can just teleport off."

"Tarble had that too." She said, running a hand through her wet hair and looking around as if she might spot it nearby.

"I incinerated Tarble." He stated flatly. "It clearly was not incinerated along with him."

"That's true. We need to find it then." Piccolo said. He looked around at the turbulent planet. "Fast."

Vegeta nodded. "I'll stay here with him." He motioned to Hui.

The others nodded, and a moment later, they had scattered into the sky. Vegeta watched them go before looking back to Hui. The young emperor looked nervously at him for a moment before averting his eyes.

Feeling suddenly exhausted, Vegeta turned away, moving a few steps away to sit down on a rock. He would give just about anything at that point for this to be over. Although he tried to remain calm, his heart was pounding in his chest in anticipation of Kurenai's response. He really didn't want to have to take over the Tik, but he just couldn't see himself living the rest of his life in servitude. It didn't matter that Kurenai was scores better than Frieza. He still lacked freedom of movement. He was trapped, and he wanted out. As emperor of the Tik, he may even be able to live on Earth, and he would have an entire army to keep Kurenai's police away from him.

It was a risk, but it was one he felt he had to take.

Suddenly, he felt a vibration in his pocket. Blinking, he pulled out his scouter. Making a concentrated effort to keep his voice steady, he answered. "Yeah?"

"_That was quite a show."_ Kurenai's deceptively calm voice carried back to him.

"Yeah?" His dread faded slightly as he slipped naturally back into their banter. "Which part?"

"_The last part—where you called me out in front of my entire empire. You understand that if I let you out of this, I'd lose credibility. Maybe not now—I doubt there's a soul in the empire that doesn't want to see you have your way. But in a few years, when people look back on this, they'll start to question."_

"So?"

"_I'm just letting you know, so that you appreciate what I'm doing for you."_

"Uh huh." He let the last of his dread wash away.

"_I'm actually touched that you never seriously considered that I would hold your family for ransom."_

Vegeta rolled his eyes. He had considered the possibility, but he'd immediately dismissed it. "That would hurt your credentials as the 'good guy'. You'd never be able to convince people to join your 'good' empire if you break too many of your own rules." He said.

"_Of course, you're right."_

A silence fell between them. After a few moments, he asked hesitantly. "So you've made a decision then?"

"_In the end, it's not my decision." _She said, and he could hear a note of regret in her voice._ "I am not the one who is resentencing you. It's the Supreme Judges who are charged with that task. And not that I don't feel that we've grown close in these past few months, but I'm not willing to break apart the checks and balances in our system just for you." _She paused for a moment._ "I did put in a word for you though. That's the most I can do, but it's already dangerously close to overstepping my boundaries."_

"Hm." Was all he could think to say. He'd forgotten about the judges. He had thought that Kurenai would make the ultimate decision. He'd banked on it. It made him infinitely more uneasy that his fate was in the hands of people he didn't know—who he couldn't even put faces or names to. "And when—"

"_They're deliberating now."_ Kurenai said. _"I can't imagine that this will take long. They really only have two choices—as you have so conveniently—oh?"_ Kurenai paused for a moment, apparently listening to someone on her end of the line._ "That was fast." _She murmured. Then suddenly, speaking to Vegeta again, she said._ "Turn on the television function on your scouter. The Judges are apparently going to announce your new sentence on the air."_

"What?!" He felt the blood drain from his face.

"_Good luck." _Kurenai's solemn voice kept him from dreaming up a million and one ways this could go wrong. _"Although I really wanted you to stay in my army forever, I…I sincerely hope this goes well for you." _

And just like that she was gone, leaving him sitting alone on a rock with the frightened, wet emperor several feet away. His allies were miles away, in the distance, searching for a way off the planet.

The planet itself was undoubtedly crumbling apart as he raised a shaky hand to the scouter on his ear. Rain continued to pound down around him, as the sky cracked and rolled. Mountains, shaken by the powers emanated during their fight, were coming apart stone by stone. They crashed to the ground in the distance, but the sound was drowned out by the churning sky.

It was ominous. He hoped it wasn't foreshadowing what was about to come.

As his finger tapped the button on his scouter, he reminded himself that whatever the final judgment was, he had accomplished what he had initially set out to accomplish all those months ago. Either way, the Earth would be safe—either in a new, peaceful universal order, or deep within the safety of his own, re-consolidated Tik Empire.

After all, the safety of the Earth—his home—had always been the goal.

* * *

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed that. I'm absolutely loving how much positive feedback I've gotten over the past few weeks (and months…and years). You all are absolutely amazing, and I'm so grateful for all the support and advice you've given me. It always brightens my day to hear that you all are loving reading this story as much as I'm loving writing it.

As always, I welcome all your feedback (I'd especially be interested to hear if you predicted Vegeta's plot) and suggestions. Let me know what you thought!


	63. Fanfare

Chapter 63- Fanfare

His heart was pounding as the screen crackled to life, and it was all he could do to keep his breathing even. This was it. This one decision would determine the trajectory of the rest of his life—and it was completely out of his hands.

On the screen was the panel of judges, all in their uniformed glory with their traditional hats perched atop their heads. The one in the center, an old, wrinkly man whose species Vegeta couldn't have named, stared with a stern face directly into the camera.

"_I am sure that everyone who is watching now is aware of the demands that have been made on the Krimzon Empire. Nonetheless, I will repeat them. Months ago, a man was arrested on charges of genocide, destruction of planets, murder, serving an enemy warlord, and a long list of other charges. Because of this man's extraordinary talents, however, the Krimzon empress, Kurenai Kali, and the chief of the Galaxy Police, Kuro Kon requested that this man be sentenced to servitude in the empire rather than prison or death. Once the emperor of the Tauran Intergalactic Kingdom was deposed, this man's sentence was to be reevaluated in light of his service to the empire."_

Vegeta's palms were sweating despite how cold it was. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hui move. He ignored him. Hui wasn't going anywhere. Not when Vegeta and his allies were the only way off this crumbling planet.

"_We are here today to reevaluate this man's sentence."_

Vegeta's heart leapt. This was it.

* * *

"_There are a few things that must be taken into consideration." _Pop's pub was silent once more. Every eye was glued to the screen. Pop himself found that his hands were shaking. His heart was invested in this, he realized. He had grown attached to Vegeta, just as he had to many of his other patrons. He considered him a friend.

As he looked out at the others in the bar, he realized that many of them cared for Vegeta as well—perhaps not as a friend, but as a savior…a hero.

"_We are all aware of this man's past deeds," _The judge continued,_ "and most are aware that he did not serve to Cold Empire willingly. While this does not excuse all of his actions, it does put them in a different perspective. Especially in light of his more recent actions."_

"Forget his past! He saved all our lives!" Someone in the bar shouted. Several others in the bar seconded the shout.

"_Prince Vegeta also did not join the Krimzon Empire of his own free will."_

"So what!" "Get on with it!" Pop could see that many of the people in the bar were growing agitated. He wondered what would happen if the judges did not rule in Vegeta's favor. Would people riot? Were they that concerned for his fate? Or would they just accept it and move on with their newly-saved lives? Could the people really be that fickle? Pop hoped not.

"_That being said, he served with dignity, honor and…indubitably positive effect."_

"Just let him go!" The shout rose above the murmurs in the bar. It was impassioned, agitated. Pop recognized that it came from a regular patron—one of the only few who had managed to talk to Vegeta during his time on Iro.

The shout was quickly echoed by the other people in the bar—many of whom knew Vegeta, and many more who did not. It echoed out into the street, and soon, Pop could hear the telltale sound of crowds chanting even in the distance. Curious, he moved around the counter, letting his eyes dart momentarily to the tv screen. He pushed his way through the crowd and to the door. Sure enough, as far as he could see, people were chanting.

"Let him go! Let him go!" The words surrounded him and brought a wide smile to his face. It was hard to imagine that the morose man who had first sat at his bar—a prisoner who was largely feared by the population—would soon be loved by them.

In the maze-like cobblestone streets that sat under the dark, modern city, the people were cheering for their hero. To his right, two women had put down her shopping bags and were pumping their fists in the air. Nearby group of young children were jumping up and down in excitement. Everywhere he looked, people were chanting, cheering.

"Oh, if Vegeta could see this." Pop mused in a whisper. "What would he think?" He shook his head with a light grin and turned back into the bar.

Looking over the crowd inside, chanting, stomping, and banging their glasses onto the table, Pop couldn't help but join in. "Let him go!"

* * *

She was a mess. She wasn't even sure that she could hold down her emotions long enough to name one of them. The dread and tension during the fight had quickly turned into the sweet joy of victory. Then followed relief that he would be coming home, that their family might actually be together. There was a hint of sadness there, for she knew that nothing would be the same as before. Vegeta would stay close to Kurenai, and she would be forced to choose between her friends and family on Earth or him, space, and the excitement of the empire. She'd already known her decision. Her children wouldn't grow up without their father. It would be unfair. That didn't make the choice any easier though.

But then, everything turned on its head. Vegeta declared himself…_himself_…the emperor of the Tik. The betrayal was like a knife to her heart. Here she was planning to trade her friends and life on Earth for him, and he throws it all away. For power. And right in front of her eyes.

And then there was this. Right when she had settled firmly into a righteous rage, he'd flipped it around again—in true Vegeta style. Part of her felt stupid for not having suspected this. A larger part though felt guilty. Had she actually truly believed that he was going to throw everything away for an empire that he despised? Apparently she had.

However, the emotion now overwhelming her was nervousness. Vegeta's fate and the fate of their family were in the hands of those judges—and they didn't look very pleased with the position Vegeta had just put them in.

"_Prince Vegeta has saved numerous entire planets in the Krimzon Empire from complete annihilation at the hands of the Tik."_ The judge continued. _"He has assisted our soldiers in battle through his skills as a strategist and as a fighter. He has brought new technology to the empire which has had an important role in turning the tide of the war."_

Over the sound of the judge's voice, Bulma heard a noise. She glanced over to Chichi, but the woman was staring in confused, teary silence at the TV screen. She didn't seem to have noticed anything. Still, Bulma was certain that she heard something.

Slowly, she stood and moved across the room, following the noise to the window. There were people in the streets. They were chanting something.

"What is it?" Chichi had apparently realized that Bulma was no longer beside her, for she had turned around and was staring at Bulma.

"I…don't know." Bulma said. "Don't you hear that?" As Chichi paused to listen, Bulma unlocked the window and opened it a crack. The sound suddenly filled the room. "It's…chanting." Bulma concluded with some surprise. Although, the window only opened a crack, she leaned over get a better look at the street below.

Chichi rose to her feet and crossed over. "Chanting?" She listened near the window. "What are they saying?"

Bulma strained her ears to listen. When the words finally registered, she couldn't help but smile.

* * *

Trunks wasn't sure that he fully understood what was going on. He had heard whispers of a trial, yes. And he knew that his father didn't join the Krimzon Empire willingly. Somehow, though, the exact details of Vegeta's obligation to the empire had eluded him. For some reason, he'd always assumed that once the war was over, his dad would be coming home.

He'd apparently been wrong before.

Now though, his dad had…well he'd done quite a bit, and Trunks wasn't quite sure what to make of it. All of his classmates were chanting. The chant had come from outside, a whisper at first, but growing louder and louder until a few curious students had opened the window to see what the sound was.

Trunks had immediately taken it up. If he understood correctly, Vegeta had asked to be completely freed—no trial, no prison, no life on Iro. Truks would miss all his friends, he knew, but he would miss his home if he stayed.

It made him a little sad. So many of his classmates were on Iro because of the war. Han'nei was part of the Krimzon Rehabilitation and Integration program and would be undoubtedly sent back to her home planet as soon as things were stable. Lysibet's parents were diplomats, and would probably return to their home planet as well. Tetch's dad was a soldier, and would likely request to be stationed closer to home.

Even if Trunks stayed on Iro, he would be losing many of his friends. He wondered if he would see any of them again. Anything was possible, he supposed.

The judge on the screen's next statement drew Trunks out of his thoughts. _"The highest penalty of the Krimzon Empire—and one that is used sparingly—is the death penalty." _The judge said with a hard frown. _"As this empire witnessed, several months ago, the person in question was killed in the line of duty—for the Empire. Although the specifics of his regeneration are still classified there is no doubt of this event._

"_This man has already suffered the highest punishment we could lawfully give, and he did it for the benefit of the empire. _

"_Therefore,"_ The harsh lines on the man's serious face lifted slightly as his lip curled into a small smile. _"It would be unsuitable of this panel of judges to impose any more penalties." _He paused before recommencing. _"It is with both pleasure and gratitude, that this Council of Supreme Judges grants Prince Vegeta of the Saiyans complete exoneration."_

The screams of joy were deafening, drowning out the judge's final word of _"congratulations."_

Trunks found himself pulled into a hug. People bounced around him. Papers and pencils again flew through the air.

"Exoneration." Trunks thought. He actually didn't know what the word meant, but certainly it was good.

Suddenly, Goten was pulling on Trunks's sleeve. "Trunks, what's…exon...exo…"

It was Han'nei who leaned around Trunks to supply the answer. "It means he's free." She said with a grin. "Completely free."

Trunks couldn't help but grin back.

* * *

The screams and cheers from below filled the Son's apartment even so high above the streets. Bulma couldn't help the tears of joy and relief that welled in her eyes.

"He's free." She whispered, closing her eyes to let out a sigh. "Oh Kami, he's free."

People were streaming out of buildings now, into the streets to join in the cheering. The cheers were getting louder now. The excitement was palpable even from so high above the crowds.

The war was over. The violence and conflict that had halted these people's lives in their tracks were finally over. Vegeta would keep his promise, she knew. The people clearly knew it too. They apparently had perfect faith in him to hand over the keys to the Tauran Intergalactic Kingdom. There was no longer an enemy empire to fight. No longer a rogue, dark emperor with incredible power. The emperor had been taken down and the empire captured in one fell swoop. It would all be handed over to Kurenai to do with as she wished.

Bulma trusted the old woman. She may be conniving, but she had a good heart. Kurenai could ensure that the universe remained peaceful, and Vegeta and the boys could remain on Earth and live in peace. Bulma was counting on it.

Finally, the people could go on living. They could all go on living.

* * *

Vegeta couldn't help the smile that had crept onto his face. Complete exoneration. Even a few minutes before he could have hardly imagined what that could feel like. To not have the burden of guilt hanging on his soul, to not face a future of captivity, to not have to bear the fact that everyone who looked at him—whether he be in Krimzon uniform or prison garb—would still see one of Frieza's boys, captured and serving punishment for heinous crimes.

But now…

As much as Bulma and Kakarott might lecture him, he knew he would never be able to let go of his past. It was part of who he was. But maybe, just maybe he could heal now. Even if just a little.

Because if the rest of the universe could put his past deeds behind them, couldn't he at least try to do the same?

Suddenly, the air before him flickered, causing Vegeta to jump back and snatching his more pleasant thoughts away. He heard a small shriek from Hui as the young emperor scrambled away from the materializing figures as well.

Where a moment before, there had only been rain and mud, suddenly four people were standing before him. "Found it." Goku announced with a grin, lowering his two fingers from his forehead.

"I see that." Vegeta quipped, standing from the rock and causally dusting off his pants.

"Any news?" Goku asked, eagerly, as the others looked on.

"Yeah," Vegeta said far more calmly than he felt. "They bought it."

"No way!" Piccolo's astonished gasp nearly drowned out the other, more cheerful exclamations. "I can't believe…they just…dropped all charges? Just because you captured Hui?"

"The logic, if I recall," Vegeta began with a cocky smirk. "Was that I already suffered an execution for the sake of the empire. That's the Krimzon's highest punishment. I imagine there's no precedent for having to resentence someone who has already died in the line of duty. The lack of precedent clearly gave the judges extraordinary freedom of judgment."

"So you got off on a technicality." Piccolo concluded, crossing his arms.

Vegeta just shrugged.

Midori piped in a bit defensively. "I think there's little doubt that the vast majority of the empire wanted to see him exonerated—especially now that he's basically saved everyone's lives." She fixed Piccolo with a chastising look as if wondering whose side he was on. "The judges had to take that into account. It may not be a _literal_ jury of peers, but…"

"Uh guys…" Krillin's voice cut in. "Not to ruin the moment, but shouldn't we be leaving?" He chuckled nervously, and pointed to something over his shoulder. "I mean…"

The landscape all around them was cracking and crumbling. The high-powered fight and enormous bursts of magic had decimated the landscape, cleaving through mountains and digging craters in the earth. Now, the planet around them was quickly deteriorating. A chaotic storm still raged in the sky, pouring rain onto them. And now, lava was seeping out of the cracks in the ground, bubbling, and running in rivulets down crevices and slopes. The lava was fighting a tough battle against the cold rain and mud, causing steam and fog to blanket the ground.

The others all nodded at Krillin's suggestion.

"But…" Krillin continued, clearly trying to hurry things along. "Should we bring Hui along, or…I mean…?"

"Kill him?" Vegeta supplied.

As soon as the words left his lips, a pair of disembodied voices rang out in the sky, carrying easily over the wind and rain. "No! Don't do it!" "No! You absolutely cannot kill Hui!"

While Midori and Hui stared around in confusion, searching for the origin of the voices, the Z Fighters turned their gazes skyward. "Umm…" Goku was the first to speak, squinting up at the dark clouds as if he might catch a glimpse of the heavenly beings. "King Kai? Supreme…Kai?"

"Yes it's us. Don't kill him." One of the voices, Supreme Kai's, repeated.

"Yeah!" Hui shouted from his spot on the ground. "Don't kill me. Whoever this guy is, he sounds legit."

Meanwhile, Midori had gripped onto Vegeta's arm in awed shock. "Kai? Kais?!" She whispered, staring around with wide-eyes. "Are you kidding? Is this a joke?"

Vegeta ignored both Midori and Hui as the Supreme Kai's voice again echoed through the sky. "Vegeta, Goku, you can't kill Hui. This is embarrassing, but...to be honest, Otherworld can't handle Hui right now. He's slated to keep his body when he dies. He could destroy everything."

"Ohhh." Goku mused, bringing his hand up to scratch his wet, mud-covered hair. "I hadn't thought of that."

"How are we talking to the Kais?" Midori hissed in Vegeta's ear again. She was clutching his arm in a death grip as if terrified at the very prospect. "I didn't even know they existed." A quick glance in her direction confirmed to Vegeta that she looked just as frazzled and astounded as she sounded. "And why is no one else surprised by this?" She asked.

While Vegeta made an effort to brush her hand off his arm, Goku just grinned. "Don't worry." He said cheerfully toward the sky, causing Vegeta's mouth to drop open with the beginning of an argument. He swore that if Kakarott even thought about setting Hui loose with a second chance on life…

"We'll give him to Kurenai." Goku concluded.

Vegeta relaxed slightly, somewhat grateful that he wouldn't have to kill both Hui and Kakarott in the next few minutes.

Goku sent him a cheeky grin as if he knew what he'd been thinking. Vegeta just scowled.

"Oh good." The Supreme Kai's sheepish voice came back again. "Heh…well…right…uh. I guess I shouldn't hold you guys up anymore. You really should get off that planet. It's about to blow."

"Oh no!" Midori gasped. "The Kais can see the future too?!" Her fingernails were cutting through his shirt now and digging into his arm. "Are we about to die?"

"No!" Vegeta snapped. "He used his basic faculties of logic and assumed that the planet that is currently falling to bits will be gone in a matter of minutes." He fixed his eyes fully on her. "So _you_ need to take us off this planet."

"Me?" She blinked, clearly taking a while to process his statement.

"Yes." He confirmed. "Kakarott can only teleport to where he can sense someone's Ki. And I certainly can't get anyone off of here."

"Oh…" She hesitated for a moment. "You mean…bring all of you?"

"Of course."

"Are you sure—?" She looked to Goku questioningly. She wasn't sure that she'd ever known that the large Saiyan had the ability to teleport. She certainly didn't trust Vegeta to do it though. He'd done it successfully a few times while practicing with Kurenai, but the man looked completely exhausted now. Goku though…she didn't know him well enough to trust his teleportation capabilities. She had no desire to land in the middle of a black hole somewhere—not after surviving against all odds a battle against Hui.

Goku shrugged. "It's true. Sorry, but I can't sense anyone in this dimension other than the people on this planet. I can take us to Otherworld, but—"

"We'll get there anyway if we don't hurry this along." Piccolo grumbled. He snapped his eyes to Midori. "Can you take us or not?"

"You know, I can teleport." Hui piped in. "If you just take this collar off…" He was largely ignored.

"Alright fine…" Midori conceded, "But where do we go? I can't take us to Iro. It would take too long to get the transmission blocker there deactivated."

"Just take us to Trinuto." Vegeta supplied. "There's no block there."

"Ugh!" She flinched back in disgust at the prospect.

Vegeta rolled his eyes and moved over to Hui. Grabbing a fistful of his tunic, he dragged him, stumbling and skidding on the slick ground, back over to Midori. "Just do it. We'll get a ship there."

A loud rumbling of a mountain collapsing nearby stalled any further argument. "Fine, fine." She groaned. "Everyone grab hold."

The others moved forward quickly, not needing to be told twice. The sounds of crashing rocks and exploding volcanoes were deafening now, and they knew they didn't have much time.

Midori only paused a moment to make sure that everyone was connected somehow before the group disappeared.

They reappeared a moment later on a gray platform. It was a far cry from the dark, noisy, dirty planet they had been on before. The craters, boulders and mud had been replaced by dingy gray metal and cement. Their first moments were filled with whizzing and screeches of metal, and the sound of voices. However, very suddenly, all those sounds stopped. As the group stepped apart from their position clustered around Midori, they all turned to look around at their surroundings.

They were at the spaceport on Trinuto, within the closed gates. The sounds of the bustling marketplace just outside the gates were still audible, but they were greatly muffled. Men in faded uniforms had stopped in their tracks. Crates of cargo were forgotten, clipboards were still clutched in frozen hands, and every jaw was hanging slack.

As the group of dirty, wet fighters stared around at the workers at the port, they realized that the workers were all staring in intermittent fear and excitement back at them. Suddenly in their midst had appeared the group of warriors who had just saved the universe live on TV—in a nearby break area, an old TV set sitting on a cluttered metal table was still showing clips of the fight. However, with these heroes, standing collared and in chains was the horrible emperor that they had just saved the universe from.

Fear of this man had apparently even taken hold on Trinuto, one of the only planets assumed to be neutral in times of war. Trinuto, of course, was a pit-stop planet, there to welcome weary travelers and homeless wanderers. Since it lacked an official government, it also welcomed criminals and those running from the law. Despite the presence of a Galaxy Police post here, Trinuto was largely understood to be outside the scope of any law.

However, despite the fact that this planet was assumed to be a safe haven in any conflict, the sight of the infamous emperor was enough to inspire fear in anyone.

Silence reigned supreme now as the port workers stared at the motley crew. Somewhat surprised by the reaction, the group of warriors continued to stare blankly back at them.

Finally someone spoke.

"Um…" Goku chuckled lightly. "Does anyone have a ship we could borrow?"

* * *

Kurenai's smile held a hint of sadness. "I'll be sad to see him go, Kuro." She admitted.

He snorted.

"And you will as well, I imagine." Kurenai teased with a glance at his feet.

"The Empire will survive without him." Kuro grunted.

"I daresay it will." Kurenai replied. "Now that he's doubled its size and gotten rid of out greatest enemy. Though Kuro…" She trailed off. "If Hui is being taken alive, we should consider where we will put him. We certainly can't bring him to Iro."

Kuro's face paled slightly. "No…no, absolutely not." He took a step back, his mind apparently already racing to solve this new problem. "I will make arrangements immediately." Without another word, Kuro turned and strode out of the room.

Kurenai smirked slightly. Hui was completely disarmed, but the fear he inspired would not be so easily erased. There was no point in bringing Hui to Iro. Her people would never sleep at night. Better to stick him on some abandoned planet somewhere. Certainly Frieza and the Cold Clan had left plenty of those in their wake. It was funny how things came full-circle sometimes.

Kurenai reached into her pocket and pulled out her scouter again.

She punched in a few numbers, and put the scouter to her ear. A moment later, someone answered. "Midori, what's your status?"

Midori's voice came over the line instantly. _"We've made it off that planet. We're on Trinuto now waiting for a ship to be stocked and fueled."_

"And Hui is with you?" Kurenai asked. Turning slightly, she moved over to stand closer to the window. It was one of her favorite views and for good reason. Today's view was even more special. The people looked no larger than insects, but she could see them clearly, celebrating and still cheering in the waning sunlight. She couldn't help but smile.

"_Yes, he's here." _Midori's voice kept Kurenai from reveling too much in the moment. _"Collared and subdued."_ Suddenly Midori began speaking to someone else. _"Where do you think you're going?"_ It wasn't hard to figure out who she was talking to.

Kurenai heard Vegeta's voice reply, but it was too muffled to hear what he'd said. Midori's annoyed response shed some light on that.

"_The ship is going to be ready in less than an hour. You don't have time to check out a casino."_ Kurenai rolled her eyes.

Vegeta said something again.

"_You're not leaving Hui with me either."_ Midori quipped irately. _"If you're going get food, take him with you."_

Kurenai's heart leapt at the offhanded suggestion, and she hurriedly cut in then. "Absolutely not." She ordered, feeling her heart begin to race slightly at the mere prospect. "Hui is not to leave that port. There is no way that you're going to take him out into that market and risk him disappearing into the crowd." She paused, awaiting confirmation. There was nothing. "Midori! Midori, did you hear me."

"_Yes."_ She confirmed with a hint of a grumble in her voice. _"I understand."_

"Good. Give the phone to Vegeta." Kurenai ordered.

"_He and the other Saiyan just left to get food."_ Midori said, and now the grumble was more pronounced.

Kurenai rolled her eyes. Typical. "Fine, I'll call him." She snapped the phone shut.

* * *

It wouldn't take long for the pair to locate food, although Vegeta did have to pause just outside of the gate to decapsulate his bag and search for his currency card. They smelled food. They saw food. They saw people eating food.

But the moment they had set foot in the market, they had been swarmed by an endless crowd of cheering people.

"Vegeta," Goku yelled over the noise of the crowd. He tried to brush a tearful young woman's arms off of him and smiled somewhat awkwardly at an old man who had grasped his hand gratefully. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea."

"No kidding." Vegeta was having similar problems. A large, purple, middle-aged woman with a child strapped to her back had grabbed hold of him and was planting kisses wherever her lips managed to make contact. A group of young children swarmed his legs, tugging at his pants and trying to show off their martial arts moves.

Seemingly out of nowhere, cameras appeared, flashing and filming.

"Look…guys…" Goku's stomach growled loudly, but it was hardly noticeable over the noise of the crowd. "We appreciate this, really, but…we just came out to find some food, and…" There was a ripple through the crowd, but neither Saiyan noticed. Goku continued to try to explain their quest, while both he and Vegeta tried to brush through the excited crowd without either taking flight or injuring anyone. Neither of them was getting far.

Suddenly, though, Goku spotted something. "Ah!" He said in excitement, pointing so quickly that he came close to decapitating a young woman. "Vegeta, look!"

Vegeta had already seen it. Being carried above the crowd as if on a wave were trays of food.

"Haha!" Goku laughed in excitement. "No way! This is awesome! Check it out!"

Vegeta was grinning wolfishly as well as the first tray reached them, quickly snatching a roasted leg of some animal and taking a huge bite. He knew that there had been times in his life when he had been hungrier than he was now, but he was hard-pressed to remember them. It had been easily more than a day since he had eaten anything. Hui had, after all, withheld a meal as punishment for Vegeta's actions in his throne room.

Vegeta shook his head. Had that really been within the past day? He always got disoriented when pod travel was involved.

Suddenly, he felt something vibrate in his pocket. Shifting the small mountain of food that he had collected to one arm, he pulled out his communicator and flipped it open, motioning—in vain—for the crowd surrounding him to be quiet.

"Yeah!" He shouted over the noise.

"_Vegeta."_ Kurenai's voice came over to him. _"I assume you saw the Judges' announcement."_

"Yeah." He confirmed, again quite loudly.

"_And I'm obligated to confirm that you will be coming back to Hui with everything you promised."_

"Yes, of course. I've got it with me."

"_It?"_

"I'll explain later."

"_You'll what…where are you?"_

"We're on Trinuto. We just stepped out for some food, but we got swarmed by a crowd."

He could practically hear Kurenai roll her eyes. _"You mean you didn't expect that to happen? You just saved the entire universe live on TV. You didn't expect to pick up a few fans?"_

He gazed over the endless sea of people. This was hardly a few. He didn't respond.

"_I'll leave you to it then. I'll be in contact with you throughout your trip."_

"Uh huh." He mumbled, devouring the rest of his meat and tearing into a box of dumplings. The line beeped once, signaling that Kurenai had cut the call.

He moved to put the scouter back into his pocket, ready to turn his full attention back to his food, when the scouter started buzzing again. He groaned in irritation, weighing the option of destroying the contraption right then. He decided against it and again brought the scouter to his ear. "What now?!" He snapped.

"_Finally! I—excuse me? Is that how you answer your wife?!"_ The high-pitched voice screeched.

He pulled the phone away so quickly that he nearly dropped it. He decided to resign himself to the fact that he wasn't going to be left in peace to eat. Deciding to cut his losses, he gathered up as much food as he could and turned to head back to the port. Shouldering past the grabbing hands, and calling, crying people, he brought it back to his ear slowly, "Uh…I thought you were Kurenai again."

Somewhere behind him, he heard Goku shout. "Vegeta! Don't leave me here!" He glanced back for a moment to see the other Saiyan pushing his way through the crowd behind him intermittently calling out "excuse me" and "sorry" to the people he bumped.

Bulma's sigh let him know that her annoyance was short-lived_. "I tried your scouter, but Krillin answered. No one else's scouters got through. Then, I took a wild shot and called Tarble's…"_ She paused for a moment. _"Are…are you okay?"_

"Yeah." He grumbled, finally reaching the port doors and slipping through. Luckily, port guards had taken up post near the doors and weren't letting the crowd spill in.

Although the sounds of the crowd were still audible, the relative quiet of the port was a welcome reprieve for his sore ears. "Yeah." He repeated. "We're on Trinuto waiting for a ship to be prepped."

"_I know."_ She said. _"It's on TV now. How long will it take you to get back here?"_

He thought for a moment. "It took us…about two weeks last time. Unless there has been some major breakthrough in spaceflight technology in the last few months, it will probably be the same."

Bulma groaned. _"So long?"_

"It'll give you just enough time to pack all your stuff." He said with some humor. The woman had accumulated an outrageous amount of new clothes and 'interesting' machines since she had moved to Iro. "I, at least, am not staying on Iro a second longer than I have to."

"_Aww…I kind of like it here."_ She said, but he could tell from her voice that she agreed with him. _"Trunks will be sad to leave."_ Then suddenly she changed tone. _"Oh…is Goku with you? Chichi wants to talk to him."_ Her voice dropped to a whisper. _"And don't expect to get the phone back…not with, you know, Gohan…"_

Vegeta nodded despite the fact that he knew she couldn't see it. "Yeah, he's here." Vegeta turned and flagged Goku over.

With a curious gaze and a dwindling supply of food in his arms, Goku trotted over.

"_I guess I'll talk to you later."_ Bulma's voice clearly belied the fact that she did not want to hand the communicator over.

"Yeah, later." Vegeta said, carefully keeping all traces of longing from his voice. He didn't wait for her to say anything else, but just tossed the scouter to Goku and headed back toward where the others were waiting. His stomach rumbled loudly as he walked away, and he immediately turned his attention back to the pile of food in his arms. One thing that he would miss about space was the endless supply of new and delicious foods.

But that was probably the only thing.

* * *

Just under an hour later, the port manager came to announce that their ship was ready for takeoff. The group didn't need to be told twice. With no luggage, and only scraps of food wrappings left of their meals, the group had nothing to carry and nothing to wait for. They were all eager to get back home—wherever home may be.

The port workers all lined up to see them up the gangplank—not quite stiff enough to be military style but certainly not like a cheering crowd of fans. The group hardly acknowledged them, so hurried were they to get aboard.

They had hardly set foot on the ship when Midori started barking orders. "I'm going to put Hui in a holding cell." She said, and then looked at Vegeta. "Go set a course to Iro. I'm sure Kurenai will send some ships to escort us." She then turned and dragged Hui off down the hallway.

The men merely stared around at each other for a moment before turning and moving off in the direction they figured the control room would be.

They found it easily, and took no time in charting a course to Iro. The ship lifted off smoothly, and as it turned, they group of fighters caught a glimpse of the magnificent city below. Huddled around the spaceport was an enormous crowd. They could only imagine that the crowd must be cheering as they watched their heroes fly away.

As they moved up through the thick atmosphere surrounding the planet, Vegeta made sure to turn his back to the large window. It certainly would be silly to catch a glimpse of Trinuto's moon and turn Oozaru in the middle of the ship.

He was therefore the first to see the door to the control room slide open as Midori stepped inside. "Hui is locked in storage compartment on the second level." She said, moving toward the surveillance feed and making sure that the video for that room was clear. "Apparently luxury charter ships don't have cells for prisoners." She spun around toward the bedraggled group of men. "I am going take a shower, then I'm calling Chet, and then I'm going to bed. Do any of you need anything before I go?"

They all shook their heads in the negative. "Good." She said. "Goodnight." A moment later, she had disappeared out the doors again.

The group stared after her for a moment, but their silence was short-lived.

"That sounds like a good idea." Krillin said, stretching grandly. "I'd like to find a room and do the same—minus the calling Chet part. Should we uh…draw straws to see who sits up first?"

"I'll take first watch." Piccolo volunteered.

"You sure?" Goku asked.

Piccolo nodded without comment.

"I'll take second then." Krillin said. "I'll be by in…four hours?"

Piccolo nodded again.

"Right then." Goku said. "I'll go third, which leaves you fourth, Vegeta, and I don't know about you guys, but I'm about to collapse. I'm gonna hit the hay."

Krillin laughed as he and Vegeta followed Goku out of the room to search for beds.

* * *

The manager of the port wasn't kidding when he'd said they'd give the saviors the best ship they had. The bed came fresh with luxury sheets. There was a robe and slippers in the closet. A mini clothes washer and dryer sat beside the shower—something he was infinitely grateful for as the tossed his filthy clothes inside—and the mini fridge in the corner came with a variety of beverages.

It was a luxury charter ship—one hired by casino owners, hotel owners, and crime syndicate bosses for their important guests. They'd gotten a good deal on it too—or Kurenai had, since they'd charged it directly to her name.

Vegeta wasn't terribly interested in the luxury. Any ship would have done as long as it got him where he wanted to go. He'd definitely turned on the bed warmer before getting into the shower though.

The hot spray was magnificent, washing away blood and grime and warming his cold bones. He left Hui's stone on, though, as if as a reminder to himself that things weren't quite entirely over. The stone was draining and seemed to hang unnaturally heavily around his neck. He could feel it drawing on his energy, and he honestly didn't have much left to spare.

But that was only an insignificant thought in the back of his mind.

Finally, for the first time in weeks, he could relax. And sleep. He couldn't remember the last time he'd gotten a full night of uninterrupted, peaceful sleep. The stone would be much more bearable in the morning, he knew. Everything would be better then, he reasoned, with an unusual spate of optimism. It was over, he was free, and he was on his way back to his family. In only two weeks—two very long weeks—he would be on Iro with Bulma and Trunks. There was a small flutter in his stomach at the idea. After so long, he would finally be allowed some peace.

He didn't feel like planning for the future now, though. He really didn't have the energy to consider it. He was completely exhausted.

Vegeta didn't bother to towel off as he exited the shower. With a burst of Ki, he dried himself before flopping down into his bed. He was asleep almost instantly.

* * *

A/N: It took me an incredibly long time to update this. Life has gotten the better of me recently. Too much work, too little time to charge my creative batteries.

I hope you all enjoyed this and that it was worth the wait! Thanks so much to all of you who continue to follow this story and to lend me your support. I really appreciate it!

Let me know what you think!


	64. Starlit Musings

Chapter 64- Starlit Musings

The stars twinkled brightly on a canvass of black. The silence seemed peaceful, and for the first time in a long time, it was. Many ships were grounded, others hovered immobile, soldiers stayed on their bases, and weapons were put away.

Little moved. Everyone and everything seemed to be waiting, gratefully counting the moments of stillness that the universe had missed for so long. For the first time in so long, people in Tik and Krimzon territory alike ventured out of their homes to take care of normal daily necessities, without fear, without the constant threat of danger. For the first time, people were able to think of the future, and not just surviving to the next day. And despite the lingering uncertainty of unfinished business, for many people the future looked bright.

On every planet, on every ship, people were taking stock of what they had lost, what they had gained—what they had come to realize was truly important in life.

On planet Luva, one snow-white Loup prince sat deep within an underground fortress. Outside a light snow was falling—one of the last, he was sure, before spring came. He was surrounded by televisions, newspapers, and digital articles detailing the previous days events. His wide, eager eyes devoured every word before him, over and over, dedicating each to memory. In fifty years, he would be able to tell everyone about what happened that day, and he would also tell of the fantastic hunt with Prince Vegeta that had led to planet Luva finally siding with the Krimzon.

He couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and pride that he had had such a pivotal role in bringing that about. He wondered if one day, his name might be mentioned in one of his treasured history books. Or maybe even a legend, told for centuries. The young man grinned wistfully, as he let his gaze stray back to the TV where images of the fight and celebrations around the universe were being broadcast. Wouldn't that be awesome?

On the wooded paths of Oso, the people were celebrating. The party had lasted through the night, complete with food, dancing, and performing girls with bells and ribbons braided into their thick, dark fur. Lu'cha stared out of the stone palace window at the festivities with a pensive look on his face. Although he was dressed in his best clothes, nothing would detract attention from the vivid scars still brandishing his neck and face—all remnants of his time as Frieza's soldier. It wasn't his appearance that had him so thoughtful though.

In all his days, he would never have expected that the vicious young Saiyan that strutted around Frieza's bases would one day bring peace to all the universe. He supposed that such a thing was rightfully beyond comprehension to anyone who had known the man in his younger years. But now, what a surprise…In a way, he felt guilty. He had never given the other man a second glance, always assuming that one of them at least would not survive until the next year, or that Vegeta, at least, would go rogue and set off on a murderous rampage across the universe. In a way, he hadn't been surprised when Vegeta declared himself the new emperor of the Tik. But watching him give all that power and glory away had floored him.

It was sometimes good to be wrong, but that still didn't erase the lingering guilt he felt at having thought so little of him before.

Lu'cha's wife skittered into the room just then, hurriedly adjusting one last bell on her fur. Their infant cub, strapped securely to her back, was sleeping soundly. "Lu'cha, what are you doing? Hurry up. Papa's waiting." He turned away from the window and frowned at her. She sighed. "I know you don't like festivals, but come just this once. The war is over, and if the whole family isn't there celebrating, it will look bad." Lu'cha let out a sigh, but followed after her. After all, his family could now finally live without the constant threat of war. Things could definitely be worse.

On planet Mantioch, Princess Anastis, was sitting at the head of a wooden table in a windowless, stone room. A handful of the planet's top generals filled the other chairs at the table. The city around the palace was silent, the citizens no doubt anxiously wondering what would become of them. Anastis, normally of a quiet and nervous temperament, sat calmly, confidently listening as the generals finished outlining their plans.

The skies of Mantioch would be aglow that night. Her brother, King Ethward, would fall from his throne, and Anastis would take his place. It would be a new dawn for the Mantisi. Hopefully, she, with the help of her council, would be able to undo all of the damage that Ethward had done since coming to the throne. She had no regrets about what she was about to do. Her only regret was that she hadn't been able to avert the Saiyan's capture all those months ago. She had tried, but having been caught at that point would have brought her secret out into the open. She couldn't have known the damage that one person's death would have done to the Krimzon.

But now, she was here to atone. They had a short window of opportunity. Deposing of her brother and his advisors—perhaps the planet's strongest supporters of Tik rule—while Hui was still in power would have been a dangerous task and would have undoubtedly sparked an invasion of the planet. But the Krimzon tended to frown on coups, so such a feat would be difficult to achieve once the Mantioch came under Kurenai's wing. Anastis had little doubt, though, that Kurenai would find her a much more palatable head of state than her brother.

As she watched with a serious gaze her soldiers rise from their chairs, ready to go out and call their troops into attention, Anastis swore that Mantioch would become a jewel in the Krimzon crown once again. She would see to it.

The war had touched so many lives, and for so many, it seemed as if it would never end. Many people had forgotten what peace actually felt like. Now, they had been given the chance to try again. For some it was a time of uncertainty. For many others though, it was a time of hope. The twinkling stars could no longer be confused with the explosions of a battle in space. They were just stars, peaceful and still.

* * *

Through the stillness, a lone ship hurdled, silently, inconspicuously.

He was suddenly aware of the pillow that his face was buried in, the sheets tangled up in his legs, the silence of the room. His entire body ached. Everything…places that admittedly had ached before, after other encounters with monstrously powerful beings—or Kakarott on occasion—but places which he was apt to forget in times of peace. He was suddenly aware of just how much he did not want to move.

He inhaled deeply and let it out, content to let himself drift back to sleep. Then he heard the knock.

He couldn't help but groan. He hadn't sensed Goku's Ki outside the door, but now he realized that it must've been Goku who'd awoken him.

"Vegeta?" The knock came again, louder this time. "It's your turn in the control room."

Had it been twelve hours already?

He stretched, feeling his aching muscles pull. He was somewhat less refreshed than he thought he would be.

"Vegeta?" Goku didn't bother knocking again. Vegeta heard a beep, and the door to his room slid open. Had he really forgotten to lock that? He groaned and shoved is face deeper into his pillow.

"Hey, it's your turn at the controls." Goku said, walking in.

"Just let it crash. I don't care."

Goku chuckled. "Oh come on." He gave him a nudge. "You know the ship's on autopilot. But you said yourself that we need someone alert at all times in case Hui…you know…does something."

"I never said that." He lied in a miserable mumble.

"Sure you did." Goku said, nudging him again. "Come on. Get up. It's your turn."

"You're in dangerous territory, Kakarott." Vegeta grumbled into his pillow.

"Seriously." He insisted. "Geez, you're worse than Goten."

With a groan, Vegeta finally, slowly, achingly sat up, rubbing a tired hand over his eyes and then down to his neck.

When he opened his eyes fully, it was to see Goku leaning disturbingly close to him. The room was dim, with only the illumination of the bathroom light—which he had left on—providing any light. It was just enough to see Goku's curious expression.

Vegeta gasped and jumped back a bit, instinctively tugging the sheet along with him.

"So that's it, huh?" Goku said. He stuck out a finger, inching it closer to Vegeta.

Disturbed, Vegeta scooted back until he hit the headboard. With Vegeta having nowhere to retreat to, Goku's finger finally made contact…with something resting on Vegeta's chest.

Vegeta's chest tingled slightly, and Goku quickly pulled his hand back. "What the…!" His eyes were wide with surprise. "It sucks out your energy!"

Vegeta looked down to the source of the tingling to see a glowing blue stone set in a necklace. It all suddenly made sense. No wonder he was so tired…with the stone sucking out his energy before he'd been able to fully recover from the battle…

He lifted the glowing necklace and glowered at it. "Yes. The stone is connected to much of the Tik's technology—technology which is used to control subjects and soldiers and power Meiyochi and Myomoshu. The stone somehow draws on the wearer's energy in order to power all of this."

"Interesting." Goku again took the stone and studied it. "How does the energy get from the stone to all that stuff? It seems impossible."

"No idea. Maybe Kurenai can explain it."

"You're really going to give it to her?" Goku asked. "The power to control the whole universe…?"

Vegeta blinked, noting the off tone in Goku's voice. He snatched the necklace back. Then, suddenly feeling awkward sitting naked in bed before his fellow Saiyan, he climbed out and made his way toward the washer where he'd left his clothes. Noting with some small joy that the washer had also dried his clothes, he began tugging on his pants.

"The stone…" Goku's voice drew his attention a moment later. "It…it brings out the evil in you."

"Kakarrot…" How long was this clown going to pester him? He was awake and getting ready to take his shift. Seriously, what else did he want? "You _have_ no evil in you as far as I've heard. And how would you even know that?" Pants on, he turned to find his shirt.

"Well, I've never wanted to rule the universe…until I touched that stone." Goku said pensively.

"Good thing _you're_ not wearing it then." Vegeta grumbled, fiddling with his shirt to turn it right side in.

"I'm serious, Vegeta." Goku said, coming closer again and grabbing the stone, causing Vegeta to pause with his arms in his sleeves. Vegeta turned a glare on Goku, but suddenly he saw it. There was an odd, untamed sort of look in Goku's eyes that wasn't usually there. His eyes were fixated on the stone, and Vegeta could see his jaw clench. A moment later, he jerked his hand away. "Don't you feel it?" He asked, as Vegeta finally pulled his shirt on. "It's like it talks to you. In your head…tells you that you're powerful enough to rule everything. That you should rule everything…that things would be better that way."

"Kakarott." Vegeta snapped, and then once he was sure he had Goku's attention, said, annunciating carefully. "It is a rock." He stepped back as Goku's hand again strayed upward toward the stone. "Hands off." He said, smacking Goku's hand away. "How the hell did you get that long of a message from it anyway, if you only touched it for two seconds?"

But in reality, Vegeta knew he was right. He had felt that euphoric feeling of power the minute he'd put the stone on. The stone itself drained his energy, but why would he need the energy to fight as long as he could control everything by simply wearing it? No wonder Hui became the way he was.

Furrowing his eyebrows, he tried to brush past Goku. Goku, however snatched his arm. "Vegeta…" His voice was testy now. "If that stone is making me want to rule the universe…how…is it making _you _feel?"

"Kakarott…" Vegeta's voice was warning.

"I'm serious. We both know that you have a…let's say 'a history'. I just want to make sure that you're not going to really declare yourself Emperor."

"Kakarott, the stone does just as you say. It makes you feel as though you have the power to bring the universe under your control. I however, have never had any desire to bring it under my own control _for the good of the universe_. You are also right in noting that I have a history of conquering. However, given that history, I also have the practice of controlling that urge." He slapped Goku's hand off his arm. "So hands off!"

"Vegeta…" Goku called after him as he made his way down the hallway.

Vegeta didn't pause. He just called back over his shoulder. "But by all means, if I start taking over the universe, feel free to kill me."

Goku chuckled. "Well, I probably wouldn't kill you. I might just break the stone." He laced his fingers behind his head. "I wonder if Kurenai will feel the same thing once she puts it on."

Vegeta stopped in his tracks, his bare feet almost squeaking to a stop on the sleek tiled floor. Suddenly, scenes were returning to him—a wrinkled, old face with seemingly blind eyes, and a hungry gaze. So many times, he'd seen that devilish old woman seem positively ravenous. Every time Vegeta had surprised her with his abilities, every time the woman had seen the power she wielded through him, she had seemed so…so…hmm. He couldn't think of the word.

"Vegeta?" Goku's voice brought him back to the present, and he realized that Goku was standing next to him.

"Kakarott, didn't you wake me up so that I could relieve you of control room duty? Go away, and go to sleep."

"Nah. I think I'll stay up." He cocked his head. "But why'd you suddenly stop."

Vegeta furrowed his eyebrows, wondering just how much he should divulge. When he'd made his deal with Kurenai, he hadn't known just what the key to the Tauran Empire was. Now that he knew, it seemed too dangerous. But going back on the deal would mean…

He'd have to think about this, but Goku didn't need to know. He decided to keep it to himself for now. "No reason." He said, easily, and then turned and continued on down the hallway.

* * *

The door behind him slid open, causing Vegeta to tear his eyes away from the muted sports game he had been disinterestedly following. Thankfully, after the first half hour, Goku had gotten bored of sitting with him, and had taken off to explore the ship. Vegeta had been on his own in blissful silence since then.

"I've been told that I'm supposed to take a turn in the control room." Midori walked in, her freshly-shined shoes clicking on the floor. She'd clearly found the clothes washer as well. She'd abandoned her armor, and was only wearing the black undershirt and pants. Her hair was freshly braided as well.

Vegeta glanced at the clock on the wall. He didn't remember what time he'd come in, but it certainly felt like he'd been in that room forever.

She stopped a few feet inside the doorway and studied him. With his feet propped on the control panel and arms crossed loosely over his chest, he was the image of boredom.

"Ugh." The energy seemed to drain out of her. "I haven't had to do this since I was a cadet. I'd forgotten how boring it is." She came over, and dropped into the chair beside him. "Is this really necessary?"

Vegeta shrugged one shoulder, and nodded over to the screen showing surveillance footage of the room Hui was locked in.

She followed his gaze, and then leaned closer for a better look. "What's he doing in there?"

"Absolutely. Nothing." Vegeta said, finally dropping his feet from the control panel and swiveling around. Rising from his chair, he stretched grandly, rolling his sore shoulders and neck.

Midori huffed at the show. "Is it really that draining?" She asked wryly.

He tensed and spun toward her. "Huh?" His hand instinctively rose toward the pendant tucked beneath his shirt before he forced it back down.

Lucky for him, she was no longer looking at him. "Nothing. It just seems like sitting in a chair for four hours shouldn't be so tough considering you defeated a megalomaniac bent on ruling the universe yesterday."

"You're the one whining about being here. Not me."

She rolled her eyes and he turned away. He had only made it two steps when Midori's voice sounded again. "Have you seen the news?"

He looked back over his shoulder with an annoyed expression. "You know I haven't." He huffed.

Midori shot him an exasperated glance, and then turned to the control panel. Rapidly typing something, she motioned him over. A moment later, a news site flickered to life on one of the screens. Vegeta recognized it to be the Krimzon's most respected newspaper—not that he ever read any of them.

He sighed out loud in annoyance at the sight before him. The huge headline, "HUI DEFEATED!" written in all-caps, was not unexpected.

The story appeared to be hideously long, no doubt recounting the highlights of the fight and a history of the decade-long struggle against the emperor. He was sure that as details slowly leaked out about his stint as spy embedded in the Tik right under Hui's nose, he would be making front pages for a long time to come. With any luck, though, the universe would soon get sick of hearing about him and go on with their lives.

It was the picture used to illustrate the occurrence that really bugged him though. Seriously, where did people get these pictures?

In a full-color photo, was Vegeta, still shimmering from the after-effects of the illusion spell he'd used to hide his true identity. He was soaking wet, covered in blood, mud, and rain. The eye patch was the only thing remaining from his disguise as Nox.

He was holding a scythe, aiming it only slightly to the right of whoever was holding the camera. He looked like positively deadly.

"Read the article itself." Midori prompted, guessing rightly that he hadn't read the first word of it.

Rolling his eyes in anticipation of the tediousness that was to come, he obeyed. From the very first paragraph his annoyance doubled. The allusions made in the article were not things he hadn't heard before, but it would be nice if the news actually reported on the facts for once instead of speculation and sensationalized gossip.

The article did give details of the battle, and also made note of the long war to date. The underlying narrative, however, was something else: Kurenai's relationship with Vegeta. The Empress had picked him, protected, him, sheltered him, trained him, taught him magic and negotiations, and over time, had given him more and more responsibilities and freedom. Vegeta had come into the empire as a parolee, under the supervision of Kurenai's right hand, Midori. However, in a short time, that had changed. Vegeta was no longer just a parolee under Midori's supervision. He became her equal as well. He had been treated with the same deference as Midori everywhere he went, and then he had surpassed her, the article went on, both in influence and in Kurenai's favor. As the cherry on the cake, it had been Vegeta who had brought about Hui's downfall, not Midori.

And in the end, Vegeta had declared himself an equal of Kurenai.

So, the article went on, Vegeta may have won his freedom, but was the Empress really ready to let him go? An anonymous source had suggested that Kurenai may try to reel Vegeta back into her empire by offering him Midori's place as heir apparent.

He rolled his eyes as he finally came to the end of the article. "Garbage with no real substance or logical train of thought. I can only conclude that since everyone in the universe was watching the fight live yesterday, they needed something even more sensational to sell papers this morning. As far as this anonymous source goes, with both of us gone, Kurenai isn't likely to be discussing anything as important as succession with anybody." He concluded, before looking at her. "Since when do you put stock in rumors and gossip anyway?"

She was sitting, twisted to the side, legs crossed, and a pensive, uncertain look on her face.

He frowned. "What, are you mad at me or something?" He asked. "I can never tell."

Her pensive expression disappeared for a moment before she looked up at him again. "If she asked you…would you accept?"

He raised an eyebrow. "And take your place?" He goaded.

She turned her eyes away.

The oddly vulnerable look that came over her face just then made him want to turn and bolt for the door. He nearly did, but she began speaking again.

"I don't…I don't want this anymore." She said. "I don't know if I ever did. I'm not really empress material."

"Kurenai's going to live for another 500 years at least." He said in an odd, uncomfortable attempt at comfort. "Her race possesses…"

"Yes, extreme longevity relative to other races," She said. "But…I don't—"

He interrupted her. "Well this is something you're going to have to figure out for yourself, because I'm out."

She laughed, a miserable half-grin forming on her face. "Isn't this crazy. People—people on this ship even—would kill for this opportunity, and neither of us want it."

"Those who would kill for it don't understand the responsibility of it. Unless you're a despot, it's more work than pleasure."

She nodded. "Does that make me selfish then?" She asked with the pensive tone back in her voice. "To not want it?"

He shrugged.

She fell silent once again, and he inched nervously toward the door, hoping to escape before she began speaking again.

That mission was failed from the beginning. She never intended to let him get anywhere. He had just reached for the panel beside the door when she spoke up. "What would you do?"

"Just say 'no'."

She sent him an annoyed expression. "I'm serious. You're a strategist, aren't you?"

He furrowed his eyebrows. "Not for things like this."

"Could you at least try to help me out?"

He sighed, and moved to lean against the wall. He thought for a moment before finally speaking. "If I were looking to escape from the responsibility of ruling an empire, but not have the empire fall apart, I would…create a...an assembly to rule it in my stead. The Krimzon Empire is already halfway there. From what I understand of the system, it already has branches of government and checks and balances. The alliance with the Galaxy Police is whole other factor. But…as it is, the place of the empress in the empire is both the empire's greatest strength and its greatest weakness. There's a reason Kurenai hardly ever leaves her palace. If she's killed, the whole empire would dissolve into chaos."

Midori nodded thoughtfully as if she had known that deep down all along, but was only now taking the time to think about it.

"The universe is simply too big to have any one person in charge of it anyway." He continued. "The most sensible option would be to have a forum where representatives from each planet in the alliance can govern, while also maintaining the bureaucracy, police, and judiciary as separate checks on their power. That way killing any one person will not cause chaos, planets would be forced to learn to work with each other, and I would be able to live off the riches in my treasury without having any real duties."

Midori was silent for a moment before looking up to meet his eyes. "What you're talking about...it's called 'democracy.' I know the concept."

He rolled his eyes. "Then apply it. What do you need my help for?"

She smiled a bit. "Minus that last part of your sugestion, which I'm going to graciously take as a joke…You would have made a good ruler." She said suddenly, and her voice was sincere. "It's a shame that…"

He looked away, an uncomfortable warmness forming on his cheeks and in his throat. How had this conversation turned into this? Was she drunk or something? Or had she just determined that while she had him in close quarters, she would get back at him for all those times he'd taunted her.

He turned an annoyed scowl back to her, but upon seeing the open earnestness on her face, he realized that she was not just trying to torture him. "You can wipe that pity off your face." He grumbled. "Because you're wrong. I would have been a terrible ruler." He said, but there was no modesty in his voice. "For the same reason Hui was a terrible leader. He didn't have the life experience and empathy to understand his people or to create a system in which they can live harmoniously together. I, like him, thought that the universe should revolve around me, and had I been a ruler, I would likely have made it do so." He stuck his nose in the air. "And I still might, if you and Kurenai annoy me too much."

Midori bit her lip for a moment before chuckling slightly. "Yeah, I could see that happening."

He rolled his eyes and turned toward the door.

"Vegeta." She called after him. He looked back to her.

She dropped her eyes for a moment before looking up at him. "Thank you for…saving me, and…well, basically for putting an end to this madness."

He nodded, an odd feeling forming in his chest. He had to get out of there. "I'm going check on Hui." He said, and with that, he left.

Although he'd forgotten what room Midori said she'd locked Hui in, the spoiled emperor was easy enough to find. He just needed follow the darkest Ki on the ship. He momentarily doubted whether his decision to visit Hui right now was a good idea, but before he knew it, he found himself in front of the door to Hui's makeshift holding cell.

There was no going back now. Without announcing his arrival, he opened the door, flipping on the lights and stepping inside. Hui was slumped against the wall, but his head shot up as Vegeta entered.

He fixed Vegeta with a nervous stare.

Vegeta simply stared back, silently, wondering why exactly he'd come here except to escape Midori's emotional spew.

It was Vegeta who spoke first. "How's the nose?" He asked, noticing the dried streaks of blood on Hui's face.

Hui glanced nervously to the side before mumbling. "Broken. It hurts. Everything hurts." Silence fell in the room for a moment before Hui spoke again. "What's going to happen to me?"

"You're going to be stuck in a prison, somewhere far away from civilization, and will likely have no contact with anyone but the prison guards for the rest of your life." Or at least that's the arrangement that Kurenai told him of a few hours ago when she'd called. "An escort of Krimzon ships will be meeting us in a few hours. You will stay with us until we part ways. Then they will take you on to whatever deserted planet they've managed to find."

Hui paled, and a miserable look settled on his face. "That's not very fair."

"Well the other option is execution, but the Krimzon would make that clean and quick." Vegeta met his eyes before saying. "That wouldn't be very fair to the people you have slowly and horrifically murdered over the past few years."

"So this is about punishment." Hui pouted. "Not rehabilitation?"

Vegeta snorted. "I believe the consensus is that you are past the point of rehabilitation."

Hui furrowed his eyebrows, and his legendary temper flickered to life. Clearly the idea of a lifetime in prison was making him rethink his fear of death. "It's a wonder they didn't come to the same conclusion about you. You've probably killed more people than I ever did."

The mere thought that that could very well be true made Vegeta's blood run cold. Still, he responded. "There is little distinction between killing someone and ordering them killed. You are just as guilty."

Hui slumped down more. "Is that all you came here for?" He asked, pulling his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them. "To tell me that I'm going to be miserable for the rest of my life?"

"No." Vegeta said, and suddenly, he was speaking before his thoughts formed fully in his head. "I wanted to know if you felt any different now that you're not wearing the pendant."

"The pendant?" Hui narrowed his eyes, studying Vegeta. "Ohh. I see. I thought you looked tired. It's the stone." A malicious grin formed on his face. "It runs off your power. Controlling a whole empire takes _a lot _of energy." He cocked his head. "But I had a lot of energy to spare. Clearly _you_ don't."

Vegeta did his best to ignore the snub, but he did send a murderous glare to the younger man. Hui, suddenly seemed to remember how much he feared Vegeta before, for he paled and slunk back toward the wall.

"Does it affect your mind?" Vegeta asked after a moment. The tantalizing feeling that he could control the universe if he so chose was certainly a tempting one. It nudged him on as if calling him to cut the nice guy act and accept his true destiny as ruler of the universe.

Hui did not relax his tense posture, but he did furrow his eyebrows at the question. "My mind? What do you mean?"

"Does it make you feel like you need to conquer when you put it on?"

Hui cocked his head. "I don't know." He replied, and when Vegeta took a threatening step toward him, he hurried to clarify. "I haven't taken it off in twelve years."

Vegeta frowned. There was no reason to believe that that wasn't the truth. In fact, now that he thought about it, it wouldn't have made any sense for Hui to ever take it off. There were so many more questions that Vegeta wanted to ask. So much that he wanted to know. But he suddenly really wanted to be out of this room, and away from Hui.

With one parting glance at Hui, he abruptly turned on his heel and left. After being sure to lock the door behind him, he turned and headed off down the hall.

Now, he had more questions than he had answers. Had Hui somehow left part of his spirit within the stone? Was that where this lust for power was coming from? Or had the stone somehow shaped Hui? There was no way to know. That was far too technical and philosophical a question for him, and he only had two weeks before he was supposed to hand this off to Kurenai.

He scowled. His conversation with Hui had been even worse with his conversation with Midori. It seemed like he just couldn't win. He needed to get back to his room before he was forced to talk with anyone else.

"Hey Vegeta."

Vegeta couldn't help letting out a groan of annoyance at the terrible timing and the high-pitched voice behind him. He turned slightly to see Goku poking his head out of a doorway and looking at him with a cheerful expression.

"Where you going? Krillin found a deck of cards in the kitchen. Wanna play?"

Vegeta closed his eyes, trying to fight off the migraine that was forming. This ship was entirely too small. "No." He grumbled, and headed off down the hall. If his raging thoughts allowed it, he would like to get a few more hours sleep. When he awoke, perhaps he would have a clearer idea of what to do about the mess he'd unwittingly created.

* * *

The festivities on Iro were finally seeming to quiet down. A few groups were still partying, drinking, eating, and celebrating in general. But for the most part, the late afternoon streets were quiet. Although life had continued as normal—schools had been open and work had gone on as usual—those who had families on Iro, had gone straight back home afterwards to spend time with their loved ones. Others were in their favorite restaurants and pubs, enjoying the victorious atmosphere in the company of good friends.

High above the quiet streets, the Empress Kurenai's circular throne room was quiet. The room was cast in bright red light, courtesy of the evening sky. Kurenai couldn't help the victorious smirk that had worked its way onto her face. She only wished that one of her aides was here to share in her humor. The Mantisi king, Ethward, the very man who had turned traitor to the Krimzon and handed Vegeta as prisoner over to Hui, had been deposed. By his own sister. Apparently, she had been conspiring against him for months. Who knew?

Kurenai couldn't help but be amused at Ethward's just desserts being handed to him so coldly by his own blood.

She would have to do some research on this Anastis too, she realized. The woman had apparently made it a habit to be ignored, and Kurenai found that she knew surprisingly little about her. Perhaps Midori could do that while she was sitting bored in control room duty. It would at least keep the woman from calling every hour and asking when the Krimzon ships would be there, and if they would have fresh clothes.

Kurenai was suddenly ripped from her amused thoughts by a loud bang. The large doors to Kurenai's throne room had been suddenly thrown open by a blast of psychic power. They slammed back against the walls, catching Kurenai off guard and causing her to drop the stack of papers in her hand into her lap. The news of the coup on Mantioch forgotten, Kurenai focused her attention on the tiny storm that had just appeared in her throne room.

"You!" Tiny feet stomped across her sleek floor, leaving ripples of dark blue, anguished energy in their wake.

Kurenai had been expecting this, but she had to admit that she'd been caught off guard by the timing. How did this tiny woman get past all of her security again?

The purple-haired kid that trotted in after her was a quick answer to her question.

"How could you?!" Kurenai had only encountered this small woman once or twice, but she'd known immediately who she was. And she'd known what she was here for.

"I…" It was rare that the Krimzon Empress, Kurenai Kali, found herself at a loss for words, but the sheer anguish in the other woman's aura took her aback. The magic floor was a deep blue under her tiny feet, and her aura was dark and turbulent.

Kurenai turned her eyes to Trunks, still in his school uniform, standing somewhat nervously behind his tiny aunt. The boy averted his eyes quickly. He had learned from their first encounter of Kurenai's telepathic powers, and since then, he had had trouble looking her in the eye. Kurenai didn't have time to wonder if he was hiding something though. The small woman before her was demanding her undivided attention. Kurenai supposed that it was the least she could do in these circumstances to grant her that.

"You promised him that you would not put him in harm's way." The woman's voice was surprisingly livid considering her strange, doll-like appearance. "You promised that you would not let anyone take revenge against Vegeta on him! And then you sent him straight into the most dangerous situation imaginable disguised as Vegeta!"

"I_ am_ sorry." Kurenai tried, retrieving her papers and placing them on the small table beside her throne.

"No you're not!" Gure shouted. Bright red splotches had appeared on her normally-white cheeks. "Everything has worked out perfectly for _you_. What is Tarble's sacrifice to you? He's just another pawn you ordered about for your own benefit. You lied to him! You knew this could happen, and you sent him anyway. He was never meant to survive."

"I could not have known for certain that he would be killed." Kurenai said. "That was out of my hands. I can tell you though that he had no illusions of what his mission was. He knew exactly where he was going when he left this planet. He is a hero. We should honor—"

"You can't absolve yourself of all blame in this." Gure cut her off.

"I will make reparations…" Kurenai began.

"I don't want your money! You have taken the most precious thing I had, and you won't even admit that it's your fault! I will tell everyone what you did! What you are. Every news channel, and magazine." Gure continued. "You're a witch! A selfish, evil witch, and I hope the spirits of Tarble and all the others you've sent to their deaths haunt your sleep." The tiny woman didn't give Kurenai the chance to respond. With that final curse, she turned on her heel and strode out of the room.

Trunks blinked at his aunt's retreating form. He sent a glance to Kurenai as if worried that she might strike her down for disrespect. Seeing the truly regretful and chastised look on Kurenai's face, however, he merely bowed deeply. "I…apologize…" He said politely, but with little sincerity.

"No." Kurenai interrupted. "She's right." She nodded toward the doors that had just swung closed. "Go after her before she gets swept up by my security."

Trunks stiffened as if he'd forgotten about that prospect, and hurriedly nodded,. A minute later, he was running out of the room.

Kurenai stood alone in her empty throne room. Her amusement at the small victory the coup on Mantioch had afforded her was all but forgotten in the face of such pain and heartfelt criticism. Tarble's little wife had been right. The war had ended in victory for the Krimzon Empire, but for many of its people, the cost had been too great. It was hard not to wonder if, in war, there was such a thing as a victory at all.

* * *

A/N: I hope you enjoyed that. I've been trying to update every two weeks, but it just never seems to happen. As I'm sure all of you have guessed at this point, there are only a few more chapters until this officially wraps up. I am planning to write a few one shots to fill in some gaps and flesh out a few things that could have used a bit more detail in the story, but given how hectic my schedule has been lately, we won't be seeing those for a while.

As always though, thank you all so much for all of your support, and for taking the time to review the last chapter (and all the ones before it). I really appreciate the support and advice you've given me. You've all made me a better writer.


	65. Loose Ends

Chapter 65- Loose Ends

"Mom!" Bulma looked up from the scribbled-up notebook before her. She had been staring at the equation for so long that even she could hardly decipher what she had written. "We're home!"

"Hi, honey." Bulma called back, glancing out of the window to see that the sky was still the deep orange of Iro's typical late afternoon. She blinked. She had expected Trunks to stay much later at the arcade. Perhaps it was closed? Leaning back in her chair, she looked toward the door. It wasn't until she saw the other person standing beside her son that she registered that he'd said "we."

"Gure!" Bulma blinked in surprise, but then immediately realized why the other woman would be there. That didn't explain the woman's red face and teary eyes though. She rose from her chair and took a few steps toward the pair. "Gure, what…what's the matter?"

Gure met Bulma's concerned gaze with a slightly hostile one. "What do you mean 'what's the matter?' Tarble's dead. Hadn't you heard?"

Bulma sighed. "Yes, but…" She looked over to her son. "Trunks, why wouldn't you…"

"She didn't give me time to explain, mom." He ran a flustered hand through his hair. Given the way it was now sticking up, she could only assume that he'd been repeating that motion for quite some time. "She pulled me out of the arcade in front of all my friends. She was so determined to see Kurenai. And I couldn't explain it on the train."

The small alien woman looked up between them. Her small doll-like body made it seem like she should be perpetually cheerful. Should be. She wasn't now. "Explain what?" She asked suspiciously. "What's there to explain?"

Trunks disappeared back down the short flight of stairs that led to the front door, and Bulma heard the deadbolt on the door click. A moment later, Trunks reappeared. He cast Bulma a glance that let her know that he expected her to do the talking. It was one of those times that Bulma suddenly realized just how grown up he had become. He was almost her height now, with strong shoulders, and serious eyes that made schoolgirls—and some older women—stop and stare wistfully. Trunks shrugged off his school jacket and tossed it onto the couch before heading toward the kitchen.

Bulma looked back to Gure. How painful it must be for her to think that Tarble would never be coming back. She remembered back from her youth, before death had lost its meaning for her, having felt such pain once or twice. It was such a vague, distant memory though... "Gure…" Bulma started. "The dragonballs. We're going to wish everyone back to life with the dragonballs."

Gure's eyes squinted in confusion. "Dragon…balls? What…?"

"I'm sure you heard of them. When you came to Earth, and the boys were telling all their stories…"

"The magic balls!" Gure squeaked.

"Yes. They have the power to bring people back to life."

Gure was silent for a moment before continuing. "Do they really…? With…with no…side effects?"

Bulma nodded with a smile. "Mmhm. Five years ago when Majin Buu and Bobbiti came to Earth, they killed everyone and destroyed the entire planet…Long story short, the boys had everything wished back with the dragonballs."

Gure blinked as if she couldn't comprehend such a thing.

"It is hard to believe. But…you've seen proof, yourself. You saw Vegeta's execution, right?"

Gure slowly nodded. "I saw talk of it on the news afterward."

"Well he did die." Bulma said frankly. "We wished him back. The dragonballs are the reason that he's alive again."

Gure blinked. "So…Vegeta's not immortal?"

Despite herself, Bulma choked out a surprised laugh. "Fortunately not."

"Mom!" Trunks, now leaning against the kitchen doorway with a plate of food in his hands, sent her a surprised look.

Bulma only sent him an amused smile. "Oh honey, don't give me that look. You didn't know him during the time that he was trying to gain immortality. He was insufferable. And in any case, if he'd succeeded, you would have never been born."

He furrowed his eyebrows in thought, and she turned back to her sister-in-law.

On Gure's face was a look of wonder, and her red-rimmed eyes fixed on Bulma's clear blue ones. "So you're saying that these balls have the power to fix all the damage brought by the war, and to bring everyone who died back to life?"

Bulma's jaw dropped slightly, and she felt a hint of red on her cheeks. "Well…uhh. They might, but…" Oh boy, how would she phrase this? "We...we can't bring _everyone_ who died back to life."

Gure cocked her head with a somewhat distrusting look. "What do you mean?"

"Well the dragonballs can only bring people back if they've died within the past year. Once a person is dead more than a year, the dragonballs can't do anything. We couldn't have brought everyone back anyway. And…and even if we brought back everyone who died in the past year, we'd have to erase their memories of how they died. It would…"

"So you're just bringing back your family and friends, is that it?" Gure asked flatly.

"When you say it like that, it sounds…" Bulma trailed off.

Gure didn't supply a word for her, but her expression was unimpressed.

Bulma frowned. She sent a glance to Trunks only to see that he was wearing a clearly guilty expression. It was true that Trunks had spent more time on Iro than she had. He had made more friends, and Bulma knew that many of his friends had lost loved ones in the war. It was natural. Iro was the center of the Empire, the place where warriors congregated, statesman met, and refugees flocked for protection. They should know. They were included somewhere in that tally.

Bulma knew that what Trunks was feeling was like survivor's guilt. Everything would work out okay for him, but not for his friends. Trunks got his father back, but many of his friends would have to live the rest of their lives without theirs.

"I suppose we could…" Bulma started, pensive. "We could do what we can to bring back as many people as possible."

Trunks spoke up suddenly, cutting off whatever Gure might have said. "But mom…how would we keep the dragonballs a secret?" Still leaning against the doorway, he looked every bit like his father. "What if people don't understand what's happened and start a huge witch-hunt? What if people who are revived are picked up for experimentation? We could pass dad off as immortal, but I don't think the universe is going to accept thousands of people coming back to life without question."

"But…" Gure started, but Trunks cut her off again.

"I'm sorry, Aunt Gure, but we shouldn't do it. It's just too…how can I say…There are just so many reasons!" He shook his head in irritation with himself at not being able to find the words he was looking for. "Look, when dad died, every second of every day, I waited for him to walk back through the door—all the while knowing that he wouldn't until he was revived with the dragonballs. These people don't know about the dragonballs, and it has been stressed over and over to me and Goten that they _can't _know about the dragonballs. If we bring some people back, it will be like a miracle for some families. But the others, they'll keep on waiting, expecting a miracle that will never happen. Wouldn't that just prolong their pain and keep them from healing? Or worse, make them bitter against the people who came back. Because when you think about it, in this past year, the death toll has been way lower than in the previous years. The dragonballs are only capable of bringing back a small percentage of the people who were killed."

Bulma felt tears stinging her eyes. When had her son grown up? It had happened right before her eyes, and somehow she had missed it. He had matured so much in these past few years, she realized. The grinning boy was still there, but now he had his father's tactical mind. And a painful childhood to teach him cold pragmatism. She suddenly realized that a child his age should not know so much about the pain of loss—whether or not he understood the true meaning of death. She realized suddenly that she should have done more to shield him.

"Aunt Gure," Trunks continued, not noticing his mother's blotched cheeks and wet eyes. His small aunt was standing sadly in the middle of the living room as if already resigned to the injustice of the universe. "I know it's unfair, but it may be better to leave things the way they are. The war that has gone on for so long is finally over, and all along it was all about power. Dad says that the dragonballs hold the power to do far more evil than Hui ever did. When people start questioning how some people were brought back to life and not others, they might eventually figure out that the dragonballs were involved. The dragonballs have been a carefully guarded secret specifically because every time people find out about them, the Earth is invaded or a war starts."

"It's still unfair." Gure said. "If they're so powerful, can't you just erase-"

"Everyone's memories? Technically yes, but...Look, after the Earth was destroyed a few years ago, my dad and Goku wished everyone back to life, but they also erased everyone's memories of what had happened. We realized when the Tik invaded Earth that that was a mistake. Dad said that when the Tik came to the Earth, the Earthlings didn't know who to side with because they had always been lied to and sheltered from the universe outside. They distrusted us because they didn't believe in super powers, and they distrusted both empires because they couldn't remember ever seeing aliens before. They had no idea how powerful or cruel the Tik could be, because they had intentionally cut themselves off from contact with the universe outside. Millions of Earthlings ended up getting slaughtered by the Tik because the Earthlings were too ignorant about the universe to know how to respond.

"Ms. Catibi says that's the whole point of history is that we should remember these things. We should remember how terrible these power struggles can be so that we can avoid them in the future. The universe should learn to live with the scars from their battles, and they should learn from them to prevent wars like this from happening ever again. It's a terrible decision to have to make, but it's very likely that if we wish everyone who's been killed in the past year back to life, we'll only be doing more harm than good. We need to leave this one alone."

"Trunks…honey." Bulma choked out. Her face was now streaked with tears. "I never knew that all this had affected you so much." She opened her arms to pull him into a hung.

"Huh?" He blinked at her, a look of surprise on his face. Suddenly realizing what he'd said, he blushed and chuckled. "Oh that? Ms. Catibi made us write an essay on why history matters. I may have...borrowed a bit from a conversation with Han'nei. Actually," He flushed under his mother's stern gaze. "Most of that was a mixture of things dad and Han'nei said. With a few of my adjustments, of course."

Bulma's outstretched arms dropped back to her sides with a loud clap. "Han'nei?"

"Oh. Umm…Well...you see...I…may have asked her...once...if she'd had the choice of bringing everyone who died this past year back to life, what she would choose. She gave me a lecture on the lessons of war and learning from our mistakes and all that. The part about people not healing because they keep expecting a miracle that will never happen was also from her."

Bulma's face fell. It would figure that the one time her son said something moving and insightful, he would just be repeating what his little girlfriend said. And then here was another problem. "Han'nei knows about the dragonballs?" Trunks's eyes grew even wider.

"Well…Not…in those terms. I just mentioned powerful magical artifacts." His face grew pale as his mother's eyes narrowed. "But she's promised not to tell a soul about them!"

Bulma brought a hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose. "I can't believe you told your girlfriend, Trunks! We talked about this."

"She…she's not my girlfriend!" He squeaked, turning bright red.

"Oh Trunks, honestly!" Bulma snapped.

As mother and son launched into furious squabble, Gure stood between them in silence. She didn't accept Trunks's argument, but she could see that her opinion mattered little here. These people were strange, with strange ideas, and strange priorities. It wasn't the first time that she'd realized just how much of an outsider she was to Tarble's brother's family. They were used to playing with power behind her imagination, and they did it as if it were commonplace. It was a world she would never understand.

Gure let her shoulders sag and then dropped onto the black leather couch behind her. She had nowhere else to go, really. These people might be strange, but they were family. Even if she may resent the fact that they wouldn't at least try to bring as many people back as possible—reunite as many families as possible—they were going to bring Tarble back. It may be selfish, but she would take what she could get.

* * *

The security footage was boring. Hui had fallen into a seemingly-exhausted slumber, curled on his side on the tile floor, his arm cradled against his chest and his burned face almost relaxed. Although Kurenai had had no real desire to speak with Hui—to gloat or otherwise—she had requested to be patched into the surveillance feed for the room Hui was being held in. She—or one of her minions—was no doubt watching said feed right now.

Vegeta had had no contact with the ex-emperor after his initial visit. He knew that Midori had reluctantly paid Hui a visit though—several actually. Almost immediately upon seeing the young man on the surveillance feed, seeing his broken, burned face, his mutilated arm, his bloodied shoulder, Kurenai had reminded Vegeta and Midori that, even if such standards were not held elsewhere, it was Krimzon policy to treat prisoners of war humanely. It had been an offhanded reminder, as if Kurenai couldn't care less. But rules were rules. Vegeta had flat out refused to play either nurse or maid to Hui, citing the fact that he was technically no longer Krimzon, but was in a limbo land somewhere between Krimzon savior, traitor, and Tik Emperor.

Midori had been stuck with the task of bandaging and feeding Hui—having failed to pass the task off to any of the Earthlings. Hui was now sporting white bandages on his arm, shoulder, and face, and was being fed three meals a day of cheap, packaged noodles.

Vegeta turned his eyes away from the surveillance footage of Hui's "room" and studied the footage from the other cameras. The rest of the ship was still.

It had been still all day, actually. The day had passed without incident, time seeming to warp and race until Kakarott surprised him yet again with the news that it was his turn in the control room. He hadn't put up a fuss this time. There was nothing else to do on the ship anyway. He'd just as well go and be bored in the control room.

Vegeta's bare feet were propped on the control panel now, legs crossed at the ankle. Slumped in his chair, he looked every bit as tired as he felt. Not that he was exhausted…Had he been human, he could have likened the feeling to the lethargy one associates with a bad cold. Since he rarely experienced such common illnesses though, this feeling was entirely new to him. He didn't know how to cope with it without a mild sense of panic. What exactly was this stone draining? Would its side effects be permanent? After Hui had taken it off, he hadn't seemed to notice a difference. What if it _was_ in fact the stone that had changed Hui? What if it was also slowly changing Vegeta as well? And what if those changes were permanent?

Vegeta decided once again that he hated magic. It was like the Potara earrings all over again. How he remembered the horror when, _after _he'd agreed to wear the thing, Goku had finally decided to tell him that the earrings' effects were permanent. And now this necklace. Where it came from and what exactly it did, he had no clue. Neither did Hui, apparently, despite the fact that he'd been wearing it for twelve years.

Vegeta's frown deepened. People had no business dabbling in things they didn't understand.

A muted drama was airing on a small TV to his left. Vegeta tried to focus on it, tried to lose himself in the over-dramatic acting and under-developed plot, but his mind was drifting. His eyes drifted away from the screen to rest on the viewport. Stars and space dust were flying by. It was a familiar view. One that he'd grown up with, and despite all the negative memories and feelings that were associated with it, he found the view oddly calming.

His mind began to drift. In his mind's eye, images were flashing. Kurenai, Kurenai, Kurenai. Over the months that he'd been with her, he'd always noticed that odd gleam in her eye, that lust, whenever he'd done something remarkable, but he'd never thought anything of it. Now, he was reanalyzing every time she'd looked at him that way. Had it only been a look of excitement at having a weapon strong enough to finally win the war, or had it been something more? Something more sinister? He always knew Kurenai had a mischievous side, but now he was starting to wonder if she had a darker one as well.

He suddenly remembered standing in Hui's stadium on planet Loth just after he'd transformed into a Super Saiyan for the first time in front of Hui. He remembered the look on Hui's face then, and he remembered thinking that in that moment, Hui looked just like Kurenai.

He still thought so, and that's what was worrying him. He didn't know if he could trust Kurenai with that kind of power. It wasn't that he thought Kurenai was evil. It was just that power corrupted, and this necklace obviously had a corrupting effect. He had to figure out how to keep his end of the bargain without actually giving her the necklace.

But he was just so tired.

He was tired of thinking, tired of scheming, of trying to one-up the next person just to keep himself out of hot water. He just wanted it to be over. He wanted to live his own life without being ordered about all the time.

He tried to keep his spirit up. He could do it. He always figured a way. He just had to do this one last thing—he just had this one last puzzle to solve, and he'd be free. If only he had some idea how.

He'd painted himself into a corner, and he knew it. Dragonballs weren't going to fix this one.

The silence was annoying now. Space was always quiet, but now the top-notch technology only emitted the faintest of whirring and buzzing. Although he was fairly certain that the rest of the "crew" wasn't asleep, whatever they were doing, there weren't making any noise. He was completely and utterly alone.

He looked at the clocks on the control panel. He couldn't remember how time was read on Trinuto, but it was mid-morning on Iro. Slowly, his arms uncrossed, and his hand reached out to the scouter sitting on top of the control panel. Slowly, hesitantly, he punched in her number.

His nervousness nearly led him to cancel the call before she answered, but he forced himself to put the scouter to his ear. She answered after a few beeps—too early, actually. He wasn't sure he was ready to talk to her, but it was too late now.

"Vegeta?" Her voice made his heart jump.

"Yeah."

"Where are you?"

"Still on the ship." Where else would he be?

"Has something happened?"

"No."

"Why don't we switch to video chat?" She said suddenly.

Without even waiting for him to respond, hung up.

He pulled his scouter away from his ear and glared at it for a moment. He had just made such a heroic effort to give the woman a call—against his better judgment, he might add—and she went and hung up on him? He sat in silence for a moment, waiting for her call. It only took a few seconds for him to realize that she would have had no idea what the number to the ship's video chat was. She'd apparently just assumed he would call her. He frowned again, and grumbling, typed in the number for his apartment on Iro.

Bulma answered after two beeps, a small, slightly smug smile on her face—as if it were a cute feat to have gotten him to call her

She'd clearly been in research-mode if the oversized sweatshirt and messy ponytail were any indication. The orange sunlight streaming through the window lit up the stray blue wisps of hair that had escaped her ponytail. As she sat back on the couch, pulling her legs up onto the cushions, she studied him, "You look tired." It was hardly a difficult conclusion to come to. Weeks of poor sleep as a spy within Hui's ranks, a major battle, and then the necklace...The stone was draining his energy as fast as he replenished it.

He just shrugged. With his feet propped on the console, he seemed at ease, as if nothing could trouble him at all.

"Are you having trouble sleeping?" She asked

He huffed out a laugh. "No."

She raised an eyebrow in that way she did when she thought he was lying.

"I'm serious…" He said, and then scanned the room behind her. "Is anyone with you?"

She cocked her head curiously. "No…Trunks is out with his friends. Gure's here." She shifted.

He blinked. "Oh."

"But she hasn't come out of Trunks's room since last night. What's going on?"

He shifted, dropped his eyes to his lap, then darted them to the door again. Bulma waited patiently, knowing that if it took him this long to come out with it, it must be something important. "I've got a problem." He finally grumbled.

"Oh." She appeared surprised. Uncrossing her legs, she leaned forward eagerly. "Okay, well…I'll do what I can to help."

He scowled. "I don't…I didn't want your help." He clarified. "I just didn't want to think about it anymore…Need a distraction." The last part came out in a mumble.

She frowned. "Uh huh." She said skeptically. "Well, we need to talk anyway." She smiled a bit. "Vegeta, I know we didn't really discuss this, but some things just happen. You see, I—"

He knew what was coming. He knew, but he really didn't want to talk about this now. "No!" He dropped his feet from the console and raised his hands in front of him. "No." He repeated firmly. "If it's about _that_, just, no. Later." He assured her. "And I know already." He could practically _hear_ his blood pressure skyrocketing.

Bulma's lip stuck out in a pout. "How could you—?"

"It was in the news."

She growled in irritation. "The news?! Oh, of course. I—" He brought a hand up to rub his eyes in frustration, and she cut herself off. "You really don't want to talk about it? It's kind of…monumental."

He closed his eyes and shook his head. When he opened them again, it was to see the hurt written clear on her face.

"Later." He promised. "One thing at a time."

"Well," She crossed her arms with a huff. "What do _you_ want to talk about then?"

He scowled. _Something that won't give me a migraine._ That was apparently unavoidable, though, so he took a deep calming breath and pulled the necklace out of his shirt. "I've promised Kurenai to hand over control of the Tik Empire. This is the pendant Hui wore." Bulma furrowed her brows in non-comprehension, so he clarified. "The stone in it powers all of the Tik technology everywhere, including Meiyochi, Myomoshu, and soldiers' chips."

She leaned forward as if it might help her to see it better. "Fascinating."

"It's what's allowing me to control the Tik Empire right now."

"Is the stone really that powerful?" She asked. "Is it magic?"

"No." He answered, before amending. "Well yes, it's probably magic, but it's running on my energy."

"Oh." She blinked, and then studied him again. "Oh, I see." The pallor, the rings under his eyes, they made sense to her now.

"Yes, every piece of Tik technology that is used to control something, everything with the mysterious power-source that we didn't understand, all of that is now running on my energy."

Her eyes widened. He waited a moment to let her digest the enormity of that statement. He'd just told her that he was controlling virtually half the universe with his Ki alone. That would undoubtedly take a few minutes for her to…

"Wait!" Suddenly, she rocketed off the couch. Excitement was written clearly on her face, as she turned and bolted away from the screen. He blinked in surprise at her odd reaction, and then watched in confusion as she made her way toward the table—now cluttered with boxes and stacks of papers.

He took a minute to scan the apartment around her, noticing more than one coffee cup and various haphazard papers littered around. He'd left the woman the run of his apartment for a few weeks, and already she'd turned it into a disaster area.

Bulma mumbled to herself, flinging open boxes and rummaging through them.

"_What_ are you doing?" He called in annoyance. Seriously, he comes to her with a problem for once, and she just skips away to play with her machines?

"Looking for—Aha!" Finally, she seemed to have found what she was looking for. "It's blue!" Ignoring the machine parts and notebooks that now littered the floor, she scrambled back to the couch and then held her discovery up for him to see. It was a blue stone.

He merely raised an eyebrow at it, and looked to her for a clarification. "Yes, and…?"

"It was green before." She insisted. "I hadn't noticed that it had changed. I pulled this out of a Meiyochi. It was green. It's been green all along. Back on Earth, you'd told me that it was Hui's power running it, that you'd felt his power in the stone but I…wow, this is just fascinating!" She held it up for a closer look and turned it between her fingers. "Now it's your energy powering it, so it's changed colors." She pulled a notebook seemingly from thin air and began scribbling something down. "How does Ki interact with the color spectrum? Do you know? Is it the density of the energy particles that gives a person's Ki its color? Or maybe the temperature?"

She finally looked back to him. His clearly un-amused face was enough to let her know that he had not appreciated her brief scientific detour.

"Sorry…" She cleared her throat, and hurriedly stashed the notebook at her side. "You were saying?"

He huffed. "The stone is a problem." He said, crossing his arms loosely across his chest. "Not only does it actually give the wearer the power to control the Tik Empire, but it makes the wearer feel like they should control_ everything_. It's destructive. The power…it seems endless. Even Kakarott noticed. He only touched it for a moment, and he said that it made him feel as though he should conquer the universe and rule it."

"Really? Goku?" She furrowed her eyebrows. "That doesn't sound like—"

"It's the stone." He said. "It gives the wearer more power than any one person should have." He sighed. "I can't give this to Kurenai."

Bulma frowned. So that's what he'd called for. The one time he actually came to her with a problem and it had to be _this_? "So what will you do? You promised…"

"I know what I promised." He snapped. "I don't…I don't know yet. I can't give it to her because I don't really trust her…enough. But I can't not give it to her because…"

"That's the price of your freedom." She finished.

He shrugged, seeming to sag in his chair.

She frowned. "How much energy is that draining?" She asked. "Are you sure you're okay to keep wearing it? Do you at least take it off to sleep?"

He shook his head. "If it loses contact with me, my control disappears."

"Right, but could you maybe let Goku wear it for a little while."

"No." He snapped.

"Not for long." She insisted. "Just to let you recharge, and…" She held up the stone that she'd put on the coffee table. "Long enough for me to see—"

"No!" He snapped again.

She pouted.

"Well you've still got over a week until you get back to Iro. We'll think of something. I think the place to start would be to watch the video of the end of the fight again, and see the exact wording of what your deal was. I don't recall you mentioning the necklace at all. Do you?"

He straightened a bit. "I…I don't know." He blinked. "I can't remember."

"Well if you didn't promise her the necklace itself, then there won't be a problem."

He blinked again in surprise. And to think he'd been brooding for hours-days even-about this very problem. It was truly a testament to how drained he was that he hadn't thought of that. "Hm…"

"I'll track down a video later, and go back through it."

He nodded. "Yeah. Later." He could probably do the same from the ship, but not without people looking over his shoulder.

A silence fell between the two. Neither of them seemed to want to continue talking about his little predicament, but neither wanted to hang up.

Suddenly Bulma straightened, and seemingly out of nowhere an excited, somewhat amazed expression lit her face. "Trunks monologued yesterday!" She exclaimed.

"He…did what?" Vegeta cocked an eyebrow, not sure if he and Bulma had the same definition of 'monologue'. Certainly Trunks would never…

"He gave an impromptu speech to Gure in the middle of our living room." Bulma shook her head as if she was still trying to wrap her mind around that.

Vegeta just blinked, his eyes wide and disturbed. "…why…?"

"I know!" Bulma said, noting his expression. "I was blown away. He…he actually _listens_ to what we say." She waved her hands. "It's like…you know how sometimes when you talk to him, you feel like you're talking to a wall?"

Vegeta blinked. "No, not really. A hyperactive chimp maybe, but go on."

"But he listens! I swear!" She was all amazement. "He was all, 'dad says this,' and 'Han'nei says that.' He even referenced his history teacher."

"Huh…" Vegeta could see her eyes go watery, and he suddenly remembered how much he _hadn't_ missed the mood swings from her first pregnancy.

"I was just…I was stunned." Bulma continued. "To think that all this time's he's been putting so much stock in what you and I—", Suddenly her face dropped. Her wistful, proud, starry-eyed gaze became indignant. "You know, now that I think back, he didn't reference me _at all_ in his speech. Dad this, Han'nei that, Ms. Catibi this. But what about me? He didn't mention me once. Where were _my_ words of wisdom?"

Whether it was her words themselves or the indignant pout with which she said them, Vegeta suddenly found himself howling with laughter. It was a loud, boisterous—if somewhat mocking—laugh. The kind of laugh that only a few people could ever draw out of him, and he couldn't seem to stop. Kami, it had been so long since he'd laughed this way. For so long, he'd had to be play the part of Nox. Before that as far back as he cared to think, the stress and pressure of his pivotal role in the war had been such a heavy burden. Now that it was lifted, he could almost relax. Relax and...laugh.

The door to the control room slid open behind him, but he hardly noticed. Goku and Krillin poked their heads into the room curiously. They noticed Bulma on the screen.

"Hey Bulma," Goku greeted. "Sounds like we're missing a party in here. Jeez, did you just tell a joke or something? It must have been a real howler."

She glowered at him and her husband in turn. "No." She pouted. "This is entirely at my expense."

Vegeta was still shaking, trying to quell his snickers. His laughter had taken on a somewhat hysterical quality, the kind of laughter that comes with being far too tired. He ran a hand across his face.

Goku and Krillen looked on in amusement for a moment, before Goku took a step closer. "Just to check…You haven't gone insane, right Vegeta?"

He waved a dismissive hand, still trying his hardest to stop laughing.

"I only ask because we're still not sure you're not going to start trying to take over the universe."

Vegeta sent him a weak glower, not trusting his voice enough to say anything, and waved him away again.

Goku and Krillin both looked back to Bulma. "Man, Bulma, I've kinda gotta know. What's so funny?"

She frowned, shooting a glare to Vegeta as his chuckles rose again in volume. "Nothing. It was nothing." She rolled her eyes, but despite herself, her lip twitched upward. It had been so long since she could just sit with him and smile. Even though they technically weren't together at the moment, this was the closest they'd been in weeks. It was this kind of moment that she'd dreamed about when he was gone. The quiet moments, when everything was at peace. The few moments when he actually laughed.

While Goku and Krillin nudged Vegeta to tell them what was so funny, Bulma just looked on with a small smile. They'd needed times like these. It was the quiet times, the times for recuperating, for talking, for laughing, that made the fighting all worth while.

* * *

A/N: It took entirely too long for me to update, I admit. My life kinda went crazy for a while, but I have not given up on this.

I hope you all enjoyed this. Admittedly, it was not action-packed, but hopefully you enjoyed it anyway. Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, and to everyone who's been sending me encouraging messages. I really appreciate your continued support despite the fact that I kinda fell off the map for a while.

As always, let me know what you thought.


	66. Swept Away

Chapter 66 – Swept Away

Piccolo's eye cracked open at the sound of the ship's video chat beeping. He raised a hairless eyebrow at it for a moment, before pulling himself out of his meditative position and moving toward the control panel. He surveyed all the various buttons and dials on the panel and frowned. The beeping was annoying and somehow seemed to be becoming more persistent. Finally, he raised a finger and tried a button. The screen flickered to life.

"Finally!" A familiar, yet annoying, voice snapped. "Oh, hi Piccolo." Bulma's wide blue eyes were cheerful and excited, even if there were bags under them. Her oversized sweatshirt slipped slightly off one shoulder as she shifted side to side, scanning the room behind Piccolo and then leaning forward as if to see better. "Is Vegeta there?" Piccolo had very little experience judging women's appearances, but he knew enough to know that Bulma had probably stayed up all night. "You see, I re-watched the video from the fight…oh, I don't know how many times…and he never actually promised Kurenai the necklace. I'm certain of it. He can destroy it if he wants and—"

"Wait. Wait." Piccolo held up a hand. "The necklace? Destroy the necklace?" He fixed her with a commanding stare. "Start from the top."

Bulma blinked. "The necklace that is connected to all the Tik technology…" She clarified.

"I know of it." Piccolo rolled his eyes impatiently. "What about it?"

"Vegeta wanted to know if he could destroy it without breaking his deal with Kurenai." Bulma stared at him and cocked her head. "He didn't mention…?"

"No one tells me anything." Piccolo grumbled more to himself than to her, and, with a swirl of his cape, turned and strode out of the room.

Bulma was left alone, blinking at the empty room, with a slightly bemused expression. "Not sure why that surprised me." She mumbled to herself, letting out a jaw-cracking yawn. Then, sliding from the couch onto the floor, propped her elbow on the coffee table and rested her chin on her fist to wait.

Vegeta and Piccolo were locked in a tiny ship together—literally forced to be within feet of each other at all times. How could the lack of communication between them be so complete that she—several million miles away—was conveying such basic and important information? She briefly thought that the two might benefit from some sort of communication class—therapy even. When an image of Vegeta and Piccolo sitting politely in a group therapy circle with a bunch of Earthlings popped into her head, she realized that the mere idea was insanity. She really shouldn't have stayed up all night.

She didn't have to wait long for Piccolo to return. Not a minute later, the control room door slid open again, and Piccolo entered, trailing Vegeta, Krillin, and Goku behind him.

"Now that we're all here…" Piccolo began as soon as the door slid closed behind them. "What's this insane scheme about destroying the necklace?"

Vegeta locked eyes with Bulma. She ignored Piccolo's question and launched into her explanation. "I re-watched the video." She said to Vegeta. "You never promised to give her the necklace at all. You never even mentioned it."

"But she knows—" Piccolo began.

"Of course she knows." Bulma said shifting her gaze to him. "But Vegeta simply promised to hand over the Tik to her. She could move her troops in right now and as long as you allow her to take control of everything, you don't need to give her the necklace at all."

Vegeta blinked.

"But I told the Tik soldiers to shoot as soon as Kurenai crosses into Tik territory."

"Then tell them to stand down." Bulma said.

He blinked at her again, and his mouth dropped open.

"Please tell me you know how to do that."

"Um."

"Do you have a scouter that connects you to…a headquarters of some sort?"

"No." He said, and raised a finger to scratch his temple. "But I'm sure I can figure something out."

"Well, we're all in the same room—kind of," Bulma started. "We could brainstorm it."

Vegeta's nod of agreement was cut off when Goku asked. "What's 'brainstorm?'"

Vegeta shot him a glance. "The fact that you don't know makes me think you won't be very useful in this."

"Oh come on." Goku said, raising a hand to scratch his head with a laugh.

"Just think of ideas." Bulma told him. "We need to figure out who Vegeta should contact to tell the Tik to stand down, and then how he's going to get in touch with them."

"We could do a universal broadcast." Krillin suggested. "That's how you talked to them last time."

"Kurenai did that." Vegeta said. "I'd rather not get her involved at this stage."

"Oh…Hmm…"

When no one immediately jumped forward with another suggestion, Vegeta sighed. Wishing that he'd left Fenn in place, or at least maintained some method of contacting him, he dropped down into the command chair.

* * *

An hour later, they were still discussing their game plan. They had fiddled with the com link, checking their connection, and had discovered that Vegeta could in fact get in touch with Tik soldiers…his only trouble was figuring out which ones to contact. He had killed most of Hui's elites, and Fenn had flown the coop after all.

It was this conundrum that they were mulling over when the door to the control room slid open. "So this is where you all are." As one, the group of Z fighters froze and went silent. Midori, standing in the open doorway, frowned at them. "What?" Her eyes narrowed and fixed immediately onto Vegeta. She suspected that if trouble were brewing, he would undoubtedly be at the center of it. "What did you do?"

"Nothing." He said, with an obviously false face of innocence. Goku and Krillin, now both lounging on the floor, also fixed her with innocent stares. The tall Namek leaning against the wall sent her an appraising look before averting his eyes.

She raised an eyebrow at their odd behaviors. "Oh?" She asked. "Well then you won't mind if I come sit in here with you."

Vegeta groaned loudly as she crossed the room to sit on the console right next to his chair. Midori turned briefly to send a greeting to Bulma, before looking back to Vegeta with a stern look. A moment later, though, her brow furrowed.  
She leaned closer to him. "That thing is draining you. You know that right?"

He sent her an annoyed glare, embarrassed by the attention and the comment itself. "Yeah."

"Just making sure." She crossed her legs and looked around at the men in the room regally. "So what's this little powwow for?"

Vegeta rolled his eyes, while the others sent each other nervous glances. Midori was undyingly loyal to Kurenai and the Krimzon, but not to a fault. He'd known for a while that he kept some secrets from Kurenai—why else would she have needed to trick Kurenai's magic floor. But she would never betray Kurenai.

Somewhere along the way though, he'd earned her loyalty as well. He'd seen as much when she'd risked being labeled a traitor to stand at his side when he'd demanded freedom. He understood the risk she'd taken. She could have lost her position, been arrested, or been forced to live in permanent exile if his gamble had gone badly. Fortunately for both of them, it had gone well, but he still knew how hard it must have been for her to have to choose a side in such a situation.

What he'd done to earn that level of devotion and friendship, he had no idea. Was there really any reason to distrust her now?

Of course if he pulled her into this, it would again put her in a tight position. Oh well…

"We're discussing my agreement with Kurenai." He informed her.

"Oh." She raised an eyebrow. "What about it?"

"The necklace." He clarified, fully aware that the others were now darting each other nervous glances.

Midori just nodded. "Yeah. If it's draining you this much, it would be dangerous for her to wear it. _She_ doesn't have the luxury of sitting around all day."

Vegeta snorted. "Doesn't she?"

"I'm serious." Midori said. "We'll have to figure out some way for her to wear it without being completely exhausted all the time."

"No we don't." Vegeta said, waving a careless hand. "I'm not giving it to her."

Midori blinked in surprise, before jumping off the control panel and sticking her hands on her hips. "But. Your deal…You promised—"

"I never promised the necklace." He said. "I promised to hand over the empire. Never the necklace. They're not one in the same."

Midori frowned. "But you certainly can't keep it."

"I know that." He snapped.

Her frown deepened, and she looked around at all the serious faces in the room. "Vegeta…Kurenai's going to be pissed that you kept this from her."

He shrugged. "She'll get over it."

"But…" She argued, searching the room for a sympathetic gaze. "I don't think…"

Vegeta suddenly interrupted her. "Touch it."

She flinched back a bit. "What?"

"Just touch it and tell me what you feel." He pulled it off his neck and dropped it into the palm of his hand. He held it up closer to her. "Touch the stone."

Midori looked uncertain. "Why?"

"Just do it."

Hesitantly, she held out her hand toward the stone. She was aware that the eyes of every man in the room as well as the woman on the vid screen were all fixed on her. Her fingertips gently touched the top of the stone in his hand. She immediately felt the power wash over her. It was intoxicating, compelling.

Vegeta slapped his hand down on top of hers and held it there. Midori's eyebrows furrowed, but far from trying to pull her hand away, her fingers wrapped around it. Vegeta waited a moment, watching a dark gleam creep into her eyes. He could almost see it, like tendrils of smoke curling in her reddish-brown irises.

"I…I think I should take this." She said lowly, almost as if in a trance. "You don't know how to wear it properly."  
Vegeta brought up his other hand without a word, and gripping her wrist, forced her hand off the stone.

She stumbled back a step, visibly shaking, as if trying to shrug off the remainders of a spell.

"What did you feel?"

"I…" She shook her head. "Nothing."

He raised an eyebrow. "Really? No sudden urge to rule the universe?"

Her expression said it all.

"Kurenai can't get this." He reiterated, dropping the necklace back over his head.

Midori looked in confusion between the men in the control room but didn't respond.

A deep voice grabbed Midori's attention. "The stone corrupts." Piccolo's dark eyes glimmered with a lingering danger—evidence that he, too, had had a glimpse of its power. "It allows the wearer too much control. No mortal should have the power to enslave half the universe so completely. There is no way that a person can wear this for long without becoming completely evil."

"So Hui…" Midori's brow furrowed as she tried to piece everything together. "The stone made Hui…"

"We don't know." Goku cut in. "We don't know if the stone corrupted him or if he corrupted the stone. Either way..." He trailed off with a shrug.

Vegeta picked up where Goku left off. "Hui has been wearing this necklace for 12 years. His mind is so infused with the stone's power that it's a part of him." He fixed her with a serious stare. "I'm going to destroy it."

"But…" Her hand again raised toward the stone. "I could study it."

"Look at yourself. You only touched it for a few seconds and you're craving it. The same thing happened to Kakarott and these two." He jerked a thumb toward Piccolo and Krillin. The three men nodded in confirmation—and with disturbed looks in Piccolo and Krillin's case. They had only touched the stone minutes before Midori walked in, and had not yet had time to sort out the feelings of greed and self-righteousness that had taken over them.

Midori frowned. "It's like that old story…" She said, eying the stone. "The one ring."

Her comment was met with blank stares and a few raised eyebrows.

"Oh come on!" Midori huffed a little indignantly. "You can't tell me you haven't heard that story. The races unite on a quest to destroy the ultimate ring, but whoever carries it is turned evil by the temptation of the power that it holds." Her explanation apparently did not spark any memories. "I…can't believe you don't know that story. It's famous." More blank stares.

"Anyway…" Vegeta began after a moment. "Before I destroy this—"

"Wait!" Midori shouted as if just realizing what he was proposing. "Destroy it?!" Midori shouted.

"Of course. I said so earlier. Where were you?"

"Why not give it to Kurenai?"

"You're kidding right? We just went over this. You're blind if you think that Kurenai will last a day without being completely under this stone's sway."

"Kurenai?" She asked, as if she couldn't believe it. "She would never—"

"You've seen how malicious she can be. I give her an hour before she's chipping everyone on Iro."

"But—"

"It's not up for debate." He said in annoyance. "I've already decided to destroy it. Kurenai doesn't need a stone to control her empire. She just needs a proper structure of governance and the willingness to accommodate the needs of her people. She's good enough at that already. Have a little faith, Midori." He finished with some sarcasm, causing her to roll her eyes.

"Vegeta's right." Krillin said. "After so many years of war, the people of the universe deserve better than a leader who will rule them through chips in their brains."

Piccolo crossed his arms. "It's Krimzon policy to never impose their rule on people who don't want it. Kurenai will have to win over the hearts of her new people. It will be tough. It will take years. Maybe centuries in some cases, but we didn't depose Hui just to put another dictator in his place. The stone will be destroyed."

Midori again scanned the room, finally locking eyes with Bulma as if pleading for the woman to talk some sense into the men around her. On the screen, Bulma averted her eyes from the camera entirely, signaling that she was firmly on the side of her friends. With no hope for recourse, Midori backed down. "Fine. I won't stand in your way. But how are you going to let her take over the Tik without giving her the necklace?"

"We're getting to that." Bulma explained quickly, almost apologetically. "Vegeta needs to contact whoever's second in command now and tell them to stand down. We're just trying to figure out who to call."

"Oh, well that's easy enough." Midori said, turning her gaze back to Vegeta. "Though it is quite shameful that you're supposed to be the right hand of the Krimzon Empire and you have no idea who's where in the Tik chain of command. Not to mention the fact that you're now the _emperor_ of the Tik. It's been like a week. You should have at least figured out who's your second in command."

Vegeta had the urge to throw her a rude gesture, but he fought it back and simply frowned. "I take it you know who it is then?"

"More or less." She said with a shrug. "There's been a lot of restructuring these past few weeks."

"Great!" Goku said cheerfully. "Have a seat. You can help us _brainstorm_."

Midori blinked at him, but then shrugged slightly and lowered herself back onto the control panel. She had nothing better to do after all.

* * *

The days passed slowly. Their Krimzon escort was due to meet them any day now. It was a relief to know that soon, he would be rid of Hui forever, but the wait was draining. There was absolutely nothing to do. There was a TV at least, but that wasn't very helpful when every channel was playing re-runs of the fight. He was getting sick of seeing his face everywhere. He could only imagine how sick everyone else was of seeing him.

It was perhaps due to the lack of other distraction, or perhaps to the size of the ship—days being trapped in such close quarters, looking at the same walls, out of the same windows, eating the same food...It was enough to drive anyone crazy. Because certainly only a bout of insanity could explain what he was doing now.

Sparring with Krillin.

How he got roped into it, he had no idea, but that's what he was doing. No power, no ki blasts, no Super Saiyan. Just old school a hand-to-hand combat. And to his great surprise, Krillin was actually…good. Who knew that what was likely the Earth's most powerful full-blood Earthling martial artist was actually good at martial arts? Vegeta had to admit he hadn't really expected it. He supposed he had overlooked it in the decade-long race for power between the Saiyans, the impossibly-powerful adversaries, and all that.

Krillin had style. He had technique. And with their power levels completely matched, he was giving Vegeta his money's worth.

As a luxury ship, there was no training room. They had pushed aside the chairs and tables in the ship's dining room in order to make a makeshift training space. It was small, but for what they needed, it would suffice. The two of them, still in the dingy, torn up under-armor that they'd worn during their fight with Hui, were dancing around each other, all graceful punches and kicks, occasionally rolling on the floor grappling.

Some small distance away, Piccolo hovered, leaning against the wall, with his arms crossed in his usual pose. Such a spar was something he'd "had to see" and there was little doubt that he was amused at just how well Krillin was doing.

The door to the room slid open just as Krillin's effort to throw Vegeta over his shoulder was foiled. The pair of combatants crashed to the floor, rolling and grappling, and leaving smears of sweat on the shiny tiles. Neither of them acknowledged the newcomer.

Goku stood still in the doorway, blinking at the sight before him before moving over to Piccolo. "This is new."

Piccolo didn't respond to that. Instead, he asked. "Isn't it your turn in the control room?"

"Oh yeah." Goku said as if just remembering something. "The Krimzon escort is here. Midori's taken over the controls. We're going to dock with them or something so we can get new clothes and supplies."

Having apparently heard him, Vegeta released Krillin from the headlock he had managed to put him in. Krillin gasped and rolled away, popping back up into a fighting stance. He realized a moment later that Vegeta was still sitting on the floor, looking curiously relaxed.

"Are they going to take Hui?" Vegeta asked, and Krillin only then realized that Goku had come in.

"I don't know." Goku said. "I didn't ask. Midori just said to come and get you." Vegeta didn't say anything to that, but just pulled himself off the floor.

"You look rough." Goku said, appraising Vegeta and sending a wink to Krillin. "Was Krillin too hard on you?"

Vegeta rolled his eyes. He couldn't seem to get rid of the pallor that had overcome him since putting on the stone. Although a few more days of rest and recuperation had done him worlds of good, he was constantly aware that billions of pieces of technology spread throughout half the universe were running on his power.

"Is it any better now that Kurenai's started taking over things?" Goku asked as they made their way down the hallway.

Vegeta half-shrugged a shoulder. He had hardly noticed a difference.

With Midori's knowledge of the Tik chain of command, they'd quickly been able to locate the Tik's current second-ranking officer. It was a large Grothian, who went only by the name Unkala. To Vegeta's surprise, the man had fought in Hui's tournament several weeks before, although he and Vegeta had never been pitted against each other—fortunately for him, or else Vegeta would have certainly killed him. Vegeta had been forced to get in touch with the man several times over the past few days, ensuring that all soldiers were standing down, that order was kept, and that the transfer was going smoothly.

Even though the two had never spoken before then, the Grothian had no incentive to disobey his powerful new Emperor. It had been quite a surprise to Vegeta the first time that the man had answered his call, that he had addressed him as "my Lord". Vegeta quickly put an end to _that_ title, and ordered Unkala to let it be known throughout the empire that he was _not_ to be called that—a little bet with Kakarott was one thing, but to be called by the same title as Frieza in any seriousness was another thing entirely.

The look of fear on Unkala's face throughout the whole exchange was almost painful. Until a few days before, Vegeta had been the Tik's number-2 enemy after all. Unkala was undoubtedly scared out of his mind at being the new wild-card emperor's go-to officer, and Vegeta had worn the necklace in clear view so there would be no mistake that he was in charge. Unkala had since then been ensuring that everything went exactly as Vegeta ordered.

Once he'd been ensured of the Tik's compliance, he'd contacted Kurenai. The call to Kurenai had surprisingly been a simple one, much shorter than he'd expected it to be. Kurenai had been a tad suspicious of his sudden urge to hand things over to her, but with Midori standing at his side, it had been surprisingly easy to convince her that he just wanted the transfer to be over with so he could go back to Earth.

He hadn't waited for her to comment on how tired he looked, or to ask what he wanted. He just cut right to the point._ "Kurenai, I want you to start moving your troops into Tik territory." _

"_You…Come again?" Her voice had clearly shown her surprise._

"_I want you to start taking over things now."_

_And then came suspicion. "…Why?"_

"_What do you mean 'Why?'" He grumbled. "Because I don't feel like dealing with it anymore. Turns out it takes a lot of effort to keep things in line."_

_She didn't respond. _

"_Kurenai, I'm giving you everything early. You can take it, or not. Either way, I'm not sticking around on Iro for more than a week. I'm going back to Earth."_

"_You'll tell the Tik army to stand down?"_

"_I already have. Smooth transition for you. Vacation for me." _And she'd agreed—no doubt too eager to get her hands on all of that new territory to question his motives any further. He would have expected a similar lack of argument if he ordered Trunks to open all his Christmas presents 10 days early.

So that had been it. She'd been moving her troops in over the past few days, swiftly bringing formerly Tik territory into the ever-growing Krimzon Empire and bringing Vegeta slowly closer to finally being free of this whole endeavor.

"Vegeta, you coming?" Goku's call pulled him out of his thoughts. Vegeta realized that he had lagged behind the others, and picked up his pace down the hallway.

"I don't know about you guys," Krillin was saying when he caught back up to them. "But I can't wait to get a different set of clothes. Even if it will probably be the same uniform. At least it won't have holes in it."

The others couldn't help but agree.

They found Midori waiting for them in the hallway as they turned the corner to the control room. "There you are." She greeted. "Our ship is docking with their head cruiser as we speak." She locked eyes with Vegeta. "We're handing Hui off to them."

Vegeta was only a little surprised. "Now?" He'd suspected that this might happen, but he would have still thought that Kurenai would have at least wanted her prized fighters to escort Hui to his prison. Still, who was he to complain at having one less thing to worry about?

Midori nodded distractedly and motioned for him to follow her toward Hui's makeshift 'cell.' "The location of the planet where Hui will be imprisoned is to remain a secret. And in case you have forgotten, your loyalty is in question." She turned on her heel and nodded in the direction of Hui's makeshift cell.

Vegeta thought that the mere idea that he might break Hui out of jail and let him run amok across the universe again was insane. Did Kurenai think he'd enjoyed hunting Hui down and subduing him?

Well, perhaps the subduing part had been somewhat fun.

But he certainly didn't want to do it again.

Of course there were other things he could do with Hui. Like hold him as a bargaining chip against the Krimson—which he'd already done. And with great success too.

On second thought, Vegeta reasoned, Kurenai was right to distrust him.

Despite his lingering nervousness at handing Hui off to men who were undoubtedly exponentially weaker than he and the group of fighters around him, he followed after Midori. Piccolo, Krillin, and Goku trailed after them, each looking nervous at the prospect of letting Hui out of their hands.

The group was silent as they reached Hui's cell. Midori opened the door without announcing their arrival, causing Hui to jolt awake in surprise. With no explanation, Midori pulled a set of chains seemingly out of nowhere. Vegeta blinked in surprise at the sudden appearance of the thick, heavy chains. Even after all this time around her, he found such obvious displays of magic disturbing. Oblivious to his discomfort, she handed the chains to him with an order to attach one to each handcuff, and one to the collar around Hui's neck.

He took the chains cautiously, and then moved toward Hui.

The young emperor's eyes were nervous and dazed, but he put up little fight. He hissed and squirmed in pain as the cold metal rubbed against his blackened and burned arm, but otherwise he remained silent.

Vegeta had to admit, the arm looked terrible. Hui's cut and bruised face was one thing, but that arm…it was just freaky. It was shriveled and warped, as if the muscle had all been burned away. Whatever Midori had done to cause that, Vegeta suspected that Hui would never have full use of that arm again. He made a conscious effort to avoid touching it. Who knew if remnants of whatever magic Midori had used were still lingering there.

Only minutes after they'd arrived, Hui was shackled and chained. Vegeta held one set of chains; Goku another. Piccolo had somewhat gleefully volunteered to hold the third chain attached to Hui's collar.

Whatever grandeur Hui had held when he had been emperor, now he was just a scared kid. His wide, fearful eyes took in everything as they passed through the halls toward the port where their ship connected to the Krimzon cruiser that would carry Hui away. He was practically trembling with fear.

When they passed through the bridge connecting the two ships and stepped into the Krimzon cruiser, a hush fell over the people gathered there. Most of the Krimzon there were elites, though there were a few young foot soldiers there. Judging by the complete awe on the young men and women's faces, they would never forget this day.

A small group of people with cameras stood in the hallway some distance behind the Krimzon soldiers. They all appeared to be so stunned to be in the presence of such people that they had all forgotten to begin taking pictures. Vegeta couldn't tell if they were journalists or not, but either way they didn't swarm the group as they might have expected. He suspected that they had no desire to be anywhere near Hui. In fact, when they Vegeta and Goku tugged Hui into the room, there was a small stirring through the people gathered there as everyone—even most of the Krimzon soldiers—took an instinctive step back.

Vegeta recognized the wolf-like man at the forefront of the Krimzon soldiers as the one who had arrested Vegeta on Earth, and then later harassed him throughout his trip to Iro. It left him to briefly wonder if this man was always the one called in to handle high-powered prisoners. There were no snide remarks or insults this time. Where before had been a gloating loathing, the soldier now obviously viewed Vegeta with respect.

Vegeta thought for a moment that this transaction might just go down smoothly. He wasn't being harassed by reporters, no one had fainted yet, and Hui wasn't trying to make a break for it—he wasn't even whining for that matter.

His hope that this was going to go perfectly was suddenly whisked away as a familiar voice cut through the silence. "If it isn't the Krimzon's own resident traitor."

Vegeta felt Hui shy away from the new arrival. Indeed Kuro Kon was a sight to behold—a dark, scaly figure, who at nearly 8 feet tall, towered over the Z fighters and their captive. Hui's wide, fearful eyes darted around to the people surrounding him, seemingly searching for a sympathetic gaze. He found none.

"Kuro." Vegeta greeted, ignoring the trembling former-emperor beside him. "I'm surprised to find you here."

Kuro shrugged and let his dark eyes slide to Hui. "I just couldn't miss the opportunity to put this one away." Hui shrank back even more.

"He's all yours then." Vegeta held out the chain to him.

Kuro turned to regard the wolf man—whose name Vegeta had still never learned—and nodded his head toward Hui. The wolf man, in turn, looked to the small troop of Krimzon soldiers behind him. With a small flick of his finger, he sent them marching toward Hui.

Finally the journalists remembered themselves, and the room was inundated with flashes of light, the sound of shutters, and the low narration of the few reporters who'd been allowed on board.

The Krimzon soldiers were completely professional, and without any trace of the fear they were certainly feeling. The first Krimzon solider to reach them moved smoothly behind Vegeta and pressed a small gun-like contraption to Hui's neck just above the collar. Vegeta vaguely recognized the device as the one that had been used to sedate him before his own trial all those months ago. There was a small hissing sound from the gun, and Hui almost instantly began to sway on his feet. The Krimzon still appeared unable to get the dosage right on their more powerful prisoners.

The other Krimzon guards moved in then, taking the chains from Goku's, Piccolo's and Vegeta's hands. Moments later, The Z fighters found themselves standing to the side of the room, watching as the Krimzon guards and the wolf man led Hui off down the hall. The reporters jogged after them, snapping photos, filming, and trying to get a comment from Hui, until inevitably, the Krimzon and their prisoner disappeared through a doorway. Two other soldiers took up guard in front of the doorway, preventing the journalists from continuing.

The Z fighters probably looked like so many deer in the headlights, as the journalists, as one, turned and stampeded back over to them. Fortunately, the remaining Krimzon soldiers took up a perimeter around them so that the group could speak to Kuro without microphones and recorders being shoved beneath their noses.

Paying no heed to the crowd of people around them, Kuro dug into his pocket. "Here." He said, handing a Capsule Corp. capsule to Midori. "New uniforms and casual clothes for your journey. I've been told there are uniforms for everyone, and that these should be worn when you land on Iro." He sent a sharp gaze to Vegeta. "Especially you. Why are you still walking around in Tik under-armor?"

Vegeta glanced down at his dark, torn clothes, still drenched in sweat from his spar with Krillin. "It's all I've got." Besides the fluffy white bathrobe and slippers that had been in his room when he'd arrived, but he certainly wasn't going to be handing Hui over wearing that.

Kuro merely raised an eyebrow, but didn't respond. Instead, he fished out another capsule. "Here. More supplies for the rest of your journey. You're lucky. We were going to send just dried rations, but I have been told that Bulma and someone named ChiChi stocked one of the fridges."

Goku and Krillin let out excited whoops.

"Alright ChiChi!" Goku cheered. "Always comes through in a pinch. What a gal!"

Kuro seemed almost amused. It was probably the first time Vegeta had seen such an expression on his face, but even he could see that the stress of the war had finally lifted. Kuro no longer had to worry that his empire would lose the war, or that his home would be taken over. The heavy weight of responsibility for protecting the universe against horrific events had lessened, allowing Kuro to finally breathe. "We should be on our way." Kuro said. "The majority of the universe is now under control, but there could still be bandits." He took a step back, and nodded to them. "Safe travels."

They nodded back to him, and a few called back "You, too." With that, they turned back to the bridge leading to their own ship, finally free of Hui. It was hard not to grin. With fresh clothes and home-cooked food, and only days away from being back with their families, they could finally, _finally_ feel like it was almost over. The cameras were still flashing and clicking at their backs, the journalists chattering excitedly as the group of heroes disappeared into the bridge.

"I propose a feast!" Goku shouted, as soon as they'd reached their ship again.

Krillin laughed. "I second that, but I've got to call 18 first. She'll be glad to know that there's no chance that Hui's going to murder me in my sleep now."

"Was that actually a concern of hers?" Midori asked with some amusement.

He nodded. "She has very little faith in me."

The others laughed.

The entire ship had a different air to it, now that it wasn't carrying an evil ex-emperor as cargo. The luxurious furnishings now seemed bright, rather than overwhelming, and the ship didn't seem quite so small. They had all come so far and overcome so much, leaving their families behind, postponing their dreams, and losing friends and loved ones along the way. They had sacrificed years of their lives to ridding the universe of Hui and they had finally done it. And now they had finally seen the last of Hui as well. He would be locked up somewhere dark and alone, never to bother anyone ever again. They certainly deserved a celebration.

* * *

"She's on your left flank, Tetch!" Trunks yelled. "No! Your other left!"

"I got her!" Tetch said, cocking his weapons and spinning around.

"No you don't." Darla laughed, as she turned and fired. "I got you first."

As Tetch growled in annoyance, Trunks pushed his character onward through the maze-like fortress. "Hurry, re-spawn!" Trunks called to him.

"I'm coming!" Tetch said. "It's not like I can speed up the countdown."

"You're too late." Lysibet teased. "That game is as good as mine…" A short 'hey!' from Darla and Han'nei made her amend her statement. "I mean _ours_."

"Goten, Tetch where are you?" Trunks yelled again. "I need you to cover me!"

"I'm coming!" Goten wailed.

"Dude, Goten died crossing the moat." Tetch reminded him. "He's _way_ behind us."

"Come on, Goten!" Trunks said. "My _Adventures of the Dungeon Raiders_ is riding on this!"

"I'm coming, Trunks." Goten whined. "I've got stuff riding on it too. I'm going to lose my wireless controller! And I only have one!"

"You should have thought about that before you fell in the moat." Tetch said. "But if I lose my hoverboard to Darla, I'm going to pound you one—Saiyan strength or no."

"Why me? Trunks was the one who forgot the password. I wouldn't have fallen if it hadn't taken him forever to open the gate!" Suddenly, their screens went black.

"Hey!" Goten shouted in surprise. "My visor just died!" As he pulled it off, he saw Trunks and the rest of his friends doing the same. "What the…?" Trunks stared at his visor and shook it. "What happened?"

"Sorry." On the side of their game platform Tuno was standing a bit sheepishly. The plug for their game dangled limp from his chubby hand. "I've been trying to get your attention for the past ten minutes or so."

The group of teens stared incredulously at their friend, who, having drawn the short straw, had been forced to sit out of that round of the game. Being the odd-man-out of a six-player game was undoubtedly boring, but that was no reason to pull the plug on the machine. The chubby boy was suddenly on the receiving end of six glares.

"I can explain!" Tuno hurriedly said, and then turned to point an excited finger toward the large TV screen set into the wall behind the prize counter. "Look!"

Trunks took a step closer to the screen, and noticed that his friends did the same. He vaguely wondered what was so interesting about a crowd gathering at the spaceport that Tuno had done something so radical as unplug their game. Not that he was complaining. His team had clearly been losing and if it meant that he didn't have to part with the new game his mom had just gotten him, he didn't really mind.

"So what?" Lysibet asked. She was clearly more upset about her team's victory being snatched away so quickly.

"The ships are landing!" Tuno said, just as Trunks noticed the scrawl at the bottom of the screen: _Midori, Prince Vegeta, and fellow warriors return victorious to Iro._

"It's my dad!" Trunks nearly squeaked in excitement.

"They're back!" Goten exclaimed in the same moment.

"Come on!" Trunks said. "Let's go!"

"To the port?" Darla asked.

"Of course!"

"Wait!" Goten said, stopping Trunks in his tracks. "We have to get mom first."

"Oh right. Mine too. Come on then. Hurry." Trunks grabbed Goten's arm and dragged him out of the arcade at a run. "We'll meet you guys at the port!" He called over his shoulder to his friends.

Trunks and Goten couldn't quite run full speed through the Underground, although they nearly did. The centuries old cobblestone on the street was uneven and a tripping hazard, but they were used enough to running down this street that they knew where all the holes were. It was the crowd of people streaming toward the train platform that was really slowing them down.

After winding their way through the crowd in the underground to the basement door of his apartment complex, the two teen demi-Saiyans burst into the stairwell. The stairwell was rarely used—because who really wanted to walk up 100 flights of stairs? Therefore, assuming that it was empty, the two flew full-speed up the stairwell, finally arriving at their floor.

"Mom!" Trunks burst into the room. If the door to his family's apartment opened on hinges, it would have no doubt slammed into the wall in his excitement. It was perhaps fortunate then, that it merely quietly slid open. "MOM!" Trunks hollered again.

"Trunks!" Bulma scurried out of her bedroom a moment later, fumbling to put her earring on. "Finally! Why didn't you answer your phone? I've been calling for half an hour. Hurry up! Our car's almost here."

"Car? What? Mom! Dad's ship's landing!"

"I know!" Bulma said. To the side of the room, Gure, already dressed and ready to go, smiled in some small amusement at the sight. The jittery pair probably had no idea that they had a nearly identical frantic tone to their voice.

Failing to get the earring in, Bulma pulled it away and glared at it. "Oh, not these! They're hideous!" With a howl of frustration, she spun on her heel and disappeared back into her room.

Trunks stared in wide-eyed disbelief after her before fixing the same look onto his quiet Aunt. "Aunt Gure, what's she doing?"

"Changing." She said simply. "Kurenai's sending a car for us. It should be here any minute."

"Trunks!" He heard Goten's shout a moment before the younger boy barreled up the stairs and into his apartment. A flustered, fretting Chichi—oddly also fighting to put on an earring—hurried in after him. "Come on! Kurenai's sending a car. It'll be here any minute!"

"I know!" Trunks was jumping from foot to foot now, and in his excitement, Goten mirrored the action.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Goten asked.

"My mom!" Trunks waved an annoyed hand in the direction of his mother's room.

"I'm coming." Bulma said, reappearing a moment later in an entirely different outfit than the one she had been wearing before. "Do I look okay?"

"It doesn't matter, mom!" Trunks said, turning toward the door although he remained jogging in place. "If you try to go change again, we're leaving without you."

"Yeah!" Goten echoed.

Bulma rolled her eyes at the pair of fidgety teens. "You sound just like your father." She grumbled to Trunks before turning to Chichi and Gure. "Do I look okay?"

"You look great." Gure assured her.

"Good." She took a calming breath, and grabbed her purse off the table. "Alright. Let's go."

The building seemed oddly empty as they made their way down the elevator and into the lobby. It was all they could do to contain their excitement and nervousness at seeing their family members again.

* * *

The quiet peace of the ship was broken as soon as the door opened. As the gangplank lowered, the noise grew louder. The roar of cheers and screams of excitement, somehow seemed to be one with the bright red sky and chaotic flashing lights. The warriors, standing in anticipation at the doorway could already see the cameras clicking and flashing away.

The team of returning fighters were dressed again in their red and black Krimzon armor—courtesy of Kuro and Kurenai. Standing framed in the ship's port, they looked every bit the heroes that they were.

As in times before, the path from the gangplank to the cars was lined with two rows of Krimzon guards. This time, they were standing shoulder to shoulder in an effort to keep the surging crowd at bay.

A loud cry of joy sounded above the roar. "Chet!" Disregarding all the flashing cameras and excited journalists, Midori bolted from the ship, running down the gangplank toward the car that Chet had just stepped out of. Her long braid took flight behind her, the intertwined chains catching the light from the flashes and seeming to glitter.

Five other figures emerged from a second car. Vegeta almost smiled at the sight of bright blue hair.

"Hey, ChiChi!" He heard Goku shout from beside him, as the man began making his way down the gangplank.

The crowd around them was surging. Reporters and excited citizens were nearly climbing over the guards to get at their saviors. All around, people were chanting, cheering, crying. Many mothers and fathers were lifting up their children to help them see—to help them remember this moment in history.

Vegeta took a step out onto the gangplank. The crowd surged again, and finally broke through. It happened in an instant. One second, the path was clear, the next, they were all swarmed by journalists and cheering, crying citizens. People were grabbing at his clothes, tugging at his arms. A woman jumped up and planted a wet kiss on his cheek. Another had latched onto his arm and was refusing to let go.

People were chanting his name.

A moment later, he saw figures floating above the crowd. His reflex was to assume that it was an attack. Certainly, this situation was out of control. A moment later though, he realized that he recognized the people. It was Trunks, carrying Bulma in his arms. His son's sharp blue eyes were scanning the crowd as he floated back to the car and lowered himself to stand on the roof. A moment later, he saw Goten carry Chichi to stand on the roof of the car next to Bulma.

"Up there!" He heard Goku shout, pointing directly to their families.

He rose as well, shaking the woman off his arm, and pulling his feet up to keep the crowd from grabbing onto them. The crowd seemed to ripple as the heroes flew over it, people jumping up to try to touch them. Although many of them were probably capable of flight, years of living in a place where flying within city limits was illegal was apparently enough to keep them grounded.

Up ahead, Midori had already pulled herself above the crowd and was standing on top of the first car wrapped in Chet's embrace. If Vegeta wasn't mistaken, she was crying.

Goku reached their families first, catching Chichi as she leapt off the car at him. "Oh Goku!" He swung her around, and the couple looked for all the world like a pair of newlyweds, overcome with joy. Goku lowered them both back onto the car's roof. Chichi apparently didn't know whether she wanted to laugh or cry. "Oh Goku, you're back! If only Gohan…"

"Shh. I know Chichi." He turned his attention to his son. "Hey, Goten!" The greeting was all Goten needed to jump into his father's embrace.

"Vegeta!" Vegeta had hardly set foot on the car's roof before Bulma had thrown her arms around him. The reporters were all overcome with bliss, their fingers snapping pictures too fast for their cameras to keep up. He felt Trunks latch onto his arm. "Dad!" Deciding to throw precaution to the wind, Trunks threw his arms around his father as well.

Bulma was now clinging to him as if her life depended on it. "It's finally over." He could barely hear her over the incessant roar of the crowd. "Oh, Kami, it's finally over. You can come home!" He felt Trunks take a step back as Bulma succumbed to full-on sobbing.

Vegeta and Trunks shared a clueless and panicked look, and he saw Trunks mouth to him. "Is she crying?"

Vegeta nodded, the panicked expression still in place.

"Why?" Trunks mouthed again.

Vegeta shook his head. "I don't know." He mouthed back.

She couldn't have picked a worse place to do this. Was he meant to comfort her in front of the entire universe? With all these cameras?

And when had he put his arm around her? When had that happened?! Well, he couldn't remove it now.

To his chagrin, Krillin and Piccolo were standing near Gure, and all were watching the scene with some amusement. Vegeta glared at them, but they didn't appear at all intimidated. He rolled his eyes and decided to ignore them.

"Onna." He prompted, leaning close to her ear to be heard over the crowd. He predicted—quite rightly—that this very image was going to be on several newspaper covers the next morning. "Clue me in. Why are you crying?"

"We can all go home!" He heard her say. "I'm just…so happy. We can be a family again. We can go home!"

Vegeta blinked and looked back to Trunks, who was waiting for some explanation. "She's happy." Vegeta mouthed.

"What?" Was the confused, silent response.

Vegeta just shrugged, and matching befuddled shrug answered him.

He lowered his mouth down to Bulma's ear again. It could have been interpreted as romantic if he weren't yelling to be heard over the crowd. "Come on. Let's get in the car. I want to get out of here. Hopefully there's not a crowd at the apartment."

She took a step back, and he could see that her eyes were red and blotchy. Tears were still streaking down her face. She hurriedly wiped them away and sniffed. "Don't count on it. Maybe we can land on the roof."

He blinked. "Yes. Let's do that. That was probably the best idea you've ever had."

She rolled her eyes with a laugh as he turned to look at the crowd pressed up against the car. Krimzon soldiers had pushed their way through the crowd to be between the crowd and the car, but they were nearly being crushed between them. He locked eyes with one of the guards, and they began pushing the crowd back. It was tough going, but in a minute or two, there was enough room between the crowd and the car to open the door. He grabbed Bulma again and leapt down into the small gap. More hurriedly than the situation really required, he pulled the door open and ushered Bulma inside. Trunks, Gure, and Krillin piled in a moment later, and the door was hurriedly shut and locked behind them.

"The others went in the second car." Krillin explained, glancing out the back window to the car in question.

Within seconds after they'd shut the door, their car lifted off, leaving the port and the enormous crowd behind. Vegeta turned and knocked on the window separating the front seat from the back. A moment later the window slid open. "Yes sir?"

"When you get to the Septagon, land on the roof."

"The roof?"

"Yes."

The man hesitated for a moment, but then he nodded. "Yes sir. Should I tell the other car to land on the roof as well?"

"If you want." He shrugged, but Bulma quickly amended. "Yes, please do."

With that done, he leaned back in his seat, soaking in the familiar sights of the planet that had been his temporary home and the familiar voices and scents of his family. If anyone ever thought he could trade this for being emperor of half the universe, they'd be a fool.

* * *

A/N: I hope you enjoyed that. It again took me forever to upload. I've been working two jobs, and it's been hard finding any free time to write. Thanks to all of you who left me reviews. I appreciate all your support and all of your patience with my super-long wait times. I just realized today that it's been three and a half years since I started writing this story. Thanks for sticking with me for so long!

Let me know what you think of this one!


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